So, to celebrate the end of the first year of my MBA program, I decided to spend 10 days in Thailand. I am writing this post from Bangkok (1:30 am here). Why Thailand? Well, let me tell you why Thailand. One of our classmates is getting married in Bangkok (the wedding was tonite) so a bunch of my classmates planned to combine that with some pleasure.
We got here 2 days ago - via a brutal 14h flight from Boston to DC to Tokyo to Bangkok. Spent a few hours in Tokyo and loved it. Am going to go back there at some point.
anyway, I will write more about this when I get back to Boston. It's been an interesting trip so far. Going to a kick boxing match tomm nite, then off to a beach in South Thailand (Ko Phi Phi) for 3 days. Ahh, vacation! Much needed.
hope y'all are having fun.
later
Monday, May 25, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
hmmmm....a lot to write about...BUT
There is quite a bit to write about: my Man Manny's suspension, NBA playoffs, GM and Chrysler, End of first year at Sloan, and much more. But, as is the case, I dont have for it now. So, I will leave y'all with a video that was shot at school. I make my YouTube debut for a Sloan award nomination (all in jest of course). My classmate who made the video did a great job and made us all look cool:
YouTube link
I will be back with my regular post shortly.
later
YouTube link
I will be back with my regular post shortly.
later
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Size 28 jeans, Busch beer, Saturn Cars, and much more!
Do you get this feeling sometimes when you see someone operate and you are convinced that he/she can do nothing wrong? Check that, why use the double negative: he/she does everything the way it is supposed to be done? I am sure all of us have come across someone in our lives. Maybe the feeling is momentary/fleeting but you know when someone is in a 'zone' as the sports types like to say. Well, that is how I feel about our Branding professor at school.
Branding for the uninitiated (this was me 8 weeks ago) is a track in Marketing. I stumbled upon the course and boy am I glad or am I glad I did! I was on the waitlist but somehow managed to get in the course. Not knowing what to expect I went to the first class expecting the usual B school BS but oh noh siree, this dude was one of a kind. We imported this Prof from Australia where he currently teaches (he has taught at Wharton and LBS prior to that and has a PhD in Brand Management).
- He knows how to run a case
- He teaches concepts in a easy to understand and practical way
- He knows when to shut those annoying classmates who say something just to hear themselves speak
-He swears like a sailor (and it never seems vulgar)
-He has the comedic timing of a stand up
-He is never overbearing
-He is British
(ok I'll stop with my man-crush comments here!)
The result is that I am always excited to read the case for the next class. I even take notes - which is a rarity for me in B school. I always feel like I am learning something new. I now dont think people in marketing are a lower life form. I can now reasonably estimate how much accessories from Hermes, Luis Vitton, Coach, Gucci, and BV cost. And I am enjoying learning about how to build, sustain, re-build, brands. Some hightlights of the things that I learnt in class:
- Killer Brands: Sometimes firms start what are known as Killer Brands to kill competition. How do they do it? Create a new brand that the common public that does associate with the parent brand, make it cheaper, and release it into the markets. Most successful killer brand of all time: Busch Beer. Created by Anheuser Busch in the 1950s to kill several cheaper alternatives to Budweiser, it was so successful that not only did it kill all competition it outlasted several parent brands. Worst Killer Brand ever: Saturn cars. GM launched Saturn to kill the Japanese and German small cars in 1984. It worked for the first 2 years but then somewhere along the line management lost track of why it was started and went on build more than 10 sub-brands in different categories. This not only confused customers but also cannibalized GM brands. The result, well you know: GM is phasing out Saturn unless someone shows up to buy.
-Brand Positioning: Have you ever wondered why Diesel never makes jeans beyond size 28 or 30? Well, that's because they dont want "my fat ass" in their jeans (his words exactly). No firm will ever admit it publicly but this is done for a purpose. Certain items are made for a certain segment of population otherwise the Brand will lost its lustre (and in the end ability to make money). By catering to a certain segment of population the firm can charge a premium.
-Anglo-Saxons and Latin cultures are diametric opposites when it comes to looking at history. According to the prof, it is natural for peeps from Latin cultures to build things by learning from their past. This apparently is absolutely necessary in Brand Management. Did you know that "Snapple" was started by three hippies from the Lower East Side in NYC as an organic beverage? Quaker bought Snapple and tried to impose its own culture. The result: it lost nearly $800 million after buying and selling it eventually (numbers are probably off by a bit). Things were brought back to order when a thoughtful brand manager went back to the "roots" and re-organized the brands.
