Archive for November 7th, 2008

No Surprise, Best Marketers Wal-Mart, P&G

November 7, 2008

Excerpted from Promo Magazine “Wal-Mart, P&G Still Tops for Marketing Strength: Survey” November 3, 2008

* * * * *

Wal-Mart and Procter & Gamble still hold the top spots in the 2008 Cannondale Associates’ annual PoweRanking survey of both manufacturers and retailers. But their ratings…were lower than last year.

Respondents were asked to rate companies for their retail marketing competence on criteria, including clear company strategy, most innovative consumer marketing, and best store branding.

For the tenth year, Wal-Mart stood head and shoulders above the others… Among other Top Ten retailers only Kroger showed appreciable gains, boosting its rank by almost 5% to move into third place, behind Wal-Mart and Target… Walgreens hiked its composite ranking by 2.8% this year and filled out the Top Ten, right behind rival health and beauty vendor CVS…“This suggests that Wal-Mart’s low price strategy is resonating with consumers and manufacturers…It also suggests that Kroger’s strong showing in targeting its shoppers and shopper segments is paying dividends. Also, drug retailers CVS and Walgreens are effectively targeting consumers and delivering on programs.”

On the manufacturer side, four of the Top Ten moved up in standing this year, while…ConAgra, dropped out of the first rank altogether.Traditional  leaders P&G, Kraft and PepsiCo all saw their scores fall off this year. P&G’s popular vote dropped 4.2 points, although it still held the Number One slot. Kraft’s score drop of 0.3 points wasn’t enough to move it from the second slot…General Mills saw its score increase to grab the fourth spot. Meanwhile Nestle built its ranking up…and Clorox re-joined first-tier manufacturers after a two-year absence with a score increase of 1.7 percentage points.“General Mills has been given great credit for a re-focus on customer initiatives and wholly embracing the concept of working collaboratively with retailers to better develop business,’ …Nestle is being given credit for focusing on a health and wellness message that starts at the top.”“Retailers that excelled…have completed their own customer segmentation and begun to develop alternative store formats and merchandising platforms to address newly identified needs”…

Edit by SAC

* * * * * 

Full article:
http://promomagazine.com/retail/news/1103-walmart-pg-tops-marketing/

* * * * *

Want more from the Homa Files?
Click link => The Homa Files Blog

Posted in Mktg - Brands, Mktg - Management | Leave a Comment »

Of age and race, which mattered most ?

November 7, 2008

Excerpted from
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/04/exit.polls/

* * * * *

While Obama will be the nation’s first black president, John McCain would have been the oldest person ever elected to the nation’s highest office.

Race played less of a role in the election than age

The only age group where McCain prevailed was 65 and over, and that by just a 10-percentage-point margin, 54 percent to 44 percent, the exit polls showed.

Minorities went heavily into the Obama camp. Blacks, 96 percent Obama to 3 percent McCain; Latinos, 67 percent Obama to 30 percent McCain;

Obama did well with Latinos because they appear to disapprove of President Bush’s job performance more than the rest of the country,

About 80 percent of Latinos give Bush negative marks, while 72 percent of all Americans do, exit polling showed.

* * * * *

Ken’s Take:

(1) Interesting that 93% of blacks voted for Obama because he was — on his record and positions — the better candidate.  But, 54% of old people voted for McCain just because he was old.  Huh ?

(2) McCain put his political career on the line pushing for comprehensive immigration reform (i.e. amnesty).  Which, incidentally, Bush supported.  Obama stayed out of the fray.  Yet, Hispanics rejected McCain 2 to 1.  Gotta feel a bit sorry for the guy.

* * * * *

Want more from the Homa Files?
Click link =>  The Homa Files Blog

Posted in Mktg - Brands | 2 Comments »

Things are tough all over … Wall Street bonuses fall

November 7, 2008

Excerpted from WSJ, “On Street, the Incredible Shrinking Bonus”, Nov. 4, 2008

* * * * *

Ken’s Qs:

(1) Is it just my imagination or is the market down about 1/3 with most firms crumbled to the ground ?

(2) Wonder why there’s backlash against the top 5% ?

(3) How do these guys sleep at night ?

* * * * *

Among investment bankers who maintain contact with corporate clients but don’t make trading decisions, managing directors could see their bonus fall 50% to between $900,000 and $1.1 million.

Managing directors (who make trading decisions) could see their bonus fall 50% to $750,000 to $950,000. Their base pay is about $200,000 a year.

Bonuses will shrink less in businesses that have held up relatively well. In foreign-exchange trading, a managing director could expect a 15% drop in bonus to $1 million to $1.5 million

Vice presidents with three years of experience could expect a 55% cut in bonus to $200,000 to $250,000, on top of a base of $130,000 to $150,000.

In commodities, where prices surged and then fell, a managing director could see a 25% drop to a bonus of $3.5 million to $4 million.

* * * * *

But at Citigroup.’s Phibro commodities-trading unit, where results topped last year’s performance, Andrew Hall, who runs the unit, is slated to receive compensation for fiscal 2008 topping $125 million, according to people familiar with the firm. Other employees of Phibro, of Westport, Conn., also are getting big payments, these people said.

* * * * *

Source:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122593559284203785.html

* * * * *

Want more from the Homa Files?
Click link =>  The Homa Files Blog

Posted in Financial Crisis | Leave a Comment »