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<title>Market Leader Magazine</title>
<link>http://www.warc.com/</link>
<description>Market Leader is the quarterly journal of The Marketing Society. It addresses important issues in marketing and business, keeping its readers abreast of new ideas, trends and thinking.</description>
<copyright>World Advertising Research Center Ltd 2008</copyright>
<lastBuildDate>Mon, 10 September 2007 12:50:00 GMT</lastBuildDate>
<generator>World Advertising Research Center</generator>
<editor>Editor@warc.com</editor>
<webmaster>webmaster@warc.com</webmaster>
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<title><![CDATA[In praise of antinomies]]></title>
<link>http://www.warc.com/articles/MarketLeader.asp?ID=88391</link>
<author>Jeremy Bullmore</author>
<description><![CDATA[Marketing has long been subject to a debate surrounding the relative importance of logic, induction and intuition. This is the difference between order and organisation on the one hand, and disorder and creativity on the other - often been labelled as 'right brain' versus 'left brain' thinking. In reporting the results of their efforts, planners are often accused of 'post-rationalisation' - that is, of attempting to demonstrate how they had planned their campaigns based on linear, evidence-based and 'scientific' processes. What this overlooks, in the first instance, is that 'scientific' discoveries themselves are often based on similar levels of post-rationalisation when they are reported in academic accounts. Similarly, in advertising, the opposites of the planned, rigid elements of the discipline and the less structured creative parts of the process must in fact work together. They are not opposites, and practitioners in the industry do not work on a binary scale; rather, they exist on a continuum, and those that can deliver a strong mixture of both will be those that succeed.]]></description>
<pubDate>1 Sep 2008</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Sub-prime marketing is over]]></title>
<link>http://www.warc.com/articles/MarketLeader.asp?ID=88392</link>
<author>Derek Williams</author>
<description><![CDATA[In the face of a recession, marketers will face pressures from management within their own organisations as well as potential problems resulting in changing consumer behaviour. This article offers some 'tips for survival' which can help brand owners turn a downturn into an opportunity. The first is the importance of being flexible: organisations must adapt, and be willing to implement ad hoc and drastic actions as circumstances require. Establishing a modified operating plan is also crucial, as it can work on less optimistic measures with regard to performance, and reallocate resources as appropriate. Brand owners should also concentrate on their best performers and try and maintain price levels. Gaining an understanding of where savings can be made is another important strategy. If an organisation attacks these areas in the right way, a recession can bring its own unique form of insights and understanding.]]></description>
<pubDate>1 Sep 2008</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Your compass in a changing world]]></title>
<link>http://www.warc.com/articles/MarketLeader.asp?ID=88393</link>
<author>James Murdoch</author>
<description><![CDATA[In this article, James Murdoch, of News Corp and BSkyB, argues that marketers are operating in a fragmented media world on the one hand, and in increasingly interconnected societies on the other.  In this context, marketing needs to be less transactional, and instead be based on understanding the shared values between consumers and brands. Consumers are increasingly sophisticated and demanding, and they understand how media works. Media competition is also more intense than ever before, not least as the barriers to providing information in the virtual world are so low, and the choice of provider is nearly infinite. As such, the 'connectivity' of the modern media world isn't about maximising the effect of 'push' marketing, but allowing consumers to talk back to brands. Those brands that engage in a real dialogue with their customers, and which recognise that consumers want them to believe in something - as exemplified by Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty - are going to be those that succeed in the long term.]]></description>
<pubDate>1 Sep 2008</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Marketing in a downturn: lessons from the past]]></title>
<link>http://www.warc.com/articles/MarketLeader.asp?ID=88394</link>
<author>Peter Field</author>
<description><![CDATA[Based on the lessons of previous recession, this article assesses how businesses can most profitably approach marketing in a downturn. Data from Millward Brown show that cutting marketing budgets in a recession can impact the level of 'bonding' between consumers and brands, and also has a negative impact on brand usage and brand image with the risk of failure more pronounced when brands start advertising after a recession had ended. Studies by Malik PIMS also demonstrate that increased investment in marketing, R amp;D and new product development in a downturn can bring substantial benefits after a recession: lower media costs, in particular, mean it is cheaper to gain market share. An analysis of the IPA dataMINE further reveals that it is better to maintain a brand's share-of-voice at or above its share-of-market in a downturn, as the longer-term improvement in profitability is likely to greatly outweigh the short-term reduction in expenditure. If other brands are cutting budgets, the longer-term benefit of maintaining expenditure will be even greater.]]></description>
<pubDate>1 Sep 2008</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Supermarket retailing in troubled times]]></title>
<link>http://www.warc.com/articles/MarketLeader.asp?ID=88395</link>
<author>Andrew Seth and Geoffrey Randall</author>
<description><![CDATA[All downturns produce winners as well as losers, and the supermarket sector - one of the major growth industries of the last few decades - is no exception. Looking mainly at the UK and US, this article predicts a pattern of polarisation within the sector, with major players such as Wal-Mart and Tesco most obviously well-placed to profit at others expense, as they have the capacity to cope with troubled times. Other potential winners include discount chains, while question marks remain over how well premium brands like M amp;S and Waitrose will cope in a slowdown. The losers are most likely to be the independents, with middling brands like Sainsbury's and Morrisons also potentially under threat. Looking further ahead, the article speculates on trends that will shape the post-recession period: more personal service, smaller high street stores, the growing importance of the sustainability agenda, the continued growth of internet shopping, and the ever-present attacks on the industry by a range of lobby groups.]]></description>