-We learnt about Burberry. Luxury branding is a totally different animal. Burberry was started in the last 19th century (1870s I think) by a tailor in England as a raincoat made with Gaberdine, a breathable material that was water proof. It gradually evolved into an aristocratic brand. But then lost its footing in the mid 1900s. In came Rose Marie from Saks Fifth Avenue (she was made the CEO in 1997) and transformed Burberry. She placed Burberry between Coach and Gucci and exploited that gap. By the way, did anyone know that a accessory handbag from Hermes costs $7000 (ouch!).
-Coke's worth is 66% from Brand Equity. The rest are the tangible assets.
I could go on and on. Have to stop and get some HW done. If anyone is thinking about learing about Brand Management for their business or as a consultant, I highly recommend looking up this professor at Sloan.
later
Branding for the uninitiated (this was me 8 weeks ago) is a track in Marketing. I stumbled upon the course and boy am I glad or am I glad I did! I was on the waitlist but somehow managed to get in the course. Not knowing what to expect I went to the first class expecting the usual B school BS but oh noh siree, this dude was one of a kind. We imported this Prof from Australia where he currently teaches (he has taught at Wharton and LBS prior to that and has a PhD in Brand Management).
- He knows how to run a case
- He teaches concepts in a easy to understand and practical way
- He knows when to shut those annoying classmates who say something just to hear themselves speak
-He swears like a sailor (and it never seems vulgar)
-He has the comedic timing of a stand up
-He is never overbearing
-He is British
(ok I'll stop with my man-crush comments here!)
The result is that I am always excited to read the case for the next class. I even take notes - which is a rarity for me in B school. I always feel like I am learning something new. I now dont think people in marketing are a lower life form. I can now reasonably estimate how much accessories from Hermes, Luis Vitton, Coach, Gucci, and BV cost. And I am enjoying learning about how to build, sustain, re-build, brands. Some hightlights of the things that I learnt in class:
- Killer Brands: Sometimes firms start what are known as Killer Brands to kill competition. How do they do it? Create a new brand that the common public that does associate with the parent brand, make it cheaper, and release it into the markets. Most successful killer brand of all time: Busch Beer. Created by Anheuser Busch in the 1950s to kill several cheaper alternatives to Budweiser, it was so successful that not only did it kill all competition it outlasted several parent brands. Worst Killer Brand ever: Saturn cars. GM launched Saturn to kill the Japanese and German small cars in 1984. It worked for the first 2 years but then somewhere along the line management lost track of why it was started and went on build more than 10 sub-brands in different categories. This not only confused customers but also cannibalized GM brands. The result, well you know: GM is phasing out Saturn unless someone shows up to buy.
-Brand Positioning: Have you ever wondered why Diesel never makes jeans beyond size 28 or 30? Well, that's because they dont want "my fat ass" in their jeans (his words exactly). No firm will ever admit it publicly but this is done for a purpose. Certain items are made for a certain segment of population otherwise the Brand will lost its lustre (and in the end ability to make money). By catering to a certain segment of population the firm can charge a premium.
-Anglo-Saxons and Latin cultures are diametric opposites when it comes to looking at history. According to the prof, it is natural for peeps from Latin cultures to build things by learning from their past. This apparently is absolutely necessary in Brand Management. Did you know that "Snapple" was started by three hippies from the Lower East Side in NYC as an organic beverage? Quaker bought Snapple and tried to impose its own culture. The result: it lost nearly $800 million after buying and selling it eventually (numbers are probably off by a bit). Things were brought back to order when a thoughtful brand manager went back to the "roots" and re-organized the brands.
-We learnt about Burberry. Luxury branding is a totally different animal. Burberry was started in the last 19th century (1870s I think) by a tailor in England as a raincoat made with Gaberdine, a breathable material that was water proof. It gradually evolved into an aristocratic brand. But then lost its footing in the mid 1900s. In came Rose Marie from Saks Fifth Avenue (she was made the CEO in 1997) and transformed Burberry. She placed Burberry between Coach and Gucci and exploited that gap. By the way, did anyone know that a accessory handbag from Hermes costs $7000 (ouch!).
-Coke's worth is 66% from Brand Equity. The rest are the tangible assets.
I could go on and on. Have to stop and get some HW done. If anyone is thinking about learing about Brand Management for their business or as a consultant, I highly recommend looking up this professor at Sloan.
later
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