October 2006

The Relationship Between Marketing and Business Risk; Do One and Reduce the Other

General Management, Marketing

Have you ever noticed how often the group of people who create ads, run promotions, and manage sponsorships are called the marketing department? That’s always struck me as kind of odd. I think marketing is the process of figuring out who your customer is, or can be, and why they buy your product. Advertising and promotion are the […]

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PacSun Quarter and 9 Months Ended 10/28/06- Good Tactics. What’s the Strategy?

Pacific Sunwear (PacSun)

         Pacific Sunwear’s (NASDAQ: PSUN) official SEC filing isn’t out yet (I’m writing this November 26 because I love working Sundays), but I’ve read the press release, reviewed the associated financial statements for the quarter and nine months ended October 28, and listened to the conference call. Let’s look at the numbers first, and then

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What Forward Thinking Retailers are Doing: Trends That Probably Won’t Surprise Anybody

Industry Evolution, Retail

The issues that smaller retailers are facing haven’t changed much. There are too many retail stores, pressure from chains, brand stores and big boxes, a tough financial model, the challenge of keeping margins up, lack of product differentiation, increasing costs, over distribution.   That’s a cheery environment, isn’t it? You’ve got a choice. You can bemoan the unfairness

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