Brand extensions are tricky. Sure, businesses always want to expand their reach and attract new customers, but veer too far from the core mission and you frustrate your fans and alienate the true believers. For as many successful examples of the business maneuver (the iPhone, Yamaha motorcycles, Virgin Airlines) there are more failures (Paula Deen Kids Furniture, Men’s Vogue, Virgin Water Purifiers, McPizza). These days, …
Each year, car manufacturers across the globe release 350 or so new models. The vast majority are annual updates to models past—new iterations that are a little more powerful, a little more fuel-efficient and feature smarter tech and nav systems. Seldom does a new model launch that is a radically innovative departure from those that have come before. However, the BMW i8—which we put through …
Nixon famously visited China in 1972 and now—42 years after the People’s Republic opened up to the West—Lincoln has just announced it will soon arrive. This fall, the American car company that’s been hard at work rebranding itself here in the States will begin selling its vehicles in China. It’s a critical moment not just for Lincoln (which has been on a roll of late), …
