Much is being made of Hugh Hefner's surprise bid to reclaim control of the struggling Playboy brand.

Many, including Brandchannel, see Hef's move as an attempt to save the brand and his legacy from its current over-extended predicament.

Just how overly extended is the Playboy brand?

Forget the Playboy-branded stores and clubs. Here's our list of ten Playboy brand extensions and licensing deals that really exemplify the brand's lack of vision and direction. They make Ed Hardy look (almost) classy. And no, Playboy Energy Drink didn't even make the cut.

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Supermarkets are the last refuge for an increasing number of distressed quick-serve brands. Arby’s is the latest example of the trend toward putting restaurant-branded products in the grocery aisle.

The struggling Atlanta-based fast feeder, part of the Wendy’s/Arby’s Group, said that it had reached a deal with Nancy Bailey & Associates, an Atlanta-based marketing firm, to begin fielding offers to sell packaged Arby’s items on supermarket shelves. Nancy Bailey is a well-regarded licensing go-between that, for example, does lots of business with Procter & Gamble.

But what would Arby’s peddle at your local grocer? That’s hard to foresee. Maybe its mozzarella sticks, in the frozen-food aisle? Pre-packaged jamocha shakes? It wouldn’t seem to be feasible to sell fresh roast-beef-and-cheddar sandwiches anywhere in the supermarket. Previously for a time, Arby’s peddled its iconic sauces, such as Horsey Sauce, at retail.Continue reading...

For years now The Pirate Bay has been one of the world's largest and most popular file sharing sites where users download pirated media such as movies and music, much to the chagrin of brands in the content business.

But times are getting tougher for Pirate Bay, despite having tens of millions of users worldwide. Last week marked the 4th anniversary of the MPAA's war on the site. Even though the MPAA's efforts have been largely toothless, the site went down temporarily last month after a German court got the site's ISP to kill its service.

So what's an embattled brand to do to assure its long-term survival and (ahem!) Arr-O-I? How about navigating more treacherous waters: relationships?Continue reading...

The Tides, they are a-changing…. Yes, P&G's Tide brand is now in the dry cleaning business. The pitch: if you can’t wash it in Tide, dry-clean it instead!

The brand extension began in Kansas City in 2008, when Agile Pursuits Franchising Inc., a Procter & Gamble subsidiary, opened three Tide-branded stores on a trial basis.

Agile wasn't a newcomer to the branded franchise game; they ‘wet their feet’ with a Mr. Clean brand car wash business in 2007 which is now up to 16 locales, with seven more in the works, and turf that stretches from Ohio to Texas.Continue reading...

Starbucks' marketing strategy is moving so fast we can barely keep up with it.

First it was the unlikely introduction of its Via instant coffee. Marketing experts shunned the company's foray into instant as a potential brand-killer, but Via has done surprisingly well, approaching more than $1 billion in sales.

Just last week, we reported that Starbucks was kicking its Seattle's Best Coffee brand into high gear with a super-aggressive distribution strategy, accompanied by a new logo, in an effort to compete at the lower end with the likes of Dunkin' Donuts and McDonald's.

In the latest marketing move that veers far from the exclusivity of its retail stores, Starbucks will hit grocery shelves in June with "Starbucks Natural Fusions," a new line of bagged and ground flavored coffees (created in partnership with Kraft). Launching with vanilla, caramel, and cinnamon flavors, the move marks the company's debut in the premium flavored coffee market.Continue reading...

Mercedes-Benz is looking down the road, and it sees a future that extends beyond luxury cars. The company has just launched "Mercedes-Benz Style," a design division that will be broad in its scope.

While the move may seem unusual to some, Mercedes-Benz design head Gorden Wagener defends the move to expand the brand's horizons, sleek aesthetic and expertise to a wider arena of products.

"We are in no way entering new territory," he comments. "In the past, our design team has already styled such products as watches and interiors... Mercedes-Benz design stands for innovation, trend-setting, enduring style."Continue reading...

Tesco is the new face of urban development.

Britain's largest retailer is getting into the housing business, planning "supermarket-led mixed-use development proposals." Its goal: to expand from four "mini-villages" to 3,656 new Tesco-built deveopments throughout the UK.

Already being dubbed "Tesco Towns" by the British press, the planned developments will include homes, schools, public spaces, recreation centers, swimming pools, and of course, Tesco-branded superstores galore.

Tesco's move from selling home goods to actual homes and communities is stirring up some controversy.

Sir John Sorrell, retiring chair of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, the UK’s official adviser on architecture and design, is one prominent opponent. Sorrell's chief concern, as he told the Guardian, is commercially-branded communities.Continue reading...

It's a brand extension so obvious you have to wonder why it has not been around for decades.

Lawn and garden uber-brand Scotts has partnered with Major League Baseball to release the "Authentic Collection," a line of grass seed based on that used in iconic baseball stadiums across the nation.

The line currently boasts seed from five well-known stadiums, including those in Cincinnati, Chicago, Boston, St. Louis and Philadelphia.

In a bit of a branding crossover, the Authentic Collection seed line names are themselves branded. For example, the Philadelphia Phillies line of seed is named "Citizens Bank Park™ Grass Seed Mix by Scotts®." A fan of the St. Louis Cardinals? You will want "Busch Stadium™ Grass Seed Mix by Scotts®."Continue reading...