Dr. Stephen Needel

I've never been optimistic and see no reason to buy into this. Fair and Square strikes me as a great slogan for a law firm or a construction company, but not for fashion. Time for some research and a new positioning.

Yes, all companies should have a social media policy and the policy should be simple -- no. An employee is entitled to their opinion about their company -- no matter how high up or low down on the corporate ladder. And that employee is free to share that opinion...

Habit is what marketers try to create. If they underrate it, they must not be doing a very good job. The best predictor (in CPG businesses) of what you're going to buy next time is what you bought last time. Much of what we do is designed for the...

I would think the challenge in Boston would be less about store size (I grew up there with small suburban stores) but with coming into a new market with long-established players (Stop & Shop, Shaws) and not a lot of economy of scale (only a few stores in the...

To the extent that the systems work, work well, and their is support immediately available when needed (for alcohol and tobacco, for example, where IDs need to be checked), I love it. It gives me, the shopper, the choice. My Kroger has recently tested a candy and a sweet...

The question is not whether food info apps will alter shopping -- it's whether shoppers care. When I buy my Cocoa Puffs and Hostess Cupcakes, I know I'm not getting the most nutrition for my dollar. When shoppers care about what is in their food and where it comes...

If I were a shareholder, I'd be at the next annual meeting raising hell. What are they possibly thinking? While Whole Foods may not position themselves as gourmet, they are significantly more upscale than your traditional grocery store. If they can lower their prices to work in an inner...

This sounds like what category management was meant to be when it was first devised. Manufacturers bring key insights to the retailer -- retailer is more responsive. However, there does seem to be more of a disconnect between the VP and the Director -- the former wants actionable information,...

Let's do more simplistic and poorly constructed surveys to help marketers make major decisions. Who, aside from Google, could possibly think this is a good idea?

Amazon and Netflix (see today's news stories) are doing a great job of trying to identify, via detailed segmentation, what the shopper wants -- what book, movie, cd, etc., will strike a hot button. That's great marketing to the extent that their segmentation model works -- and it often...