Pepsi and Coke have to co-exist on the shelf for the long term because if they pull each other down, no one’s going to drink carbonated soft drinks anymore. – John Quelch
The skills associated with knowledge creation are totally different from the skills associated with production. – John Quelch
You have to be willing to totally immerse yourself in China in order to have in-depth exposure to China. – John Quelch
Instant, soluble coffee has long been the unspeakable wasteland of the coffee business. Conventional wisdom would be that no premium brand should go near it. But Howard Schultz’s vision from day one has been to bring quality coffee to the mass market. – John Quelch
Product downsizing in the face of inflation in order to maintain retail price points has long been used by food companies, notably manufacturers of candy. – John Quelch
The federal government should not be in the business of initiating and administering short-term incentive programs designed to shape consumer purchase behavior. – John Quelch
The president can’t succeed without Congress, and Congress can’t succeed without the president. The image of one depends on the image of another. It is not a zero-sum game. – John Quelch
Any small business that’s predicated on technological innovation and is differentiated and superior can expand globally very effectively using the Internet as a vehicle for promotion. – John Quelch
Instead of being focused on teaching what we already know, we now have to be focused on creating new knowledge that is China-based, because it’s absolutely clear that China is going to shift from a production economy to a knowledge economy. – John Quelch
If you can promise a vital and vibrant research environment as well as great students to your faculty, you can recruit some top faculty. The top faculty on your roster will then help you to attract further top students in your program. – John Quelch
The Starbucks brand has shifted over time from being a specialty brand to being more of a mass brand. There is a gap at the top of the market. – John Quelch
The only thing you need to set up a business school is a warm body and a piece of chalk. – John Quelch
In flush times, a rising tide of consumption can compensate for less than optimal branding, positioning, pricing or segmentation. – John Quelch
China is a very brand-intensive society. The reason that brands are so very important is that they are a way to signal social status. – John Quelch
When times are good, there is budget available for increased research on secondary products or customers. – John Quelch
The closer a brand can cozy up to a consumer with a message along the lines of, ‘We’re all in this together,’ the better off a brand will be. – John Quelch
Changing our consumer behaviour is similar to quitting smoking. Unless people are shocked into doing it, either by social disapproval or family disapproval or fear of the medical consequences, they’ll just keep on smoking. – John Quelch
Every time there is a recession, consumers will typically be more cautious, more conservative, take more time, and make more serious price-performance trade-offs. – John Quelch
Brand preferences and consumption levels in emerging markets such as China, India and Brazil tend to be more fluid. Consumer research is therefore critical to aid marketers trying to cement brand preferences early on as these economies develop. – John Quelch
When we’re talking about brand, we’re talking about what does the brand stand for. And when we’re talking about approval, we’re talking about whether or not I approve of what the brand stands for. – John Quelch
You certainly don’t want to market the president as if he or she were a box of breakfast cereal. – John Quelch
