John Quelch Quotes

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

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

A company's commitment to searching out potential blockbusters and then investing in marketing to convert potential to reality attracts and retains top scientists and creatives.

- 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

Mention health in most companies, and the cost of health insurance is what comes to mind, not how the company can invest to prevent further escalation in societal health care costs.

- 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

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

Personal brand equity erodes much faster than corporate brand equity.

- John Quelch

There are distinct categories of consumers, each of which needs to be addressed in a different way.

- John Quelch

The opinions of a convenience sample... may not represent all users.

- John Quelch

You certainly don't want to market the president as if he or she were a box of breakfast cereal.

- 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

When times are good, there is budget available for increased research on secondary products or customers.

- John Quelch

Ease of navigation is important in both physical and virtual space.

- John Quelch

Consumer behaviour changes in a glacial fashion.

- 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 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

America's health depends on all businesses, not just healthcare companies, to do their part.

- John Quelch

I think part of the problem that the Republicans have is that the base has, in many cases, certain litmus test issues on which they are black and white on their thinking.

- John Quelch

Younger people obviously are more likely to openly express their political affiliations in terms of gear.

- John Quelch

In flush times, a rising tide of consumption can compensate for less than optimal branding, positioning, pricing or segmentation.

- 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

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

Paying extra for prime placement can often pay off.

- John Quelch

If there is cultural imperialism, it is definitely American.

- John Quelch

To be a dean, you have to be a salesman as well as a scholar.

- John Quelch

You have lines of people outside Apple stores waiting for the latest iPhone, which adds to the hype around new product launch. So scarcity has value not just in its own right, but as a basis for free PR - it can become a story on the nightly news.

- 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

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 Trump brand is complicated because it conflates a personal brand with a corporate brand. That means that the Trump persona affects the corporate reputation in a more direct way than, say, Richard Branson's actions affect Virgin.

- John Quelch

When you have a CEO who is an ex-CMO, that is going to put the marketing tool kit front and center.

- 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

The only thing you need to set up a business school is a warm body and a piece of chalk.

- John Quelch

There are a lot of thought leaders who don't want to see their students. We don't want to hire them. If students are allured to come to the school because of famous faculties, and if they never see them, that leaves very bad taste.

- John Quelch

It is well documented that brands that increase advertising during a recession, when competitors are cutting back, can improve market share and return on investment at lower cost than during good economic times.

- John Quelch

The skills associated with knowledge creation are totally different from the skills associated with production.

- John Quelch

What you don't do is contacting someone you haven't reached out for 10 years and asking for money.

- John Quelch

You have to be willing to totally immerse yourself in China in order to have in-depth exposure to China.

- John Quelch

It's pretty challenging in a small country to develop a business school with a world-class reputation because of the problem of attracting a critical mass of top-class researchers.

- John Quelch

It's impossible for any institution to compete unless you can afford world class faculty.

- 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

Consumers around the world are excited to share common experiences.

- John Quelch

View health as an investment, not an expense.

- John Quelch

If you have market power like Nike, you can set terms that are much tougher because athletes value the endorsement of Nike - it means as much to them as it does to the company.

- John Quelch

Every company, large and small, has an impact on health.

- John Quelch

Understanding place is critical to achieving corporate growth.

- John Quelch

Coca-Cola is an American icon.

- John Quelch

Obama and Clinton make an interesting contrast in brands.

- John Quelch

The FTC doesn't regulate political speech.

- 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

If I ask for money, all I get is advice. But if I ask for advice, I end up getting money.

- John Quelch