Phil Rubin

Interesting discussion and reactions and I agree with Gene and Notcom—it seems everyone is focused narrowly on the example of charging more. Another way to illustrate this is the idea of dilution, something we first recognized years ago doing promotions for (you guessed it): the airlines.

Rather than focusing on...

It should go without saying that one :30 TV spot, regardless of media weight or creative brilliance, will not undo the damage that was done by Ron Johnson, et al. But this execution is timely in terms of a quick pivot and starts with exactly what JCP should be...

These breaches are indeed becoming too common and reflect not only inadequate security, but also the increasingly value of customer data. This will always have a business impact and it should, namely raising the bar on data security. At the same time, these breeches will have a larger and...

This shift from mass marketing to purchase-focused marketing began about 31 years ago, with the first modern loyalty program, AAdvantage by American Airlines. The channels (i.e., the digital ones) are new but the principles are very much built on the same foundation: marketing based on how customers behave and...

While there is plenty of skepticism about how well Goodreads members will take to Amazon, this is a smart move for both customer communities and organizations. Amazon has been and continues to be the leader is customer-centric retail and this membership base and corresponding data set will extend Amazon's...

Publix clearly beats WMT on most dimensions other than price (experience/service, merchandising, quality) and if there is an opportunity to mitigate what is a clear pricing advantage at WMT, why not? Publix still wins for groceries, especially to customers who value product quality and service/customer experience relative to price.

There is no shortage of data for most retailers, but unfortunately many are still a good distance from using customer data in a more personalized and relevant manner. There are two big challenges facing merchants in terms of better using customer data:

1. Systems and technologies. Retailers typically have dated and...

More success to come for Starbucks and like most loyalty leaders, it starts at the top with Howard Schultz. Payments being integrated is as huge differentiator and a great foundation. Expanding to other parts of its business is obvious though much harder in practice. Given the company's commitment it...

The Fast Company article and Marc Andreessen's comments about the downfall and even death of brick-and-mortar retail make for great headlines but like David, I'm taking the other side of the trade on this one.

It's important to note that not all airlines are low-cost/low-service just as all retailers to...

PwC should be applauded for taking on these myths and putting them both in context and reality. Clearly the myth that is the most wrongheaded—and lethal—is that low price is a main driver of spend. If anything, it's a main driver of lowering profits, eroding brand equity and giving...