The question of brand loyalty sits right in the middle of the tug of war between retailers and manufacturers. Are customers loyal to a retailer because of the brands it carries or because of the retail store itself? Said another way – will a customer patronize any retailer that carries the brands she’s looking for, […]
Last week David Ristau, the analyst who publishes daily stock recommendations in The Oxen Report, weighed in on the fast/casual dining industry with predictions for 10 fast/casual companies in the coming year. Chipotle, McDonald’s, and Domino’s were among the companies he analyzed based on growth, profitability, financial health, value, and management. […]
Establishing competitive advantage is one of the basic tenets of business strategy. Companies must establish a way of standing out from competitive offerings and being perceived as different and better from those offerings. One business aspect that I believe is underutilized as a lever for competitive advantage is business size and scale. […]
The TV show The Biggest Loser started up again this week. The show features contestants who train, diet, and compete in challenges to see who can lose the most weight. I started watching the show last season because a client of mine is a sponsor and I got hooked – not only is it inspirational […]
Apparently my “Outside Insights” column, How to Defeat McDonald’s**, on QSR Magazine‘s home page has prompted concern among the folks at McDonald’s. It was intended as a service piece for fast feeders looking for insights on how to establish competitive advantage — but the Golden Arches media relations team seems to view it as a […]