Whatever your opinion of private equity companies, their potential for financial engineering when taking over a company or their forcing of operational and managerial changes, the Elliot Investment Management letter and presentation to the Southwest Airlines’ Board of Directors is insightful. However, as Forbes points out, all of Elliot Investment Management’s ideas are about “extracting […]
https://arcature.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/nick-morales-ZMDEjIF5JJY-unsplash-scaled.jpg25602560Jay Yorkhttps://arcature.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Arcature-2.pngJay York2024-06-17 09:57:002024-06-17 15:08:04Southwest Airlines Tendencies for Trouble And Elliot Investment Management’s Plan
What do McDonald’s, Target, Walgreen’s, McCormack, Applebee’s, Campbell’s, Kellogg’s and other national brands have in common today? Each is having a comeuppance. This is long overdue. Consumers are saying “no” to over-priced brands and for good reason. There is increased pushback from customers who have just had it with continual price hikes. Brands such as […]
https://arcature.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/rupixen-Q59HmzK38eQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg17072560Jay Yorkhttps://arcature.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Arcature-2.pngJay York2024-06-10 08:52:002024-06-10 14:33:29The Arrogance of Brands Finally Meets The Perils of Purchaser Pushback
What has happened to quality? This is no trivial question. When you think about all the quality issues plaguing products and service, you recognize how shocking is the current state of quality. Brand-businesses need a new quality revolution. Think about the state of quality: Of course, there is Boeing. Which is a horrible situation. But, […]
https://arcature.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/christina-telep-IS6CslWJrjY-unsplash-scaled.jpg17072560Jay Yorkhttps://arcature.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Arcature-2.pngJay York2024-06-03 09:24:002024-06-03 13:30:36The Toyota Way? Brand-Businesses Need A New Quality Revolution
Beyond Meat, the plant-based protein alternative, just concluded its Quarter 1 2024 earnings call. Creator and CEO Ethan Brown spent a good portion of the call explaining the rationale behind the brand’s new strategy. From observations, strategically Beyond Meat never really focused on its brand promise. Customers never really understood what was relevant and differentiating […]
After Starbucks recent second quarter 2024 earnings call, founder and past three-time CEO Howard Schultz posted comments about his hand-picked successor’s strategy. Mr. Schultz reacted to statements made to analysts by Starbucks’ CEO, Laxman Narasimhan and CFO, Rachel Ruggeri, where both executives described Starbucks’ “underperformance.” Mr. Narasimhan and Ms. Ruggeri also handled analyst questions with […]
https://arcature.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/pexels-enginakyurt-1437318-scaled.jpg17082560Jay Yorkhttps://arcature.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Arcature-2.pngJay York2024-05-20 13:27:372024-05-20 13:27:38Starbucks And The Third Place
Another crisis at Peloton. CEO Barry McCarthy is suddenly gone. Possibly, the strategy Mr. McCarthy created, to apparently turn Peloton into Netflix, is gone with him. Mr. McCarthy was seen as a technology business pro, someone who had experience in lower-price, subscription-based businesses like Netflix. But, anyone who follows Netflix knows that the streaming subscription […]
https://arcature.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/andrew-valdivia-AB7TcT_GVU0-unsplash-scaled.jpg25601707Jay Yorkhttps://arcature.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Arcature-2.pngJay York2024-05-13 09:32:002024-05-13 13:37:58Peloton Is Not Netflix
Recent data show that US fertility rates are dropping. US women are giving birth “at record low rates,” according to the CDC. Demographers’ current concern is the “replacement rate.” Replacement rate is the total fertility rate at which women give birth to enough babies to sustain population levels – that is, replace a generation. Replacement […]
https://arcature.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/nathan-dumlao-KeiQeZJLmus-unsplash-scaled.jpg25601707Jay Yorkhttps://arcature.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Arcature-2.pngJay York2024-05-06 09:16:002024-05-06 13:23:00Huggies, Pampers And The Demographics That Matter
Nike has seen better times, according to The Wall Street Journal. Many recent strategic choices have not worked to Nike’s benefit. Part of Nike’s current problematic situation is that Nike violated some critical brand-business building principles. Sure, there were extenuating circumstances as a result of Covid-19. But, the pandemic and the way in which customers […]
Brands do not always survive financial engineering. Sears is an example. Bed Bath & Beyond is another. Toys R’Us is still struggling after a bankruptcy and collapse. Quiznos survived bankruptcy but is a small shadow of its former self. Some brands are lucky. Some brands manage to slog through numerous mergers, spinoffs and sales to […]
