A New aloft Hotel
Charlotte locals may have noticed a new building perched atop Ballantyne Corporate Place. aloft (always spelled with a lowercase a) is a mid-size business boutique hotel created by Starwood Hotels & Resorts that promises swanky accommodations, high-tech conveniences, and a vibrant social atmosphere at affordable nightly rates.
The Charlotte location is just one of nearly 40 openings planned for the end of this year. The chain even has a presence in the virtual world, opening a 'Second Life' location in 2008.
So what's so special about another hotel populating the crowded Ballantyne skyline? While any brand expanding so rapidly during a recession deserves a closer look, aloft is particularly intriguing because it is employing several brand strategies to capture the hearts and wallets of today's savvy travelers.
First, the aloft brand has been introduced as 'a vision of W Hotels'. The high-end W chain, of course, is known for its urban-inspired luxury and social atmosphere. In using W as an endorsement rather than as part of the brand itself, aloft can borrow some of the equity of its upscale relative without tying itself so closely to the brand that it can't eventually stand on its own. This also protects the W brand from the need to compete with aloft's competitive pricing. The endorsement serves its purpose as a simple and immediate way to reassure new customers that the accommodations will be, as the website suggests, 'style at a steal.'
Additionally, aloft hotels have chosen to brand several of their amenities. Each establishment features a W XYZ® bar, a Re:charge® fitness center, and a Re:fuel® food and beverage area. These individual brands within the establishment not only serve to accommodate customers, but have the potential to gain their own equity at each location. Customers can rely on a consistent experience every time. By building strong amenity brands within the hotel, aloft is using every angle of the customer experience to drive loyalty and ultimately, repeat business.
Last, but certainly not least, the aloft name itself deserves credit, as it retains a high end tone while still coming across as approachable and attainable. In part inspired by the loft-like 9 foot ceilings found in each room, the name also alludes to the hotel being a step-above-the-rest at this price point.
It will be interesting to watch hotels over the next several months to see if other chains attempt to recreate what Starwood has done with aloft. From a brand perspective, they seem to be doing everything right. Combining that with competitive pricing and product that is relevant for this generation's weary travelers may be what helps aloft excel through a tough economic time.
Contributed by: Maghan Cook
For the Love of Words ...
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Here at Addison Whitney, the Verbal Branding Department is geared up and ready for National Dictionary Day celebrated on October 16th, 2009! This day in history has been dubbed Dictionary Day in honor of the birthday of Noah Webster, Father of the Dictionary.
How do you plan on spending this National Holiday? Here are a few suggestions: Play a game of Scrabble, Make a list of all your favorite words, Complete a crossword puzzle, or Eat a bowl of alphabet soup. Whatever is it you choose to do, at least take a moment to pause and think what a different place our world would be without words and the meanings we have attached to them ...
Contributed by: Carrie Friedrich
Will the real Burger King please stand up?
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This week, Burger King unveiled its new futuristic 20/20 store concept. Wow. The only thing missing from this concept is George Jetson and his boy Elroy.
This announcement follows another recent fast food makeover from McDonald’s that has designed a comfortable, café-like atmosphere. These makeovers are designed to increase dine-in traffic and compete head-to-head with fast causal restaurants like Panera and Atlanta Bread Company.
For many brands, creating a branded experience is a great way to bring the brand to life. For example, the Starbucks brand was built around the delivery of the “third place” experience. Other brands like Charmin and even Tide have thought out of the box (or package) to find ways to better connect with consumers and create a true experience around the brand.
But, what type of brand experience is Burger King trying to deliver? Will people remember their BK experience? Probably. Does the design reinforce its unique flamebroiled burgers? Well, the red flame chandeliers make me think so. Will it drive sales and increase brand loyalty? Only time will tell.
Let’s just hope its signature fragrance isn’t part of the welcome at the new stores.
Makeover for the King
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Recently, the fast-food chain restaurant Burger King has decided to undergo a restaurant makeover with a new store design called "20/20". This high priced renovation project was first unveiled at the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport location on October 7th, 2009. CEO John Chidsey had this to say about the recent changes; "As we continue to grow and strengthen the brand worldwide, this new restaurant design exemplifies our vision for the brand's future and reinforces our goal of delivering superior products and positive guest experiences." Burger King's recent sales have fallen well below top competitors McDonald's and Wendy's; the store re-design is a "top-tier global brand initiative" to increase Burger King's global reputation and boost sales.
How synonymous are the phrases, 'fast-food restaurant' and 'intimate dining experience'? According to an AP Report, this remodeling project will come with a heavy bill, approximately $300,000 to $600,000 per restaurant. Some consumers are worried that this may not be the best use of money for the franchise. Is Burger King trying to become something that it's not? How successful will this intimate dining experience be for the burger chain?
Burger King is well aware that their brand needs to make some changes in order to keep up with other fast-food chains in the market, but is this the right approach?
View the full article on Ad Age.
Contributed by: Carrie Friedrich
PB & Fluff
As a self-proclaimed foodie, I'm excited to announce today is National Fluffernutter Day! Health nuts take heed: this fun-to-say day celebrates the unlikely fusion of the marshmallow brand Fluff with peanut butter (brand of choice), typically served on white bread.
