McDonald’s recently announced that they’ll provide free Wi-Fi to customers at more than 80% of their U.S. locations.  Tony Bradley of PC World argues pretty convincingly that it’s a win-win: a win for consumers, and a win for McDonald’s, especially in light of their continuing battle with Starbucks.

Two things about this announcement intrigue me.  First: Will consumers naturally gravitate to McDonald’s to use their free Wi-Fi?  Personally, I can’t imagine working in a McDonald’s lobby for any length of time – I like the coffee-shop ambience, the aroma, and the community of like-minded laptop warriors.

Second, what will this do for the McDonald’s brand?  Will it elevate the brand in the mind of consumers, or will it result in some dissonance?  Will consumers “get it?”

Interested to hear your thoughts.

From Sara Zucker at brandchannel comes this report about Hertz’s aggressive investments in their brand:

The company will introduce free mobile device widgets in the first quarter of next year, which will allow users to make reservations, find Hertz locations, and receive promotions over the phone. The brand is also offering ‘’smart” phone applications that will permit customers to make reservations via their BlackBerrys and iPhones.

Hertz is also apparently on their way to rolling out a new logo:

[They are] creating a new, more contemporary logo that incorporates the brand’s signature yellow color.

That last one piqued my interest.  I’m always curious about logo rebranding, given my ongoing work with Crowdify.  I’ll keep an eye peeled for when they unveil the new logo.

Advertising Age has posted their “Ideas of the Decade” list and it’s a great read for marketers.  There are some entries that are obvious can’t-miss inclusions: crowdsourcing, the long tail, the tipping point – but I found the entry on branded journalism to be particularly compelling:

Mr. Light’s theory, as he explained it in a 2004 conference, is that “you own your ideas for about an hour and a half.” In other words, the associations and meanings around a brand change over time, so marketing has to be nimble, both proactive and reactive, and liberated from the notion that a brand idea can be lodged in a consumer’s mind over time.

Give it a read and tell me what you think: http://adage.com/article?article_id=141058

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