Entries by Jay York

Whole Foods Daily Shop May Be Amazon’s Winning Grocery Concept

Ever since Amazon purchased Whole Foods in 2017, observers, pundits, analysts, investors and the curious have wondered how Amazon would shake up the grocery business. At the time of the purchase, astute commentators opined that Amazon would treat Whole Foods as a laboratory for new grocery and retail ideas. These commentators were not wrong. Amazon […]

Chanel, Prada, Hermès: Maintaining Exclusivity in a World of Ubiquitous Availability

Consumers face rising prices from many favorite brands. Insurance costs, fast food costs, transportation costs and the cost of stamps have all increased. The pushback from rising prices is now seriously affecting package goods, especially grocery-purchased brands. Package goods volumes are declining. Consumers are finding all sorts of work-arounds by which to manage their stressed […]

Boeing And The Loss Of Its Brand-Business Trustworthiness

In 1957 there was a TV show called Who Do You Trust?. The host was Johnny Carson, pre-Tonight show icon. Who Do You Trust? was probably the last time that trust was considered comedic. Trust is now a serious component of brand-business management. Trust it one of those elements that a brand-business needs in order […]

Carhartt: Old is New

In 2003, McDonald’s was, as BusinessWeek stated, “In Hamburger Hell.” McDonald’s subsequent turnaround had many facets. One of McDonald’s critical strategies was modernizing the brand-business without jeopardizing its heritage. In other words, McDonald’s aimed to evolve its heritage for today without losing its roots from yesterday. Brand-businesses can live forever, but only if properly managed. […]

UPS And The Omen For Marketing

UPS ditched its CMO. And, UPS eliminated the CMO role completely. While it is true that that marketing does not solve every organizational problem, it is also true that the CMO role, when executed properly, is a necessity.  This rejection of the CMO and the role is not a surprise. But, it is a bad […]

Applebee’s And The Loss Of Neighborhood

Local continues to be a driver for customers. Grocery stores like Publix and Whole Foods label items that are locally produced. Farmers’ markets are a draw for shoppers wanting produce that have not accrued a lot of air mileage. Craft fairs and art shows emphasize local creativity and talent. One of the strongest drivers of […]

Wayfair and Burger King Forget That Its People Come First

Marketing has some important evergreen principles. One principle is this: just because a brand-business is customer-focused does not mean that customers come first. Customers come second. Customer-focused employees come first. Regardless of your industry, employees are the frontline when it comes to customer relationships. Internal brand-business pride is an essential success factor affecting brand-business outcomes. […]

Stitch Fix And The Perils of Subscription Personalization

Based on the business press, you might believe that subscription services are booming. And, for many subscription services, there is an upward trend. Netflix is doing well. Amazon Prime is doing well. But, according to The Wall Street Journal, subscription clothing brand-business, Stitch Fix is having difficulties. Modern Retail points out that Stitch Fix’ 2023 […]

Abercrombie & Fitch And Vans Brand-Business Turnarounds Focus On The Core

A theme of recent business press writing is brand-business turnarounds. For example, Barron’s, the financial newspaper, points to the successful turnaround at clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch. The Wall Street Journal reports on the underway turnaround at VF’s Vans, the sneaker brand-business. Brand-business turnaround strategies are not the same as conventional growth strategies. A conventional […]