A new report from trendwatching.com offers predictions that go beyond the mass migration to mobile.

Jill Lajdziak thinks this recession is her best-ever moment to innovate. Not coincidentally she also thinks retail is a critical point-of-difference for her born-again brand, Saturn.

Imagine if you opened a store where selling stuff wasn't the main idea. What would be the point of that? That's the challenge -- and opportunity -- facing David Porter, the former Wal-Mart executive just hired by Microsoft to figure out what a Microsoft "store" should be.

Despite the many mistakes that have led to its current troubles, Starbucks still has the capacity to create a sense of community and a purpose larger than just selling coffee.

General Motors should re-badge Saturn as "Uranus," with the slogan, "You Bet Uranus." The marketing possibilities are as endless as GM's stupidity.

Is it checkmate on brand loyalty?

Friday's Wall Street Journal included a remarkable story about Nestle.  In part it was remarkable because Nestle isn't necessarily a company that gets a lot of press, much less the kind of press that could fairly be classified as of the "man bites dog" variety.
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Paul Newman will be remembered for many things -- acting, philanthropy, race-car driving.  I will always think of him as an incredibly astute marketing guy.

About ten years ago, I was lucky enough to visit the Newman's Own offices in Westport, Conn., and interview its president, Tom Indoe (interview here).  After the interview, Tom gave me a tour of the place, including Paul's office.  He wasn't there at the time, so my fondest memory is simply a small sign tacked to the wall that read:
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Wal-Mart is out with a fascinating presidential election poll of its female shoppers (a.k.a. Wal-Mart Moms) that reveals as much about Wal-Mart's fortunes as it does about Obama's and McCain's.

The poll of five battleground states finds Sen. Obama leading in three (Virginia, Nevada, Colorado) and Sen. McCain in the other two (Ohio and Florida), albeit by slim margins all around.  
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