According to Wikipedia, "Fluffernutter" is a registered trademark of Durkee-Mower Inc., the maker of "Marshmallow Fluff" brand marshmallow creme. However, Durkee-Mower's US trademark registrations for Fluffernutter cover only ice cream and printed recipes. In 2006, Durkee-Mower sued Williams-Sonoma Inc. in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, alleging that Williams-Sonoma was selling a marshmallow and peanut butter chocolate-covered candy under the "Fluffernutter" name."
This unique combination was recently nominated as the state sandwich of Massachusetts. If Massachusetts gives the honor to the Fluffernutter, it will become the only state with a sweet official sandwich.
"Nattyisms"
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Coining new words and phrases as a branding strategy seems to be rising in popularity among today’s advertising campaigns. Natural Light, who primarily focuses on a target audience of drinkers aged 21 – 35, has created an entire advertising campaign focused on coined words and humor to give their brand a fresh new edge. During recent times, beer drinkers have been shifting towards cheaper beers. In accordance with this shift, Natural Light Beer, a division of Anheuser-Busch, has revealed its first television advertising campaign in Read more
Optimism Pays Off?
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If you’re a soft drink company what do you do to keep market share high in a down economy? Let the good times roll, and put on a happy face? Well, I’m not sure, but that certainly seems like the plan for mega giants PepsiCo and Coca-Cola.
According to Pepsi, 95% of their target market (individuals born between 1980 and 1990) prefer to maintain a positive outlook on life. Additionally, those born from 1980 to 1990 (individuals referred to as "Millenials,") are confident about the remainder of 2009. (Data according to StategyOne)
With those statistics in mind, Pepsi launched a new campaign which includes a redesigned logo that looks like a smile and welcoming greetings such as: Hi, Yo, or Howdy.
Coca-Cola on the other hand, is no stranger to marketing happiness (think their early 90’s polar bear campaigns). The company is at it again, with their newest slogans: Open Happiness and The Coke Side of Life, around billboards nationwide.
As for who has it right, I guess only time will tell. For now, let’s just hope the glass is half full for both Coke and Pepsi.
By Kelley Blakewood
I'm Lovin It?
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Every morning on my way to work I drive past McDonald's, and every morning I can’t help but ask myself… is it really possible? Is it possible that the days of Ronald McDonald, happy meals, and gigantic golden arches are really over?
The McDonald's Company began raising eyebrows in 2003 when executives decided it best to drop their traditional kid-centric image in order to target an older more mature market. Six years and billions of dollars later, they have actually begun to achieve what most deemed impossible: change their brand image. To compete with coffee houses and café type restaurants, McDonalds has revamped both its menu and store layouts. McDonald’s restaurants now offer a variety of coffees, ranging from iced chocolate mochas to espressos. Additionally, most McDonald's include coffee bar tables, metal barstools, and free wireless internet access. CEO Charlie Bell says, “These changes are meant to offer consumers a better overall brand experience.”
I’m certainly going to miss the iconic child friendly McDonald's, but I’m pretty excited to see what the new McDonald's has to offer. Maybe one of these mornings, I'll stop to enjoy a cup of coffee and actually be able to say, "I'm lovin it."
By Kelley Blakewood
Source: EmeraldManagementFirst: Re-Branding: the Mcdonald's Stategy
Did slot miss their shot?
Remember mixed tapes? The old school cassettes made for friends containing your favorite songs, with clever titles such as "Road Trip Mix 91"?
Fast forward 20+ years and enter slotRadio. From the looks of their advertising, the new music player + music card is targeting moms ... busy moms in particular (although really, what mom today ISN'T busy?). I fall into this category, and it seriously took reading the ad several times plus a visit to their website to help me understand exactly WHAT they were selling. Is slotRadio a music player? Actual music? A big idea?
It's really all three. slotRadio is a music player, with special "pre-filled" cards loaded up with music from specific categories. For example, I can choose a card with 1000 country-specific songs ready to play in my slotRadio player. Or a health and fitness card that has seven playlists created with specific activities in mind (cardio, cooldown, yoga, etc.). Great concept. Appropriate target. So what's the problem?
The name. slotRadio. Sure it's descriptive. Yes, it's functional. But this is a category definer. No other manufacturer has a product like this. Imagine if Procter & Gamble had chosen to use "Dust-Trapping-Cloth-on-a-Stick" for their inventive product in 1999.
To make things even more confusing, the pre-loaded cards are branded slotRadio, as is the player. But the slotRadio card can actually be played on the Sansa Fuze and the Sansa Clip+. Seems to me a better option would have been to name the player slotRadio, and give the card (new, unique, different) a (new, unique, different) name.
Apple defined the personal music category with the iPod. Now SanDisk has a chance to redefine the playlist. Unfortunately I think the choice of name leaves the door wide open for a second player to come in and dominate with a more original brand name.
Theravance and Astellas Announce FDA Approval of VIBATIV(TM) (telavancin)
Vibativ was recently approved by the FDA for the treatment of complicated skin and skin structure infections.
"We are very pleased with the FDA's approval of VIBATIV, and extremely excited about the prospect of bringing this new medicine to the market," said Rick E Winningham, Theravance's Chief Executive Officer. "This is a significant event that marks the first approved indication for VIBATIV and validates Theravance's strategies in drug discovery and development. We believe that VIBATIV will become an important medicine addressing the urgent medical need for new antibiotics to treat Gram-positive infections caused by MRSA."