I am NOT Maverick Marketing Sydney

Banking, technology, retailers, and food/beverage all made a strong showing on research agency Millward Brown’s inaugural BrandZ Top 50 Most Valuable Chinese Brands.

China Mobile Ltd., the largest mobile carrier in the world’s most populous country, ranked No. 1 among the top 50 Chinese brands.

The Chinese mobile carrier had a brand value worth 56 billion US dollars this year. The market researcher said China Mobile has been on its list of the top 100 most valuable global brands for the last five years.

The telecom brand was closely followed by the nation’s four largest banks. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China ranked second; Bank of China, third; China Construction Bank, fourth and Agricultural Bank of China, sixth.
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General Motors announced today it has officially cut off ties to its Pontiac franchise, more than 80 years after rolling the first vehicle of its kind off the production line.

As the motor giant closes the doors on one of four franchises sacrificed during a major government bailout, many Pontiac owners are now left wondering if investing in the brand will cost them big in the long run.

To avoid widespread trouble in the future for Pontiac owners, some dealerships will continue to honor service agreements with Pontiac. Those agreements will allow dealerships to service any car that remains under warranty.

Prices for parts are likely to remain relatively inexpensive due to a stable amount of Pontiac parts that are still being delivered to dealerships.

Read more here.

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The growing popularity of social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook is encouraging financial services organisations to start interacting with their customers using these channels.

In the past couple of weeks, ING Direct launched a soft social media campaign in tandem with the introduction of Charles – the orangutan that replaced comedian Billy Connelly as the face of the bank. Customers can access Charles’ Facebook page through the bank’s home page and leave comments.

“Charles can chat with people through the site and he is also on Twitter,” says an ING spokesperson. “Our social media campaign is more of an experimentation exercise and we’re leaving it to grow organically.”

Read more at the Sydney Morning Herald.

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New TVC from Virgin Atlantic, being screened in the US and UK.

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In case you’ve recently bought a Dell computer, pat yourself on the back. Not only have you bought a fine piece of hardware that, by historical standards, is amazingly cheap, but you’ve contributed to bettering society. No, really. Didn’t you hear that when it wasn’t busy selling PCs, Dell was the salvation of the human race?

At least, that’s what Dell’s marketing chiefs, past and present, seem to believe. “Purpose isn’t just good for the soul; it’s good for the bottom line,” announced CMO Erin Nelson, who spoke at the Association of National Advertisers’ “Masters of Marketing” conference in Orlando, Fla., this past week.

Nelson imparted that feel-good wisdom on her way out the door, literally. She’d decided to leave Dell roughly a month before the event. But not to worry. Incoming CMO Karen Quintos seemed to have been cc’d on the same talking points.

Perhaps this talk of socially responsible branding is just a warm-and-fuzzy outgrowth of the global economy—but it was hardly isolated to the Dell duo.

Many speakers managed to conflate marketing with missionary work. Procter & Gamble CMO Marc Pritchard showed a short film outlining how the company brought Always Ultra feminine hygiene pads to young teen girls in Nigeria. Coca-Cola CMO/chief commercial officer Joseph Tripodi rolled another reel admonishing young consumers to recycle.

Remember when marketers used to, y’know, market stuff? Well, now they’ve doing God’s work. They’ve got purpose. Why the sudden shift to the noble and meaningful?

Find out at Brandweek.

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If you think Meals on Wheels, and you’re thinking “fuddy duddy” think again.

At least that’s what the service had in mind for you when it engaged Husbosch (creators of the new woolies and updated Qantas logos) to redesign its national identity.

At the launch of the revamped brand in Sydney today, it was explained that the new look would help encourage new donors and clients (probably quite important since I imagine the cost of the new logo would be, well, significant).

Meals on Wheels delivers more than 50,000 meals each day to frail, older people as well as younger people with disabilities. Over the course of a year, 15 million meals are delivered by 80,000 volunteers to about 50,000 recipients Australia-wide. Meals on Wheels originated in Britain during World War II and was started in Australia in South Melbourne in 1952.

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Found this great little gem in CNN, How to Brand A Disease – And Sell A Cure, which discusses what pharmaceutical companies do to get their drugs on the government subsidy lists.

They brand a disease. (How come I never thought about that before?)

The thinking goes along these lines:

1. Think less about selling and more about creating conditions for sale.
2. Persuade journalists to write about “new trends” (that’s the disease, folks)
3. Once the disease is well-known and, well, socially acceptable, drugs are made available.

To brand a disease is to shape its public perception in order to make it more palatable to potential patients. Panic disorder, reflux disease, erectile dysfunction, restless legs syndrome, bipolar disorder, overactive bladder, ADHD, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, even clinical depression: All these conditions were once regarded as rare until a marketing campaign transformed the brand.

Once a branded disease has achieved a degree of cultural legitimacy, there is no need to convince anyone that a drug to treat it is necessary. It will come to him as his own idea.

According to CNN, the disease branding strategy works well for 2 types of diseases:

1. Those that are shameful conditions that can be destigmatized and
2. Those conditions that can be plausibly portrayed as under-diagnosed.

Marketing knows no bounds.

Check the rest of the story out at CNN.

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Hey, wanna give packaging a whole new meaning? Want some ideas to ensure your retail brand stands out from the bored crowd?

If this applies to you, the answer is: it’s in the bag.

What’s a bag? Why it’s a flexible container with a single opening.

(It’s also an opportunity waiting to happen.)

If you’re looking for an excuse to spice up your brand, you’d be mad not to check out what these brands do.

This (and other truly fantastic content about advertising and interesting stuff) is at www.boredpanda.com.

Read on, then check it out.

1. Condomi Erotic Shopping Bag

Advertising Agency: Draft FCB Kobza, Vienna, Austria
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Renowned for making vehicles driven by James Bond, it came top of the annual poll, reclaiming the number one spot from Apple’s iPhone which came second.

Apple’s iPod was named third coolest, followed by Blackberry and stereo and TV maker Bang & Olufsen.

The survey was run by The Center for Brand Analysis which creates league tables based on the opinions of marketing experts, business professionals and thousands of British consumers.

Key factors in the selection process included, style, innovation, desirability and originality.

Vivienne Westwood topped the fashion brands in the poll, which began in 2001, while Ray-Ban was judged the coolest fashion accessory.

Google and YouTube were the only Internet brands to make the Top 20.
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Looks as though Aussies love affair with Vegemite might be on the wane, according to a study conducted last month by Y&R Advertising Group’s, Brand Asset Consulting (BAC).

Our much-loved iconic spread has been replaced by tech brands such as Google, Apple, Microsoft and Nokia.

The study, in which 2000 Australians participated, found that Vegemite and Toyota had taken brand hits potentially as a consequence of major problems both companies faced the year before.

Vegemite lost six places, from 4 to 10, after the launch of its iSnack product disaster. Toyota, the top auto brand since 1997, slid to 6th place following the recall of cars due to a stuck accelerator problem (and the ensuing negative publicity).

It seems Aussies are much less forgiving than overseas counterparts, stripping 18% from trust levels in the brands compared to a 6% average globally.

The biggest losers included nappy brand Huggies, Venus razors, slimming brand Ultra Slim and Dare milk. BP has also suffered in the wake of the environmental issues it has been battling in the US.
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