Entries by Jay York

Elizabeth Arden Stakes Its Future on Its Past Provenance

There have been many pioneers in the cosmetic industry. Just to name a few, Lawrence and Joan Gelb of Clairol made hair coloring something acceptable rather than declassé. Max Factor created pancake makeup becoming the go-to authority for the burgeoning Hollywood film industry.  And, then, there was Elizabeth Arden who believed women should learn how […]

Wayfair And Leadership Marketing

Wayfair CEO Niraj S. Shah recently told analysts that the Wayfair brand-business – home furnishings and décor – is  “… clearly demonstrating that the Wayfair model is inherently profitable and that there is considerable opportunity in front of us to rapidly drive further margin expansion, while investing for future growth.“  About Wayfair’s progress on its […]

Sprouts Farmers Market has a Plan to Win

On May 1, 2023, Sprouts Farmers Market reported very positive news during its earnings call. The Wall Street Journal’s Market Report indicated that Sprouts’ first quarter earnings rose 24%. Sprouts’ CEO Jack Sinclair told analysts, “We are pleased with our first quarter; we believe our long-term growth strategy is gaining traction and driving positive performance. […]

Tupperware: Trapped in Tendencies for Trouble

We may soon have a world without Tupperware. Recently, there have been numerous doom-laden reports on the sad situation for this iconic American brand-business. In fact, a brief Nexis search of Tupperware-demise articles for the past week alone turned up 13 pages of commentary.  Pundits and analysts identified the many reasons for Tupperware’s dire straits. […]

Netflix Needs to Be Bigger, Better, Stronger To Have Both Quality of Growth and Quantity of Growth 

Netflix just reported its half year earnings to analysts. Wall Street’s reactions were typical.  After the initial knee jerk punishing of Netflix’s stock because Netflix did not capture enough subscribers, Wall Street, its analysts and media talking-heads focused on Netflix’ positive news regarding operating margins, free cash flow and operating profits.  Either way, Wall Street, […]

Uber’s Undercover Problem Detection Study

Problem Detection is one of marketing’s most effective strategies. Profitably solving and satisfying customer problems is the aim of marketing. So, marketers tend to focus problem detection on customers. But, as brand-business’ know, having motivated, committed, proud and loyal employees is a most critical factor in brand-business success. Recent research from Deloitte, the global services […]

Claire’s Pierced The Boredom Barrier With Global Innovation

For retailers, Covid-19 did a lot more than create supply chain disruptions causing huge inventories of unwanted items and changes in customer behaviors. Retailers put innovation on the back burner. According to The Wall Street Journal, retail brand-businesses “paused” innovation for the past three years. A playing-it-safe strategy was adopted by multiple retail establishments. Best […]

Darden’s Restaurants Inc.: Where Success Depends Strongly On The General Manager As Brand Manager

Darden Restaurants Inc. owns some favorite dining brands including Olive Garden, Capital Grille, LongHorn Steak House and others. Restaurants, in particular, rely on their people to deliver a brand’s experience in a quality manner, time and time again.  Especially important are General Managers. When it comes to the service business, the General Manager is the […]

American Express’ Three-Legged Stool For High Quality Revenue Growth

American Express weathered the pandemic with a three-legged stool strategy. American Express’ strategy was, and still is, to protect its customers, its people and its brand, according to an interview with CEO Stephen Squeri for the financial paper, Barron’s. American Express’ strategy is brand-business-leadership common sense. Unfortunately, there is less common sense in brand-business leadership […]