http://blog.marketingdoctor.tvQuick Blogcasthttp://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2010/03/16/john-tantillos-brand-winner-and-loser-imogean-heap-and-democrats--health-care.aspx?ref=rssBrand Winner... And Loser... John Tantillo’s Winner and Loser of The Week: Winner: Imogen Heap Loser: The Democrats and Health Care This week the Marketing Doctor is taking a look at two very different areas that both need to remember their Target Markets: musical performance and politics. Unfortunately, only our winner is remembering her Target Market; the Democrats in our government are not. WinnerYou might not have heard of Imogen Heap, but she is an incredibly successful pop musician and composer who has a devoted following.She’s our winner of the week because of her decision a few years ago to abandon her big record label and manage her ...MarketingBrandingdoc@mdaltd.com (The Marketing Doctor)2010-03-16T14:40:00Zhttp://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2010/03/11/john-tantillos-brand-winner-and-loser-the-academy-awards-and-book-publishing.aspx?ref=rssBrand Winner... And Loser... John Tantillo’s Winner and Loser of The Week: Winner: The Academy Awards Loser: Book Publishing This past week saw two distinguished industry brands that are in very different positions. One critical reason: marketing (both fundamental and promotional). WinnerThe first Academy Awards ceremony was held in 1929 as a brunch for 250 plus people and as a way of gaining visibility for the artistic and cultural significance of the movie industry.As promotion and publicity tactic, it worked wonders. Not only are the Oscars now the oldest media awards ceremony, they are easily the most famous. The latest, this past Sunday’s 82nd Academy Awards, was one of the most watched, with a full 41 million viewers, easily beating ...MarketingBrandingdoc@mdaltd.com (The Marketing Doctor)2010-03-11T12:44:00Zhttp://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2010/03/01/john-tantillos-brand-winner-and-loser-akio-toyoda-and-congress.aspx?ref=rssBrand Winner... And Loser... John Tantillo’s Winner and Loser of The Week: Winner: Akio ToyodaLoser: Congress This past week saw two brands go head-to-head, and one emerged as a definitive winner and illustrated some real marketing truths to boot. Without further ado: WinnerAkio Toyoda is the clear marketing winner this week. The third-generation head of the family company reminded anyone who was listening what responsibility to one’s brand means.First, Toyoda expressed how deeply hurt he was by his defective vehicles:As you well know, I am the grandson of the founder, and all the Toyota vehicles bear my name. For me, when the cars are damaged, it is as though I am as well. I, more than anyone, wish for Toyota's cars to be safe, and for our customers to feel safe when they ...MarketingBrandingdoc@mdaltd.com (The Marketing Doctor)2010-03-01T05:23:00Zhttp://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2010/02/21/john-tantillos-brand-winner-and-loser-tiger-woods-and-johnny-weird.aspx?ref=rssBrand Winner... And Loser... John Tantillo’s Winner and Loser of The Week: Winner: Tiger WoodsLoser: Johnny Weir I want to take a look at two performance brands this week. Without further ado: WinnerThe pundits can dissect every line and pause of Tiger Woods’ statement Friday, but they’re wrong. The media didn’t like it because they were cut out of the picture… but this wasn’t a press conference; it was a marketing conference. This wasn’t about the media; it was about Tiger’s fans, his clients and his customers.Tiger went directly to his Target Market, and from everything I’ve heard, people accepted what he said. Public relations as we knew it is over (i.e., catering first and foremost to the demands of the journalists and trying ...Brandingdoc@mdaltd.com (The Marketing Doctor)2010-02-22T04:58:00Zhttp://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2010/02/16/john-tantillos-brand-winner-and-loser-john-mayer-and-dick-cheney.aspx?ref=rssBrand Winner... And Loser... John Tantillo’s Winner and Loser of The Week: Winner: John MayerLoser: Dick CheneyThis week the Marketing Doctor wades into controversial waters, but anything to show that the marketing lens even works in the murkiest of waters. WinnerJohn Mayer.He said some incredibly vulgar and awful things in that now infamous Playboy interview… So, how could he possibly be this week’s winner?Simple. Did he do irreparable harm to his relationship with his Target Market?Answer Yes, and you’ve got a loser. Answer No, and it’s no harm, no foul.And the answer is No.Here’s why.John Mayer has built his career on “real” music that is supposed to convey real emotions and observations on life as his demographic lives it. The interview with Playboy, while reprehensible, can simply not be judged by the ...Brandingdoc@mdaltd.com (The Marketing Doctor)2010-02-17T01:12:00Zhttp://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2010/02/08/john-tantillos-brand-loser-and-brand-loser-ford--gm-and-the-us-census-super-bowl-ad.aspx?ref=rssJohn Tantillo’s Winner and Loser of The Week: Brand Winners... And Loser... Winner: Ford and GMLoser: the U.S. Census Super Bowl AdWithout further ado: WinnerI’ll keep the winner short. Ford and General Motors get the crown for re-organizing themselves, getting on the track to recovery and not throwing their brands out with the bathwater.The very fact that Ford and General Motors have remained brand companies has insulated them from the kind of mass destruction that Toyota is currently experiencing.As I wrote last week about Toyota:With the exception of their branding master-stroke of Lexus, Toyota cross-labels every one of its car brands with its corporate brand. The problem with this kind of corporate brand strategy? Well, when one product in the corporate line-up has a problem, so ...MarketingBrandingdoc@mdaltd.com (The Marketing Doctor)2010-02-08T12:39:00Zhttp://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2010/02/05/people-buy-brands-not-companies-coming-in-two-weeks--email-us-now-to-reserve.aspx?ref=rss...doc@mdaltd.com (The Marketing Doctor)2010-02-06T00:12:00Zhttp://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2010/02/05/john-tantillos-brand-loser-and-brand-loser-toyota-and-apple--the-ipad.aspx?ref=rssBrand Loser… And Loser John Tantillo’s Winner and Loser of The Week: Loser: ToyotaLoser: Apple and iPad Maybe it’s mid-winter blues, but I’ve decided to accentuate the negative by pulling a first: two losers. And, frankly, these two were such obvious marketing victims, I simply had to do it. They say that with pride there is a fall, and these two companies’ most recent debacles seem to prove the adage. Loser Number One:Toyota.This car company was on the cusp of becoming the biggest and, arguably, the best worldwide. But now Toyota is on the hook for one of the biggest recalls in automotive history, and its reputation for great quality at a great price is in tatters.How did this happen? Well, I’ll leave the engineering post-mortem to the technical folks, ...Brandingdoc@mdaltd.com (The Marketing Doctor)2010-02-02T15:31:00Zhttp://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2010/01/26/john-tantillos-brand-winner-and-loser-conan-obrien-and-the-republican-party.aspx?ref=rssBrand Loser… And Loser John Tantillo’s Winner and Loser of The Week: Winner: Conan O’BrienLoser: The Republican Party Folks, without further ado: The Winner Conan O’Brien is our winner of the week for standing his ground, recognizing the changing television environment and getting paid an enormous amount of money simply to walk away from The Tonight Show.Along the way, he also won new supporters and fans by showing that he cared about those he worked for, insisting that even his non-contract co-workers be taken care of under NBC’s multi-million dollar settlement.As I’ve observed before, NBC’s mistake wasn’t that it was wrong about the traditional television model changing. Absolutely not. Broadcast television only makes sense if you have big, captive audiences. The Internet, hand-held devices, cable and TIVO ...Brandingdoc@mdaltd.com (The Marketing Doctor)2010-01-27T15:55:00Zhttp://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2010/01/11/john-tantillos-brand-winner-and-loser-avatar--hollywood-and-nbc.aspx?ref=rssBrand Winner… And Loser John Tantillo’s Winner and Loser of The Week: Winner: Avatar (and Hollywood)Loser: NBC Folks, without further ado. The WinnerAvatar is the hands-down winner for reminding us of the transformative power of a great product, whether it is in consumer goods or entertainment. The movie has dominated the box office for a fourth straight week and there is no sign of it slowing down.But more than mere box office dollars, Avatar has ushered in yet another Hollywood-saving breakthrough. Bottom line, traditional 2-D movies have been under assault, and the movie industry —while having its best year ever in 2009— was facing the technology squeeze. Everything about the industry, from distribution to talent, is up in the air. Paranormal ...Marketingdoc@mdaltd.com (The Marketing Doctor)2010-01-11T15:14:00Zhttp://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2010/01/05/john-tantillos-winner-and-loser-of-the-week-apple-again-slate-and-the-administration--terrorism.aspx?ref=rssBrand Winner… And Loser John Tantillo’s Winner and Loser of The Week: Winner: Apple Again (Slate)Loser: The Administration and Terrorism Folks, without further ado. The Winner Apple seems to be at it again. The buzz is another product is on the way: Slate.What does it do? No one seems to know yet, so why make Apple a winner?For the sake of reminding us how great companies always put products