Gross-Out Food Wars

It started with KFC’s bun-less “Double-Down,” two pieces of fried chicken with a burger in the middle. Next came Friendly’s “Ultimate Grilled Cheese Burger Melt” - a hamburger between two grilled-cheese sandwiches.

Decision Day for LeBron

By Dr. Robert Passikoff
LeBron James will end an unprecedented free-agent frenzy tonight by revealing whether he will remain with the Cleveland Cavaliers or sign elsewhere. James will announce his future NBA plans during a one-hour special on ESPN at 9PM, Thursday. Proceeds for sponsorship for the special will be going to the Boys and Girls [...]

Eddie Bauer - Climbing to Higher (Brand) Peaks

By Robert Passikoff
Eddie Bauer, the iconic outdoor-clothing chain that sold goose-down coats to Mount Everest mountaineers and modern outdoor clothing to ski- schussing college students, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection yesterday.
Eddie Bauer has been struggling to repay its debt. And the fact that consumers slowed down spending on anything but necessities can’t have helped. [...]

Open a New (Wireless) Window

By Robert Passikoff
News from the GSMA Mobile World Congress, Spain, the largest wireless industry event so far this year.
Microsoft made quite a push to make its Windows mobile software as ubiquitous as its PC operating system. LG announced that they were going to significantly increase the number of handsets that will carry the new Microsoft [...]

Brands Now Responsible for Providing Value, Meaningful Differentiation

By Robert Passikoff
Brand Keys’ annual Customer Loyalty Engagement Index presents some interesting findings for the new economy, in particular that shopper-consciousness has shifted from one of personal responsibility to ferret out value, to a brand’s responsibility to provide it.
For the 441 brands surveyed in 62 categories in the 2009 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index [...]

Bankrupting the Brand - General Motors

By Robert Passikoff
Questions have been raised this week regarding a rescue package for General Motors. The choice seems to  be a government bailout or a bankruptcy sale. But not everyone thinks that a Chapter 11 filing would be a bad thing.
While painful for GM, it may be preferable to another government bailout, which might further [...]