Will sexy ads 
sell to women?

Can they shift Chryslers or paperclips?

10 Mar 10
Sex appeal has virtually disappeared from US car marketing. So when models wearing metallic minidresses shared a stage with a Chrysler concept car at the Detroit Auto Show in January, some onlookers declared the display passé.

Our survey shows that Chrysler may be on the wrong road with the majority decision makers. cars and paperclips have much in common 

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Is OPI losing
its balance?
Nonsense editorials and
bigbox bias blow objectivity

9 Mar 10 (1100ET Updated and complete)                     
We have been big fans of OPI since inception almost 20 years ago. It became undisputed #1 in the OP market based on its controversial and well informed insights into leadership practices and big issues.

Over recent years it may have lost its edginess and become a slave to its sponsors and the bigbox players. This has been exemplified by various editions since May 2009. The criticism that OPI has hardly recognised the resurgence of the independent dealer was never better illustrated than the latest March issue.

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How to keep loyal 
customers satisfied
Communicating real value
convincingly and consistently

9 Mar 10 (Updated)

Customer loyalty, multiple sales channels and social media are just three challenges facing the retail sector. We pick up on a recent Marketing Week article and explore how advice from marketing experts may apply in the OP marketplace.

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Do premier brands justify premium status?
Shift in values turns spotlight on pretenders

7 Mar 10

A shift in consumer attitudes means many major brands may no longer justify a premium status. This may  open the way forward for smaller players to take the lead. We discuss similar attitudes in the OP market.

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Brand battlefield

When will leading OP brands react against bigbox private label drive?

5 Mar 10 (Completed 1400UK time; 0900 ET)

We read with interest an article in the UK’s Marketing magazine headlined ‘Premier Brands declares war on own-label goods’.  We wondered whether the time was right for  leading OP manufacturers and OEM’s to fight the relentless drive by bigbox players to boost private label sales?

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OPI in Clover

with Depot

What’s next? Will magazine
change its name to ODI?

2 Mar 10

Yesterday we read the OPI News report of Clover Technology’s reaction to Nukote’s claim for damages relating to the Office Depot ink and toner contract it held for 20 years.

Is this another example of OPI’s unbalanced reporting in favour of Depot with not a word sought from the plaintiff? We contacted Nukote to get their reaction.

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Customer Service Champs
High touch
online service
L.L.Bean“whenever” attitude sets
example for OP dealers’ success

28 Feb 10
Maine-based outdoor gear and apparel company L.L. Bean has taken the top spot in an annual ranking of the US leading companies for customer service organised by Bloomberg Business Week.

The following success story is a great example for OP dealers to follow:

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BNET Retail Analysis:
Staples to
dominate,
Max to survive,
Depot to fold!
Only room for two
office supply retailers?

 26 Feb 10
Yesterday BNET retail published  a report by Ian Ritter  who reckoned that Office Depot  was strengthening Itself for an office supplies showdown. But is his analysis correct?

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The market share debate
Liars and/or
incompetents?

How strugglers clutch at straws

with micro-market gain claims

26 Feb 10

We’ve been banging on about the dodgy, doubtful  market share gain claims by struggling bigbox resellers and leading manufacturers for the past 2 years.

Now OPI is joining the debate.

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Disconnected
dealer brands

Failing to follow the rules of
engagement with user choosers

23 Feb 10

New research from agency Targetbase Claydon Heeley (TBCH) suggests that although a majority of marketers are confident they are engaging with their audiences, users believe the opposite.

This study is a revelation, which in our view mirrors the OP market activity. We talk to many dealers who are proud of their relationships with stationery buyers, but unknown to the more important decision makers and user choosers in business supplies.