- Home
- In-Depth Analysis
Cover Story
No longer the dumb waiter
A new approach to franchises is gathering sway that treats the relationship less like a ’master and servant’ set-up and more like a marriage of equal sides. Giving franchisees more input can have its pitfalls, but brands are finding the benefits far outweigh the negatives.
Voicing your ethical stance
A green glow underneath the golden arches logo outside McDonald’s European restaurants is supposed to promote that the fast-food chain is an eco-friendly company. But is this enough to convince consumers that it is a sustainable brand?
Building a bridge between marketing and boardroom
Investors want more information about brand investment on company reports, and marketers stand to gain boardroom representation if this is disclosed. But firms are wary about providing detailed brand information that could benefit competitors.
Features
No longer the dumb waiter
A new approach to franchises is gathering sway that treats the relationship less like a ’master and servant’ set-up and more like a marriage of equal sides. Giving franchisees more input can have its pitfalls, but brands are finding the benefits far outweigh the negatives.
Voicing your ethical stance
A green glow underneath the golden arches logo outside McDonald’s European restaurants is supposed to promote that the fast-food chain is an eco-friendly company. But is this enough to convince consumers that it is a sustainable brand?
Building a bridge between marketing and boardroom
Investors want more information about brand investment on company reports, and marketers stand to gain boardroom representation if this is disclosed. But firms are wary about providing detailed brand information that could benefit competitors.
The guilt appeal
Guilt marketing is a tried-and-tested tactic to affect consumer behaviour, and the opportunities to play on it are growing as it becomes the predominant emotion in modern lives. But is such a negative focus effective in the long term?
Branding gets personnel touch
Companies are tapping into the personal branding skills of their employees, made possible by the explosion of social media platforms, to inject their brands with personality and respond better to consumer demands.
The people take over the pitch
‘Democratic marketing’ - skirting the agency process to put the creative brief out to consumers and independent creatives - is gaining popularity among brands such as Peperami. Are we about to see a seismic change in marketing services procurement?
A cherry-picked CSR strategy
Fictional characters that embody the brand abound in marketing, but MTV has taken the concept to another level with Cherry Girl, a virtual ambassador for the cause of social responsibility.
Who's managing your relationships?
Outsourcing customer relationship management is moving up the agenda. But is your CRM safe in the hands of an agency, and will the cost reductions made outweigh the potential loss of control over customer communications?
Five ways to keep your marketing department healthy
Marketing Week identifies five strategies that can help businesses and marketers adapt to a recession by improving levels of staff morale and marketing capability.
On the inside track
A spoonful of microchip and a measure of motherboard are both parts of the recipe that make up a computer. But these ingredient components can be brands in their own right and have to decide how to market themselves.
