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Lisa Merriam NPR Interview on BP

Lisa Merriam interviewed on NPR about the fate of the BP brand

Scott Neuman of NPR asked me about the possible boycotts of BP.  I explained that brand is not a driver for people buying gas.  Location is most important.  People will literally not drive across a median to reach a gas station on the [...]

May 26th, 2010 | Tags: , , , , | Category: Brand Strategy, Branding, Identity, Marketing, Public Relations | Leave a comment

BP: Disingenuously Branding

The oil spewing from the destroyed drilling-rig off the coast of Louisiana is devastating the environment; it also damages one of the decade’s most prominent brands.

No matter that the oil rig in question is actually owned and operated by Transocean, the world’s largest offshore drilling contractor. No matter that nine of the eleven victims are [...]

April 29th, 2010 | Tags: , , , , | Category: Brand Strategy, Public Relations, Social Media | 11 comments

Toyota Brand Still Strong Despite Recalls

How are the recalls and bad headlines affecting the Toyota brand?  In Context Opinion hit the parking lot to talk to everyday drivers to find out if the brand is in trouble.

What we heard is that people still value the brand—some passionately.  While some people are concerned about the way Toyota initially handled the recall [...]

March 2nd, 2010 | Category: Brand Insight, Brand Strategy, Branding, Marketing, Public Relations, Video | Leave a comment

Crash Branding--Brand Communication in a Crisis

When a Continental Airlines jet caught fire and skidded off a Denver runway in November 2008 and USAirways jet landed in New York’s Hudson River in January, 2009, they demonstrated a new challenge facing a brand crisis. Twitter and Facebook have changed the game. Gone are the days when corporate execs could huddle and practice [...]

March 1st, 2009 | Tags: , | Category: Marketing, Marketing Trends, Public Relations, Social Media, Video | 2 comments

Viral Marketing Can Make Your Brand Sick

Viral marketing makes your brand message spreads far, fast, and almost free. But failing to plan makes for expensive mistakes–ask Motrin and Dr. Pepper.

December 4th, 2008 | Tags: , | Category: Brand Insight, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media, Video, Viral Marketing | One comment