Nine Brands to Watch in 2011
AOL:Here’s a brand that used to be synonymous with access to the Internet. It’s been struggling for a long time because it hasn’t been able to identify a relevantly different reason for being important to consumers.
Best Buy: People can hardly keep up with the newest technological equipment, let alone how to hook it up and use it. Enter the experts at Best Buy, the ever-helpful “Blue-Shirts “and their colleagues, the techno-savvy “Geek Squad.”
Gap: Here is a brand that was once about as authentic as it comes. Cool jeans and cool everything else. These days with its flip-flop search for identity, its authenticity seems to have come – and gone.
Groupon: One of the best ways to establish a new brand is to ask an old question: Did you ever wonder why? The folks at Groupon asked, “Did you ever wonder why I can’t get discounts on things exactly when I need them and exactly in the neighborhood in which I live?
NFL: I read an article last week about the fact that the ratings for televised NFL games keep going up. It’s not just that fresh and innovative programming is hard to find (it is), but that the NFL gives its audience, men, women and children of all ages, a genuinely exciting, one-of-a-kind entertainment experience.
The New York Times: Print media is not dead. Not if it’s got an iPad app to give it life support. “The New York Times” has been weathering the storm of dire predictions for media outlets by finding ways to increase its relevance to its readers. Since I’ve had my iPad, I’ve increased the amount of time I consume media, including my consumption of “New York Times” articles.
Palin (Sarah, that is): Here’s a lady who has risen in popularity with the Tea Party and enjoyed a stretch as a great brand. The whole movement has floated her boat, or kayak, or whatever. As the economy gets better and the guys and gals in Washington attempt to hold hands across the aisles, it will be interesting to see how her brand of politics plays out.
SNL: (Or, Saturday Night Live for those who are never home on Saturday night) Here’s a brand of entertainment that, thanks to its producer, Lorne Michaels, continues to keep its finger on the pulse of topics that are worthy of satire (everything?).
Sony: I’d say I missed the Dream Machine that used to be on my nightstand, but I have a Bose radio that has better sound quality. I’d say I missed my Walkman, but I have an iPod that makes it easier for me to listen to the music I like during my stints at the gym.