We are about to celebrate a New Year, 2013. I have to laugh because it was not supposed to come. You know the scare of "End of the world on Dec 21". But then we had the same scare when the year 2000 hit. How funny are we humans when we dream up such things.
From what I'm reading so many brand names we have been used to will be leaving us in our New Year, like
Avon. How long has that brand been around? Most of us know the slogan "Avon Calling".
JC Penney
Customers have voted with their
pocketbooks, telling the retailer this year that they dislike the
revolutionized shopping experience.
In 2012, the merchant did
away with coupons and frequent sales in favor of every-day low prices.
Subsequently, sales are down over 20% since last year, and Internet
sales have plummeted by more than a 33%. Many investors doubt new CEO
Ron Johnson will be able to revive the 110-year-old company.
Mitsubishi Motors North America
The
auto company is struggling to compete with rival car-makers. The
company’s sales are down 29%, and they have just a 0.4% market share of
the auto industry. By comparison, competitor Ford owns roughly 16%.
They’re
just too small to survive, McIntyre says. They’re maybe 20th or 21st
out of 22 automakers. They can’t afford to keep the brand up and
running. It’s too expensive to operate and market the North American
segment of the company.
BlackBerry
Its BlackBerry was the king of
smartphones five years ago, until Apple and Android came along, knocking
the mobile phone giant off the throne. There was a time when nearly
everyone in the corporate world carried a Blackberry. But the company
failed to transition its technology to appeal to more consumers,
dragging down its stock price from $144 in 2008 to around $11 bucks
these days. Word on the street is that RIM’s best exit strategy would be
to get acquired.
(Some of my greatst ideas came from this mag? I will miss it)
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia
With
print a dying medium, domestic doyenne Martha Stewart is bowing to the
challenges of publishing a magazine in an increasingly digital world.
Her company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, has shuttered two of its
four magazines this year. And a third may be on its way out in the New
Year. Ad pages in Martha Stewart Living were down 30% through nearly all
of 2012. Analysts at 24/7 Wall St. expect the magazine to be the next
Omnimedia property to be cut.
You can’t lose 30% of your
advertising and still operate, says McIntyre. “Martha Stewart’s really
lost her luster since going to prison, and she hasn’t gotten it back.
The insider trading scandal tarnished her image with the women who
looked up to her.”
American Airlines
For
almost 30 years, American was the premier airline in the United States.
But the mergers of Northwest with Delta and Continental with United
shrunk American to a mid-size carrier. The airline’s parent company
filed for bankruptcy in 2011, and buyout rumors started this past
spring, which some of the airline’s largest employee unions say they
support.
Avon
The beauty brand is battling financial woes of
its own. Earnings are dismal, and the company has been embroiled in a
bribery probe over suspicious payments possibly made to government
officials and third parties in China, France and Brazil. Earlier this
year, a perfume company flirted with the idea of buying Avon. Although
it didn’t sell, Avon is still an ideal candidate for takeover.
Which of these brands would you like to see survive in 2013?
"A little post script here from me, "I'm just amazed and thrilled to see 2013 come rolling in. For me, It was not supposed to be.
(chuckle chuckle)
"To all those we lost in 2012, we will see you again one day" And to all my bloggie friends have a wonderful new year to come.
"Happy New Year 2013"
l