Our thinking appears in marketing articles and publications around the world

The global financial services crisis raises issues for CMOs who now find themselves with new brands in their portfolios. Actions undertaken to protect brand equities of all the players — whether acquirers or acquired — must be carefully considered against a backdrop of customers, comparative health issues, and strategic compatibilities.

The “human library” has its roots in the city library in Malmö, Sweden, which allows curious visitors to check out living people for a 45-minute conversation. Th e experience is designed to confront prejudices and promote understanding. Th e people available to be “checked out” at one point included a gypsy, a transvestite, a blind man, a journalist and an animal rights activist. The conversations are intended to allow people to learn about the life and beliefs of an individual who has been misunderstood, stereotyped and often avoided.

Joseph Gelman argues that the concept of bank branches is still alive, despite claims to the contrary. Banks should therefore take advantage of this situation to transmit the essence of their brand to clients at all points of interaction, particularly in light of the current cash crisis.

Philip Otley explains in his article why pricing may be the sharpest double-edged sword that senior management can wield in their bid to create value for the enterprise.

Our first report in an upcoming series examines the customer experience in the UK’s retail banking sector. Under the microscope for months, and the subject of intense criticism over its role in the current economic crisis, the banking sector perhaps has most to fear in terms of customer backlash.

Our second report in the series examines the customer experience in the UK’s supermarkets. The phenomenal change in the food retailing landscape over the last ten years clearly shows that consumers are more than happy to change brands. That change is not just based on price, but price combined with customer experience.

In an interview with the financial daily La Gaceta de los Negocios, Joseph Gelman, Prophet partner and director of the company's office in Spain, talks about the challenges facing green brands. *Please note this interview is in Spanish.

One of the most pressing challenges marketers face today is finding the balance between the art and science of marketing to create strategies and programs that meet measurable business objectives. It’s called marketing effectiveness, and achieving it is doable – once some surmountable barriers are overcome.

This article, focused on key themes from Scott Davis' upcoming book, "The Shift," outlines a series of profound shifts that have ushered in a new era in marketing. This era is marked by Visionary Marketers who know that no one is better suited to help drive the growth agenda than the head of marketing.

Scott Davis’ latest book outlines the five shifts marketers must undertake to fundamentally shift the role of marketing and help drive both the growth agenda and bottom-line results.

In his latest Marketing News column, David discusses the silo crisis. He argues that product, country, and functional organizational silos are creating waste and inefficiency and, worse, are leading to lost opportunities to develop great products and marketing programs.

Recession, the rise of digital, and the emphasis on media neutrality are just some developments making new demands on marketers and changing marketing’s role in the company structure. In this Marketing Week article featuring Scott Davis, they discuss the ten best ideas for embracing this change and steering your brand for the future.

The UN is in a brand crisis. The damage to its reputation is significant, but if the organization is committed to making some significant changes, it's not too late to change course and correct it's tainted image.

Two Choices: Burger King and Ford followed different paths in their quests to grow-and stand as case studies of why the best marketing comes from innovation, not desperation.

In his article Tosson explains how to have a more easy-going approach to Social Media.

Increasingly, companies are putting a public face on their corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity. The authors describe three different approaches for incorporating CSR activities with marketing activities.

From Prophet Vice Chairman David Aaker comes Three Threats to Brand Relevance. In it, Aaker reveals that the key to an organization’s sustained growth is to learn what it takes to bring “big” innovation to market and create barriers to competitors. Building on his full-length book Brand Relevance, Aaker offers a guide for confronting the three threats if they emerge and shows how to put in place the strategies that will keep the threats at bay.  

Toyota has long been an auto industry frontrunner, consistently outpacing its peers on any number of fronts. But today, its once stellar reputation is under attack, between production issues and unprecedented recalls after the company's failure to respond to and correct problems in a timely manner. History has shown that companies which have built up reputational goodwill and swiftly and authentically responded to issues have weathered storms better than others.

In this article Scott shows how important it is for marketers to step forward and demonstrably expand mindsets, skills, and capabilities instead of sliding back into comfort zones.

In this article, Andrew argues that the question for most companies is not if they will take action to make their brands environmentally friendly, but when and the extent to which they will do so. He then discusses what it takes to successfully make green work as a business and brand builder.