Brand News

If you want to know what is happening to the image of cars, have a look at Motorbikes.
They started out as a transportation tool. Then became a fascination and a symbol of freedom. Teens could not wait to own one and explore the world. And today they are toys, a hobby.

The market kept shrinking along those developments and if you ask a sixteen year old today about bikes, the likely answer is: “Yeah, I rode one in a computer game a while ago.” No need to buy one, no fascination, no desire to buy one either.

A recent article in The Atlantic shows the same for cars.

“Unfortunately for car companies, today’s teens and twenty-somethings don’t seem all that interested in buying a set of wheels. They’re not even particularly keen on driving.”

And The NY Times notes:

Not even 50% potential drivers age 19 or younger had a license in 2008. This number was as high as 66% in 1998.

There are a couple of logical reasons behind that phenomenon.

Already, over 50% of the population live in metropolitan areas.
There owning a car is more expansive, not really necessary and driving no fun. Found a parking spot? 

Before the internet, a car meant literally to broaden your horizon, to explore the world. Car keys = freedom.   
Today, teenagers play online games, chat and exchange messages with people from all over the world. In order to leave their small town no car is needed. Todays teens have virtually roamed the world, long before they could get a drivers license.

Last but not least, for many it is a question of money.
In the past you had your first, cheap, used car; then maybe a hand-down as a student car; and after getting your first decent paycheck, you bought a shiny new car.
Today, the first job is more likely an internship or a trainee program, that does not pay enough to maintain a car, much less buy a new one.

As brand owner and brand manager, car companies better find an answer to that quickly. Or focus on trucks and railroads.

Sie haben es bestimmt gelesen, die Bahn verlor die Markenrechte am Wort “S-Bahn”.

Die Löschung hatte der Nahverkehrsraum Leipzig betrieben.
Die Verkehrsverbünde haben erfolgreich argumentiert, dass der Begriff S-Bahn Allgemeingut sei.

Bisher wurde seit 2010 eine Lizenzgebühr von 0,4 Cent pro gefahrenem Zugkilometer berechnet worden. Die DB soll jährlich Millionenbeträge für die Lizenz auf das Wort “S-Bahn” kassiert haben.

Der Kaffee-Markt ist riesig und seit einigen Jahren wieder spannender.

Illy war einer der ersten Anbieter, der konsequent eine Premiumstrategie verfolgte. Und man darf Nestle Respekt zollen, mit Nespesso ist dem Unternehmen eine deutliche Belebung des Massengeschäfts gelungen.

Ebenso grandios ist der Erfolg von Starbucks. Während alt eingesessene Anbieter die Tasse Kaffee für einen oder zwei Euro oder Dollar anboten, setzte sich Starbucks weit darüber.
Das dürfte auch ein Grund für Krüger gewesen sein, die Kooperation mit Starbucks im Kaffee-Kapsel-Geschäft einzugehen.

Und bereits in 2011 nahm die Deutsche WMF eine Markenlizenz von Baldessarini.

Aber es gab auch davor schon Anläufe. Allerdings ist von der Davidoff-Kaffee-Lizenz, die bei Tchibo lag, nicht mehr viel zu sehen oder hören. Am Produkt lag das nicht, der Espresso war exquisit.

The global coffee market is huge and became more interesting lately.
Illy can be credited for pursuing a strict premium strategy.
Sturbucks charged four and more dollars per serving, when traditional marketers were still asking one dollar. That brand premium must have played a role, when Krueger took the Starbucks license for coffee capsules. And Nespresso changed the landscape too.    
 
Now Cuisinart, manufacturer of coffeemakers and other culinary appliances, announced a joint venture with Illy, to develop a new line of espresso machines.

The collection, co-branded Cuisinart for illy, will feature illy’s proprietary iperEspresso capsule system.
The Cuisinart for illy product line is scheduled to debut by the first quarter of 2013 at Cuisinart and illy’s retail channels, department and specialty stores, and online.

Already in 2011, German coffee machine manufacturer WMF took a brand license from Baldessarini.

Of course, there have been other brand licenses before. And not all succeeded. For example, you do not hear, see or read a lot about Davidoff coffee anymore. A license held by German coffee giant Tchibo. The product cannot be blamed, that was excellent.

Procter & Gamble claims to generate significant revenues through licensing some of its brands and technologies to other firms.

P&G announced more than $3bn in returns from licenses for each of the three years since it started tracking.

Often, those numbers shape royalty income expectations, when brand owners start licensing programs.

To be kept in mind, many multinational companies are charging their subsidiaries and importers royalties as part of inter-company transfer pricing. It is generally accepted and legitimate.

Unless those are taken into consideration, the numbers can be inflated.