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About Branding

The Olsen Twins go Olsenboye

by Mars Riley Some things you should know about me: I am not a teenage girl. I rarely wear branded clothing. I do not shop at J.C. Penney. I dislike cupcakes. And I am not a fan of the Olsen Twins (Although, I do think one of them is kind of cute, but I’m not…

When designer jeans are your True Religion

by Jeffery Racheff There are two ways to define a pair of denim jeans. The first says they are nothing more than sturdy lifestyle-and-work pants, made from reasonably cheap material, that go just as well with Motörhead t-shirts as they do with bow ties. But the second definition takes a different approach. This angle sees…

The Blue Angels want YOU for the U.S. Navy

by Jeffery Racheff Screaming across the sky at over 1,000 miles an hour, the Blue Angels are the world’s oldest and most famous flying aerobatic team. Since their debut in 1946 they have performed for almost half a billion people all over the world, thrilling ground folk with their death-defying tricks. But what most spectators…

Generic cigarettes: coming to a smoker near you

by Jeffery Racheff Lungs aside, smokers tend to be a resilient bunch. You can take away their advertising, raise sales taxes 400% and ban cigarettes from being within three miles of the nearest doorway, but if a die-hard smoker wants a drag, there is little outside of Armageddon that will keep him from getting one….

Freshjive flushes its identity down the toilet

by Eli Altman Rick Klotz thinks branding is bullshit. Yeah, sure, lot’s of people think and say that branding is BS, but Rick is actually doing something about it. After 20 years of running Freshjive apparel, he recently decided to drop the name and logo from everything the company makes. In 2010, he’s also pulling…

Searching for the perfect name, robotically

by Danny Altman Last week I reported on my journey into the world of robotic naming, where names are untouched by human hands. They come out pure, often in staggering numbers like some species that is desperately trying to perpetuate itself. I was looking for a name for my new business, which is an ice…

Will Harvard be the new Hollister?

by Mars Riley After 373 years, Harvard University has started to actively brand its name. One would think the world’s most famous university wouldn’t need to differentiate itself from the other institutions of higher learning; yet they are going through great lengths to do so. The reason: money (isn’t it always?). Although Harvard has the…

Jordan adds fuel to the fire

by Mars Riley On Friday, Michael Jordan was accepted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. In many ways it felt like a final farewell to the playing career of the sport’s greatest. After a few comebacks, this was an exclamation point for a basketball player who had no parallel. After six titles,…

Disney and Marvel, sitting in a tree…

by Jeffery Racheff If you’re anywhere between the ages of 5 and 80, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve been affected by a Disney cartoon or a Marvel comic book character. Most of us were raised by Wolverine’s claws and/or spent our youths obsessed with the Little Mermaid’s efforts to grow legs. So when Disney…

The Beatles don’t sing Bon Jovi

by Mars Riley All of us want to be rock stars. This is a proven fact. If you were born between 1956 and 2005, you have stood in front of the mirror, air guitar in hand, imagining yourself in front of an enraptured crowd. Maybe you were yourself, but just as likely you were Jimi…

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