Ben Schott

Ben Schott is Bloomberg Opinion's advertising and brands columnist.

Latest

Don’t Let Your Rebrand Become Internet Roadkill

Bloomberg Opinion

Don’t Let Your Rebrand Become Internet Roadkill

From Tropicana and Gap to the Royal Mail, bad rebrands can die an ugly death. But smart companies don’t let armchair critics cow them into brand-damaging stasis.

June 27, 2023

June 27, 2023

OpinionBen Schott

Don’t Let Your Rebrand Become Internet Roadkill

From Tropicana and Gap to the Royal Mail, bad rebrands can die an ugly death. But smart companies don’t let armchair critics cow them into brand-damaging stasis.

Don’t Let Your Rebrand Become Internet Roadkill

June 7, 2023

June 7, 2023

OpinionBen Schott

Musk Should End Twitter’s Misery and Bring on Brand ‘X’

Instead of constantly talking about his contrarian vision, he needs to test its market value by putting his mouth where his money is.

SpaceX And T-Mobile Hold Joint Event In Texas

May 16, 2023

May 16, 2023

OpinionBen Schott

Will AI Topple Michelin, Consumer Reports and the Oscars?

A potential giant-killer is about to enter the ever-shifting landscape of product recommendation.

Will AI Topple Michelin, Consumer Reports and the Oscars?

April 15, 2023

April 15, 2023

OpinionBen Schott

Bud Light Kicked a Hornet’s Nest and Ran Away

One of the world’s biggest beer brands just set a new low in corporate courage.

Bud Light Kicked a Hornet’s Nest and Ran Away

April 6, 2023

April 6, 2023

OpinionBen Schott

It’s Tax Season! Here Come the ‘Leech Brands’

From taxes and air travel to health care, some companies thrive where government fails to deliver, ripping off consumers and defending broken systems that fatten their bottom lines.

It’s Tax Season! Here Come the ‘Leech Brands’

March 30, 2023

March 30, 2023

OpinionBen Schott

Pepsi’s Rebrand Takes the Gen-Z(ero) Challenge

The iconic soft-drink maker has introduced a bold new makeover… so why is it apologizing?

Pepsi’s Rebrand Takes the Gen-Z(ero) Challenge

March 22, 2023

March 22, 2023

OpinionBen Schott

The Big Apple's Rebrand Is an Iconic Failure

Any new New York logo was bound to ruffle feathers, but riffing on Milton Glaser's creation? Fuhgeddaboudit.

The Big Apple's Rebrand Is an Iconic Failure

February 19, 2023

February 19, 2023

OpinionBen Schott

Brandzzz Want a Piece of Your Dreamland

If you thought humans deserved at least seven hours free from marketing’s grasp, think again. How a new breed of brands is selling sleep to the exhausted.

Brandzzz Want a Piece of Your Dreamland

January 22, 2023

January 22, 2023

OpinionBen Schott

Class-Clown Brands Are Trying to LoLz Us to Death

By swapping golden-age advertising humor for “brandter” — bantz, LoLz and trash talk — companies risk alienating the consumers they hope to attract.

Class-Clown Brands Are Trying to LoLz Us to Death

December 24, 2022

December 24, 2022

OpinionBen Schott

Is the Golden Era of Humor in Advertising Over?

Brands have aspired to stand-up comedy for more than 200 years. But advertising may have reached a mic-drop moment.

Is the Golden Era of Humor in Advertising Over?

December 4, 2022

December 4, 2022

OpinionBen Schott

Why Brands Are Reeking Havoc on Our Noses

From bacon-scented dental floss and KFC firelogs to Hummer perfume and aroma-enhanced VR porn, companies are doubling down on the sweet smell of excess.

Why Brands Are Reeking Havoc on Our Noses

November 13, 2022

November 13, 2022

OpinionBen Schott

Brands Are Discovering Their Animal Spirits

In an age of technoscience rationality, branding is relying ever more heavily on the attractive power of animals.

Brands Are Discovering Their Animal Spirits

October 9, 2022

October 9, 2022

OpinionBen Schott

Branding 101 from 007 — and ‘Dr. No’

Released 60 years ago this week, the first James Bond movie created a branding empire upon which the sun has not yet set.

Branding 101 from 007 — and ‘Dr. No’

September 16, 2022

September 16, 2022

OpinionBen Schott

Brand Britannia and the Marmite Monarchy

What Queen Elizabeth II’s death tells us about the future branding of “The Firm.”

Proclamation Of King Charles III

August 27, 2022

August 27, 2022

OpinionBen Schott

Vernacular Branding Scores Big by Aiming Low

From sneakers and supermarkets to pop stars and politicians, billion-dollar brands are subverting professional polish to claim a fake authenticity.

Vernacular Branding Scores Big by Aiming Low

July 31, 2022

July 31, 2022

OpinionBen Schott

The Free Market Responds to America’s School Shootings

Hardened doors, bulletproof backpacks and classroom panic rooms — how companies are filling the school safety void of gun control.

The Free Market Responds to America’s School Shootings

July 20, 2022

July 20, 2022

OpinionBrooke Sutherland and Ben Schott

It's Time for GE to Let Go of GE

Given the opportunity to cast the businesses from a three-way breakup in a new, independent light, the company is choosing instead to anchor them in name to the parent’s legacy.

General Electric's Quarterly Earnings Reflect Supply Chain Issues

July 3, 2022

July 3, 2022

OpinionBen Schott

Is There Anything That Gen Z Won't Drink?

Alcohol brands are thinking outside the bottle to fuel and gratify a new drinking culture.

Is There Anything That Gen Z Won't Drink?

May 24, 2022

May 24, 2022

OpinionBen Schott

Millennials Are Saving Golf by Rebranding It

What Golf 6.0 tells us about branding, fandom, aspiration and belonging.

Millennials Are Saving Golf by Rebranding It

October 20, 2021

October 20, 2021

OpinionParmy Olson and Ben Schott

A Facebook Rebrand Could Be a Huge Risk

Renaming the social media giant would be a way to deflect attention away from its content problems. A troubling but shrewd move.

FRANCE-INTERNET-COMPANY-STOCKS-FACEBOOK