PositionistView

There were no inflated expectations as far as the game went on Super Bowl Sunday. Deflated Seattle fans notwithstanding, the game delivered.

The craft beer industry is booming. But rather than fighting the trend, big brewers like MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch are joining in and creating their own microbrews.

This year, give the gift of branding. "Look, Santa baby! You're never gonna make it without a new image," was how his weary Tinseltown agent put it.

Today, millions of consumers will log in to Amazon and other online retailers in a frantic search for the best Cyber Monday deal.

I cannot open my Twitter without being reminded by Trunk Club advertising that I'm a terrible dresser. They're all over me right now and, by all reasonable fashion conventions, they're probably right. If you're unaware, Trunk Club is a subscription gift box service of men's clothes specifically curated by a stylist based on my supposed preferences. And it's not alone. What Trunk Club is for men's clothes, Birchbox is for cosmetics and BarkBox is for squeaky toys. We're living in a subscription gift box renaissance. Harry and David is soooo 2013.

Each edition of this publication, PositionistView®, highlights a noteworthy accomplishment or (more often) a stunning positioning "swing-and-a-miss" of a big brand.

Blue Buffalo and Purina are embroiled in a battle. A relative newcomer to dog food, Blue Buffalo says it uses nothing but the best natural ingredients and no byproducts.

Is the advertising industry losing its way? The recent Wall Street Journal article about the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity seems to point that the answer to that question is…

It's easy to slide into cynicism, as the world tends to be a pretty heavy place sometimes.

Quick! What's A. 1. ? (You answered, "Steak sauce. ") Quick! Name a steak sauce. (You said, "A. 1. ") Positioning marketing theory calls this "equivalence.