https://arcature.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/anton-ahlberg-jg7kJuYtOb0-unsplash-scaled.jpg25602560Jay Yorkhttps://arcature.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Arcature-2.pngJay York2024-04-22 09:33:002024-04-22 13:45:47Red Lobster May Be Washed Away
If you thought pricing was a sleepy part of your brand-business strategy, time to wake up. Pricing strategy is front-and-center in today’s marketing. Pricing strategy is incredibly, economically impactful. Pricing strategy changes the way customers perceive brand value. Continuous price hikes, reference pricing, price indifference point are altering customer-perceived trust and value. Add dynamic pricing […]
https://arcature.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/siyuan-lin-T7WNNI-dxrc-unsplash-scaled.jpg25601920Jay Yorkhttps://arcature.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Arcature-2.pngJay York2024-04-15 09:51:002024-04-15 15:30:48Smoothing Out Demand, Wendy’s, Dynamic Pricing And The Price-Beleaguered Customer
Southwest Airlines Tendencies for Trouble And Elliot Investment Management’s Plan
/in Articles /by Jay YorkWhatever your opinion of private equity companies, their potential for financial engineering when taking over a company or their forcing of operational and managerial changes, the Elliot Investment Management letter and presentation to the Southwest Airlines’ Board of Directors is insightful. However, as Forbes points out, all of Elliot Investment Management’s ideas are about “extracting […]
The Arrogance of Brands Finally Meets The Perils of Purchaser Pushback
/in Articles /by Jay YorkWhat do McDonald’s, Target, Walgreen’s, McCormack, Applebee’s, Campbell’s, Kellogg’s and other national brands have in common today? Each is having a comeuppance. This is long overdue. Consumers are saying “no” to over-priced brands and for good reason. There is increased pushback from customers who have just had it with continual price hikes. Brands such as […]
The Toyota Way? Brand-Businesses Need A New Quality Revolution
/in Articles /by Jay YorkWhat has happened to quality? This is no trivial question. When you think about all the quality issues plaguing products and service, you recognize how shocking is the current state of quality. Brand-businesses need a new quality revolution. Think about the state of quality: Of course, there is Boeing. Which is a horrible situation. But, […]
Beyond Meat Tries Again
/in Articles /by Jay YorkBeyond Meat, the plant-based protein alternative, just concluded its Quarter 1 2024 earnings call. Creator and CEO Ethan Brown spent a good portion of the call explaining the rationale behind the brand’s new strategy. From observations, strategically Beyond Meat never really focused on its brand promise. Customers never really understood what was relevant and differentiating […]
Starbucks And The Third Place
/in Articles /by Jay YorkAfter Starbucks recent second quarter 2024 earnings call, founder and past three-time CEO Howard Schultz posted comments about his hand-picked successor’s strategy. Mr. Schultz reacted to statements made to analysts by Starbucks’ CEO, Laxman Narasimhan and CFO, Rachel Ruggeri, where both executives described Starbucks’ “underperformance.” Mr. Narasimhan and Ms. Ruggeri also handled analyst questions with […]
Peloton Is Not Netflix
/in Articles /by Jay YorkAnother crisis at Peloton. CEO Barry McCarthy is suddenly gone. Possibly, the strategy Mr. McCarthy created, to apparently turn Peloton into Netflix, is gone with him. Mr. McCarthy was seen as a technology business pro, someone who had experience in lower-price, subscription-based businesses like Netflix. But, anyone who follows Netflix knows that the streaming subscription […]
Huggies, Pampers And The Demographics That Matter
/in Articles /by Jay YorkRecent data show that US fertility rates are dropping. US women are giving birth “at record low rates,” according to the CDC. Demographers’ current concern is the “replacement rate.” Replacement rate is the total fertility rate at which women give birth to enough babies to sustain population levels – that is, replace a generation. Replacement […]
Nike: Five “Don’t Do” Behaviors To Avoid
/in Articles /by Jay YorkNike has seen better times, according to The Wall Street Journal. Many recent strategic choices have not worked to Nike’s benefit. Part of Nike’s current problematic situation is that Nike violated some critical brand-business building principles. Sure, there were extenuating circumstances as a result of Covid-19. But, the pandemic and the way in which customers […]
Red Lobster May Be Washed Away
/in Articles /by Jay YorkBrands do not always survive financial engineering. Sears is an example. Bed Bath & Beyond is another. Toys R’Us is still struggling after a bankruptcy and collapse. Quiznos survived bankruptcy but is a small shadow of its former self. Some brands are lucky. Some brands manage to slog through numerous mergers, spinoffs and sales to […]
Smoothing Out Demand, Wendy’s, Dynamic Pricing And The Price-Beleaguered Customer
/in Articles /by Jay YorkIf you thought pricing was a sleepy part of your brand-business strategy, time to wake up. Pricing strategy is front-and-center in today’s marketing. Pricing strategy is incredibly, economically impactful. Pricing strategy changes the way customers perceive brand value. Continuous price hikes, reference pricing, price indifference point are altering customer-perceived trust and value. Add dynamic pricing […]