Monthly Archives: April 2013

Who is to blame for Apple’s fall?

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Mitch Gooze

Yesterday Apple posted its first ever profit decline in more than a decade. As a “make good” (or maybe because they can’t find a better use for the cash), the Apple Board has decided to increase the dividend and begin … Continue reading →

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Value pricing

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Mitch Gooze

Advertising Age noted in a recent article that several major brands are working to redefine value priced from simply low-priced. I have to agree this is a great strategy, since we wrote a paper on this exact subject in 2005. … Continue reading →

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What went wrong?

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Mitch Gooze

Opinions abound as to what went wrong at J.C. Penny. Chief Executive posted an article summarizing a Time Magazine story on the “5 Critical Errors That Triggered Ron Johnson’s Removal at J.C. Penny”. I fundamentally disagree with almost that entire … Continue reading →

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Smash mouth advertising

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Mitch Gooze

HTC is introducing their new phone, the HTC One, with a great tag line: “Everything your phone isn’t.” In your face and to the point. How can you ask for more? The phone, as shown in this recent ad, is … Continue reading →

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Growing share of wallet

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Mitch Gooze

U.S. movie theaters have been outstanding at extracting money from their patrons with expensive snacks. A $10/ticket experience can easily be upgraded to another $10-$15+/person with popcorn, soft drinks etc. In truth I understand that the business model for movie … Continue reading →

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Sugar free Coca Cola?

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Mitch Gooze

Al Ries, co-inventor of Positioning, is an intelligent provocateur. He recently had some advice for Coca Cola about the “slam sugar” movement. In an article in Advertising Age, he recommends that Coca Cola remove all sugar from the product, drop … Continue reading →

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God bless SWA

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Mitch Gooze

As regular readers know, I fly a lot. Over the last few years I have increased my travel on Southwest Airlines. This has occurred because with all the mergers I rarely get upgraded on the “legacy” airlines, and with fewer … Continue reading →

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And then it was over

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Mitch Gooze

Back in February I posted about the challenge of re-positioning JC Penny. I was concerned about Ron Johnson’s ability to stay the course. Turns out the challenge was too much for the Board: Mr. Johnson resigned today. The best summary … Continue reading →

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Measure the leading, but not obvious, indicators

Posted on April 7, 2013 by Mitch Gooze

I was talking to a manager of a new Tractor Supply store recently.  Out of curiosity I asked her, “How many farms are there within driving distance?  I assume your company determined that before they decided to open this store.”  … Continue reading →

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