Corporate Eye

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Susan Gunelius

Susan Gunelius

Wikipedia Kills MSN Encarta

msn_encartaMicrosoft announced this week that it is shutting down its MSN Encarta websites around the world (except Japan).  Why?  Wikipedia.

Remember not so long ago when MSN Encarta was so often bundled in with other software and hardware purchases (think tax software in the U.S.)?  There was a time when getting MSN Encarta for free was a big perk.  Today, not so much.

According to a report by HitWise, MSN Encarta websites get less than 2% of all online encyclopedia searches while Wikipedia gets 97% (Encyclopedia.com gets the rest).  Not even Microsoft can compete with Wikipedia.

It’s interesting to me that Wikipedia, which is so often criticized for inaccuracies, bias, and so on, can be so dominant.  Even Google has tried to compete with Google Knol, but alas, Wikipedia remains strong.  Can you think of another brand that retains so much power despite its highly publicized faults?  One could argue that U.S. auto manufacturers would be an example, but recent events in that industry show sub-par performance will only get your brand so far. [Read more…] about Wikipedia Kills MSN Encarta

Would Your Employees Wear Mardi Gras Costumes for You?

mardi-gras-masksI often write about how important employees are as the ultimate brand advocates and ambassadors next to consumers.  If your employees are treated well and truly believe in your company and your brand, then they’ll talk about it, and they’ll influence others.  In the end, your sales will rise.  But would your employees where Mardi Gras costumes, complete with beads, masks and more, for you?

That’s what Harrah’s asked 2,000 employees to do at the company’s Showboat casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey as part of its new, corporate-wide  “Everybody Plays a Part” program.  The goal of the initiative is to make the consumer experience at Harrah’s casinos more social, and each Harrah’s property can implement the program as they choose — such as Showboat’s Mardi Gras festivities.

My question is this — would your employees willingly participate in similar activities?  Or are they annoyed when they have to leave their desks for the obligatory company events?  Would they wear Mardi Gras costumes for you? [Read more…] about Would Your Employees Wear Mardi Gras Costumes for You?

Anheuser-Busch Loses Trademark Battle and Budweiser Brand Name in EU

budweiser_budvarIn a what must be a painful decision, U.S. brewery Anheuser-Busch lost the right to use the brand name Budweiser in the European Union after a long legal battle with Czech brewer Budejovicky Budvar finally came to an end.

Believe it or not, this article from Wikipedia does a great job of distilling the story of the highly sought after Budweiser name into a few paragraphs, and this story from Out-Law.com does a great job of describing the most recent legal actions surrounding the battle as well as the final decision.  Unbeknownst to me, this battle has been going on in some form or another since the 1870s.  This is a branding story I am not well versed on, but now that it’s on my radar, I’m finding it to be particularly interesting.

I’d love to hear some more opinions on this trademark dispute.  What do you think?  Take the poll below and share your opinion.  Also, leave a comment and give us some details about why you feel the way you do.  Know of more great resources to learn more about the history of the Budweiser brand name?  Share them in the comments section below. I’d love to read more about it myself.

Image: Flickr

Dell Named Leading Green IT Brand

green-factorAccording to a new study called Green Factor (a joint program from Strategic Oxygen and Cohn & Wolfe), IT managers and executives believe that Dell is the greenest brand.  3,500 CIOs, and senior IT managers in 11 countries were given 26 enterprise IT brands to choose from and asked to select the greenest.  Dell captured 30% of the votes.  Hewlett Packard came in second place with 26% of the votes.

The more interesting part of the survey is the criteria that IT professionals used to evaluate companies in terms of their “green-ness.”  According to the survey, IT professionals look for companies that have: [Read more…] about Dell Named Leading Green IT Brand

Lexus Loses J.D. Power and Associates Dependability Survey Top Spot – Three Brands Take the Lead

Since Lexus hit the luxury vehicle market, the brand has been extremely popular and closely associated with quality and reliability.  Those brand messages were supported year after year (since 1995) when Lexus took the top spot in the J.D. Power & Associates annual ranking of auto brands based on reliability (problems experienced by consumers after three years of ownership).  That is — until 2009.

The newest ratings from J.D. Power & Associates show the Lexus brand not only dropping out of the top spot in terms of reliability but actually dropping to #3.  So which brands stole spots #1 and #2 — Jaguar and Buick, which were up from #10 and #6 in 2008, respectively.  Bet you didn’t expect to see Buick there.  Other brands that followed behind Lexus were Toyota (who owns Lexus), Mercury, Infiniti and Acura.  And which brand came in dead last?  Suzuki.

This J.D. Power & Associates dependability survey rating is for the vehicle brands overall and includes all models under that brand name.  J.D. Power & Associates rates a wide variety of factors related to the automotive industry, and companies often use the ratings in advertising and promotions throughout the year.  Of course, we can assume Lexus won’t be releasing any ads this year that say, “Look — we dropped from 1st to 3rd in the J.D. Power & Associates dependability survey.  Now is the time to buy a Lexus!”  And the new tagline – “Beat by Buick” – now, that has to hurt the brand ego. [Read more…] about Lexus Loses J.D. Power and Associates Dependability Survey Top Spot – Three Brands Take the Lead

Burger King Whopper Bar Aims to Redefine the Brand

burger-king-the-kingWhen you think of Burger King, do you think of cheap, greasy, fast food?  Burger King hopes to change that perception with the new BK Whopper Bar where the tagline, “have it your way,” is being taken to a whole new level.

The first of what will become a chain of BK Whopper Bars opened at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida this month (check out the pictures from the Orlando Sentinel theme park blog here).  According to the press release, the new bars are intended to take the “fast food” brand image out and replace it with a more gourmet appeal:

“Elevating the HAVE IT YOUR WAY® brand promise to new heights, the WHOPPER™ Bar restaurant embodies the power of personal choice by offering guests a customizable, premium and indulgent WHOPPER®-based menu.”

But wait, there is more to this brand re-definition than just dressing up the interior ambiance of a traditional Burger King location.  Here is more from the press release: [Read more…] about Burger King Whopper Bar Aims to Redefine the Brand