or services first (i.e., they focus on what they do rather than who they are). Apple has not become the tech behemoth it is because Apple promoted a company image first. Its company culture has always promoted an atmosphere where the focus is on creating products that people want; the consistent superiority of its ...Brandingdoc@mdaltd.com (The Marketing Doctor)2010-01-05T12:27:00Zhttp://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2009/12/28/john-tantillos-top-ten-brand-winners-and-losers-of-2009.aspx?ref=rssBrand Winners… And Losers John Tantillo's Top Ten Brand Winners and Losers of 2009Top Five Brand Winners1. Lady Gaga - She may not be the best singer in the world, but she has built herself into a world-class brand by being an excellent marketer. She has discovered the demands of music consumers and delivered again and again over the past year, and her profile has grown enormously.2. Apple - What can I say? This company and its head, Steve Jobs, embody everything right about marketing. They build products that everyone wants.They get the advertising right because they know their Target Market and respect it. They get the distribution right so that they can keep up with demand and adjust. They deserve their growth and should see more of it in 2010.3. Hollywood - Despite the struggling economy, fierce competition from the Internet and video ...Brandingdoc@mdaltd.com (The Marketing Doctor)2009-12-28T14:01:00Zhttp://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2009/12/21/john-tantillos-brand-winner-and-loser-steven-covey--ebooks-and-traditional-books--ebooks.aspx?ref=rssBrand Winner… And Loser John Tantillo’s Winner and Loser of The Week: Winner: Stephen Covey and E-BooksLoser: Traditional Publishing and E-Books Folks, rarely does the Marketing Doctor find such a stark contrast between smart marketing and stupid marketing in the same industry in the same week. The WinnerStephen Covey, the best-selling author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, is the marketing winner of the week after making a ground-breaking, exclusive deal to sell e-books of his best-selling backlist titles through Amazon. (Here’s the story from the NY Times.)This is a man who usually knows which direction the wind is blowing, and his decision to take the electronic rights away from his long-time, traditional publisher, Simon & Schuster, says a lot about ...Marketingdoc@mdaltd.com (The Marketing Doctor)2009-12-21T23:31:00Zhttp://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2009/12/15/john-tantillos-brand-winner-and-loser-barack-obama-and-the-big-banks.aspx?ref=rssBrand Winner… And Loser John Tantillo’s Winner and Loser of The Week: Winner: President Obama Loser: The Big Banks Folks, without further ado: The WinnerI have argued that Barack Obama should have refused the Nobel Prize. He didn’t.But he did do something that may prove even better: he gave an acceptance speech that announced the arrival of President Obama.From a marketing perspective, President Obama has remained Candidate Obama for too long. But the Nobel Prize speech saw him asserting himself as a leader —not in a vague, people-of-the-world way, but as an American president sworn to protect and defend the Constitution and the people of our great land.In fact, he made it clear (uncomfortably clear, for those who want a weak America) that there is such a thing as a “Just War” ...Brandingdoc@mdaltd.com (The Marketing Doctor)2009-12-15T21:28:00Zhttp://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2009/12/06/john-tantillos-brand-winner-and-loser-paranormal-activity-and-frosty-the-inappropriate-snowman.aspx?ref=rssBrand Winner… And Loser John Tantillo’s Winner and Loser of The Week: Winner: Paranormal ActivityLoser: Frosty, The Inappropriate Snowman Folks, two takes on marketing and media. Wow! The Winner and Loser couldn’t be more different in action and outcome —it’s the difference between smart marketing and try-hard, too-clever marketing going terribly wrong. The WinnerParanormal Activity, the box-office smash, is this week’s winner. The horror movie was made for a reported $15,000, and as of this past weekend it has grossed 100 million dollars worldwide.That’s a 433,900% return on investment.But as you may have suspected, it’s not just the money that makes it our brand winner; it’s the marketing.First, Paramount did their marketing/internet-smart magic to first identify the right Target Markets (mainly college students), then start ...Brandingdoc@mdaltd.com (The Marketing Doctor)2009-12-07T04:11:00Zhttp://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2009/11/30/john-tantillos-brand-winner-and-loser-tiger-woods-and-the-us-secret-service.aspx?ref=rssBrand Winner… And Loser John Tantillo’s Winner and Loser of The Week: Winner: Tiger WoodsLoser: The U.S. Secret Service Folks, two short and sweet takes