<pubDate>1 Sep 2008</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[The future of big box electrical brands]]></title>
<link>http://www.warc.com/articles/MarketLeader.asp?ID=88396</link>
<author>Richard Jenkings</author>
<description><![CDATA[In this article, Experian's Richard Jenkings argues that an economic downturn could prove to be the catalyst for a number of major trends in big-box electrical retailing. A recession could mean the internet increases its appeal as a place not only to check prices, but also to shop, with competition from web brands like Amazon particularly turning the screw on high street retailers. Supermarkets also increasingly stock electrical goods at keen prices, while new outlets such as HMV are emerging, and the Carphone Warehouse's link with US retailer Best Buy will bring a greater professionalism and customer service to the marketplace. These activities, together with pressures on manufacturer brands, constant price pressure, green issues and a convergence of technology, promise to greatly impact electrical retailing in the future.]]></description>
<pubDate>1 Sep 2008</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Starbucks: the decline of the empire]]></title>
<link>http://www.warc.com/articles/MarketLeader.asp?ID=88397</link>
<author>Matthew Lynn</author>
<description><![CDATA[Starbucks had been one of the most iconic businesses of the last two decades, turning from a minor regional operator into one of the most powerful brands in the world in the span of 25 years. As such, it perhaps stands as a symbol of the era of capitalist exuberance, forming part of a long, traditional connection between coffee and capitalism. Similarly, the onset of the credit crunch has seen Starbucks looking to redefine its operations; its profits in America have been in decline, in part because of competition from companies like McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts, and it has announced store closures in the US and beyond. The problem, it seems, was that the company undertook too much expansion, leading to a commoditisation of the brand, and which may lead to further closures should markets further weaken.]]></description>
<pubDate>1 Sep 2008</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ICI transforms performance by marketing excellence]]></title>
<link>http://www.warc.com/articles/MarketLeader.asp?ID=88398</link>
<author>Karen Jeffery and Nevine El-Warraky</author>
<description><![CDATA[In 2003, ICI Paints was a product-driven paints manufacturing business characterised by low rates of growth that depended as much on category growth in key markets as on the performance of its brands. The company sought to transform its operations by developing an 'ICI way' of marketing. The initiative started with the set-up of the Advance Marketing Academy, which established a process capability audit tool PCAT to measure the performance of the company's existing marketing. The most urgent priority was found to be the development of a global brand portfolio strategy for each of its six operating regions, and the creation of big ideas that would be brought to life through integrated media plans. Over a period of six months, each region was able to determine which brands it needed to build and how these should be positioned in the marketplace. In the UK alone, ICI developed an award-winning integrated campaign which was translated across multiple channels, and resulted in the highest ever level of people spontaneously recalling a Dulux ad, and which also dramatically improved the brand's health overall.]]></description>
<pubDate>1 Sep 2008</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[New McDonald's gains momentum]]></title>
<link>http://www.warc.com/articles/MarketLeader.asp?ID=88399</link>
<author>Jill McDonald and Judie Lannon</author>
<description><![CDATA[In this article, Judie Lannon talks to Jill McDonald, the Marketing Society's Marketer of the Year, about how McDonald's transformed its communications strategy, and learned to listen to its customers. The areas discussed include how McDonald's realised that it needed to change its operating model if it was to keep in touch with the major trends in society, and also that it had to respond to negative publicity in a way that would allow consumers to make decisions on the major issues for themselves. This included the chain taking a more positive stand, and developing a clear view of what its core business was. It also aimed to be more open and transparent, both with the public and in its relationship with its detractors.]]></description>
<pubDate>1 Sep 2008</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[How marketers should use brand valuation]]></title>
<link>http://www.warc.com/articles/MarketLeader.asp?ID=88400</link>
<author>Janet Hull</author>
<description><![CDATA[The techniques and methodologies of brand valuation have had a dramatic impact on business. Generally, this has been positive, with vastly increased interest in the value of intangibles leading to the disclosure of the value of acquired brands on the balance sheet. However, &#8216;brand valuation techniques' is a marketplace, and the competition between different valuation techniques has caused confusion and inappropriate often misleading league tables. In this article, Janet Hull &#8211; Consultant Head of Marketing and Reputation Management at the IPA &#8211; argues that brand valuation needs to be positioned away from league tables and be incorporated more into the day-to-day marketing and brand management activities of practitioners.]]></description>
<pubDate>1 Sep 2008</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[The marketing services supply chain: delivering the best for less]]></title>
<link>http://www.warc.com/articles/MarketLeader.asp?ID=88401</link>
<author>Charles Kirchner</author>
<description><![CDATA[At the advent of a recession, companies essentially have two options: one is to dig in and aim purely for survival; the other is to reflect on previous recessions, and attempt to discern what strategies could be adopted that could turn a downturn into a period of possible advantage. Many brands attempt to reposition their offerings in the 'premium sector' during a downturn; other low-price brands increasingly occupied the middle ground, both in consumer perception and share of market. Marketing strategies also often change, both in terms of the mediums used, and also in the structure of agency remuneration. A sharp understanding of 'working spend' is integral, as it can allow for a redeployment of elements of the budget to the areas of greatest need. Using technology to its full potential, an openness to change, and an element of pragmatism are also essential from both the client and agency side.]]></description>
<pubDate>1 Sep 2008</pubDate>
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