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Most people don’t think of Al Qaeda and marketing in the same sentence. But marketing is important to Al Qaeda and so is the strength of its brand. It is the key to raising money, recruiting jihadis and motivating them to attack. The Al Qaeda flag features the Shahadah, the Muslim declaration of belief “There [...] Last year when Motorola split into two companies, both called Motorola, they created brand confusion. Now Google is acquiring Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. for its wireless patents. What’s left of Motorola can begin to create a stronger, focused brand..but that is a big if. What if Google has acquired rights to the Motorola brand? What if they [...] Just 18 months after getting it all together, consumer packaged goods giant Kraft announced today that it is breaking up. It turns out that Kraft executives have discovered the grocery business has different needs that the snacks business. In a conference call with the Kraft CEO, one participant called the break up “rearranging the furniture.” [...] Since Motley Fool has named 2011 “The Year of the Spin-Off,” we have covered a number of companies who have made a confusing mess of their brands. Corporate spin-offs have led to brand spin-outs for companies like Marathon and Motorola. Sara Lee is doing it right. The company is keeping its core food business under the [...] Corporate restructuring can make perfect financial sense, yet create a perfect mess out of the brand. Take Marathon Oil, which just announced it is spinning off its “downstream” refining and retail operations. Those low margin businesses drag down the finances of the whole company, so a spin off is a shrewd move. Still, calling one company [...] The potential break up of Fortune Brands will unlock tremendous brand value. The brands in this company’s portfolio have little relationship with the parent company or each other; they simply happen to be owned by a single holding company. Fortune Brands today is a prime example of how a poor brand architecture strategy actively diminishes [...] Caterpillar is buying mining equipment giant Bucyrus International and keeping that brand name. While unknown and even strange-sounding to the average person, Bucyrus is a storied brand name in the heavy equipment industry. In my post of a few weeks ago, I discussed the naming options companies have in mergers and acquisitions. Though Caterpillar is a [...] General Motors has done more than reorganize its finances. GM has turned its brand architecture upside down. Trimming nameplates like Pontiac, Saab, and Hummer from its stable of brands was just one aspect. Beginning in August of last year, the GM “chicklet” logo has been quietly disappearing. It is no longer slapped on the doors of [...] |
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