Posts by: James T. Berger

Major Marketing Implications In Fisher-Price Sleeper Recall

By James T. Berger April 30, 2019

The product in question is the Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play sleeper. The product has been on the market since 2009 and Fisher-Price has sold some 4.7 million units, subject to the recall. Since the product was introduced, the Rock ‘n Play sleeper has been blamed for 32 infant deaths.

Strategies for Retail Survival in the Amazon Era

By James T. Berger March 24, 2019

In Winning in an era of unprecedented disruption: a perspective on U.S. retail, McKinsey and Company, the international consulting firm that specializes in retail, says the U.S. retail industry is experiencing disruption – in reinvention – at an unprecedented speed.

The Power of ‘Q’

By James T. Berger February 27, 2019

For years advertisers and advertising agencies have relied on Q. When investing huge sums of money on campaigns using pitch people, the Q factor is crucial in the selection process.

What Stock Market Volatility Tells Us

By James T. Berger January 30, 2019

One thing is for sure, it’s virtually impossible to predict the stock market. In many ways, the stock market might be compared to a day at the racetrack. Predicting today or tomorrow’s winners is virtually impossible. What we can do very well is explain why something happened after it happened.

Is General Electric the Next Icon to Fall?

By James T. Berger December 31, 2018

In its more recent years, GE’s success has stemmed from its ability to buy, run and sell profitable companies. Its success formula partially stems from its famous product portfolio analysis matrix, called the GE Matrix or the GE McKinsey matrix.

The Netflix Success Story: Reaping Rewards from Disruptive Innovation

By James T. Berger November 30, 2018

Netflix, a company founded in 1997 as a direct mail retailer of DVD movies, has made a series of brilliant business decisions that have elevated the company to an elite player in today’s home entertainment marketplace.

The Decline and Fall of Sears

By James T. Berger October 30, 2018

Sears was once the greatest retail employer in the nation. It was both the Walmart and Amazon of its day. But, the end of the 20^th century brought the beginning of the retail icon’s end.

Ever Heard of Strategic Intelligence?

By James T. Berger September 29, 2018

Prof. Levine calls “strategic intelligence” the “secret sauce—the ability to anticipate competitors’ behavior and preempt it.”

What are “Ironclad” Brands and How to Maintain Them

Polarization of Politics Having an Effect on Brand Management

By James T. Berger August 23, 2018

Trump has an ultra-loyal 35-40% of the electorate who will follow him anywhere. On the other hand, the anti-Trumpers have an equal or greater percentage of the population that feels exactly the opposite.

Decision to Grow Instead of Harvest May Be the Key to Microsoft’s Survival

By James T. Berger July 30, 2018

According to Foley: “Many People find it easier to see the benefits that come with cutting costs and looking for efficiencies and worry that what may come with growth could be elusive.”

James T. Berger, Senior Marketing Writer of The Wiglaf Journal, through his Northbrook-based firm, James T. Berger/Market Strategies, offers a broad range of marketing communications, research and strategic planning consulting services. In addition, he provides expert services to intellectual property attorneys in the area of trademark infringement litigation. An adjunct professor of marketing at Roosevelt University, he previously has taught at Northwestern University, DePaul University, University of Illinois at Chicago and The Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan (BA), Northwestern University (MS) and the University of Chicago (MBA). Berger is an often-published free lance business writer who has developed more than 100 published articles in the last eight years. For more information, visit www.jamesberger.net or telephone him at (847) 328-9633.