after last week’s holiday.The WinnerTiger Woods is a powerful brand in a perilous place.All the facts are not yet in —and might never be in— but so far, the car accident aside, Tiger has done everything right, and his brand should emerge from the crisis just fine.First and foremost, Tiger is a performance brand. Sure, he’s well known for his philanthropy. Sure, he’s well known for being a family man and fiercely protective of his personal privacy. But above all, he is an almost super-human golfer. How he does on the golf course matters the most for his brand. If he keeps doing well on the green, everything else should be fine ...Brandingdoc@mdaltd.com (The Marketing Doctor)2009-12-01T04:34:00Zhttp://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2009/11/17/tantillos-brand-winner-and-loser-khalid-sheikh-mohammed-and-sarah-palin.aspx?ref=rssBrand Winner… And Loser John Tantillo’s Winner and Loser of The Week: Winner: Khalid Sheikh MohammedLoser: Sarah Palin Folks, this week we focus the marketing lens on one disturbing figure in the news and one controversial lady from the Great White North. But the marketing lens is rugged and, more important, it must be used to deliver some insights where both of these brands are concerned. Without further ado:The WinnerIt saddens me greatly that this monster, this genuinely evil man who has caused so much suffering, has just been made the brand winner of the week, thanks to the United States Government.But there’s no other conclusion. This man’s core brand characteristics could not be more clear-cut: he is in open war with everything America stands for. He has positioned himself as a leader of a movement, an ...Brandingdoc@mdaltd.com (The Marketing Doctor)2009-11-17T22:01:00Zhttp://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2009/11/09/tantillos-brand-winner-and-loser-the-republican-party-and-the-democratic-party.aspx?ref=rssBrand Winner… And Loser John Tantillo’s Winner and Loser of The Week: Winner: The Republican PartyLoser: The Democratic Party Folks, once again I must turn the marketing lens to politics. The events of last week, namely the sweeping election victory by the Republicans and the health care reform “victory” in the House demand it. The Winner Folks, for some time I’ve been saying that a Republican Party renaissance is only going to arrive when the GOP embraces two critical, real marketing points about their own party: 1) The Republicans need to recognize their Target Market and serve them (i.e., a center-right electorate that believes in the opportunities provided by free-market capitalism and limited government). 2) The Republicans must stop being seen as the party of “No.”Well, last week’s elections showed that this is starting ...Brandingdoc@mdaltd.com (The Marketing Doctor)2009-11-09T12:46:00Zhttp://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2009/11/02/john-tantillos-brand-winner-and-loser-candidate-obama-and-president-obama.aspx?ref=rssBrand Winner… And Loser John Tantillo’s Winner and Loser of The Week: Winner: Candidate ObamaLoser: President Obama Folks, as the one-year mark approaches, the question must be asked: How is Brand Obama doing? Take a look through the marketing lens and you’ll see that there are really two brands that make up today’s Brand Obama: Obama the candidate and Obama the president. Even though the election has long been over, Obama the candidate is still hanging around. His promise and influence might be waning fast, but we find traces of him all over the White House. More importantly, many voters are still assuming that he is bound to show up sooner or later to take full command.Meanwhile, Obama the president has not really arrived. Barack Obama has not transitioned into the White House. Even his staunchest ...brandingdoc@mdaltd.com (The Marketing Doctor)2009-11-02T23:09:00Zhttp://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2009/10/26/john-tantillos-brand-winner-and-loser-fox-news-and-the-global-warming-movement.aspx?ref=rssBrand Winner… And Loser John Tantillo’s Winner and Loser of The Week: Winner: Fox NewsLoser: The Global Warming Movement Folks, without further ado:The Winner A disclaimer to start: I regularly appear on Fox Forum and write a column for their website… However, I have searched my soul and decided that I would have chosen Fox News as a winner this week even if I didn’t have affection for the good folks over there.Why? It’s simple. There are moments in the life of a brand when the brand’s core characteristics and its position in the marketplace put it in opposition to certain trends. Rather than hurting the brand, this opposition underscores the brand’s strengths.This is exactly what has happened to Fox News over the past week. The much-publicized “war” between Fox News and the White House ...Marketingdoc@mdaltd.com (The Marketing Doctor)2009-10-27T04:44:00Z