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About Branding

Owning Lizzie Borden

by Mars Riley In 1892, on a hot August morning, the town of Fall River, Massachusetts would change forever. Before that day it had been the leading manufacturer of textiles in the U.S., afterward it was known as the home of Lizzie “took an ax, gave her mother forty whacks, when she saw what she…

Take your cheese to the bank

What’s the difference between Kraft Parmesan cheese and Parmigiano-Reggiano?  Well, aside from the taste, and the fact that they’ve been making it in Italy since 1200, you can take the real stuff to the bank. Here’s the difference between a commodity brand and something people really want to get their hands on. When Italian cheese…

Light beer is selling itself short

As far as I can tell, there are two reasons why Americans drink light beer: Either you’re trying to cut down on calories, or you’re planning on getting plastered and don’t want to get full before you’ve had your fill. Both of these reasons have made light beer the de-facto sponsor of the college experience….

Tip of the Hat: VitaminWater

Today I want to give a Tip of the Hat to VitaminWater. Since the first flavors were introduced by Glacéau in 2000, VitaminWater has built a strong and clear brand that continues to grow year after year. Here are a few things that they have done particularly well: Functions not flavors: VitaminWater was one of…

Can Athleta make waves? Gap introduces a new brand.

We would like to extend a warm welcome to Gap’s newest brand: Athleta— a yoga/surf/adventure line of women’s clothing that Gap is throwing into the mix. Before we get ahead of ourselves, I’m not sure how to pronounce it. Is it athlete-a, or ath-let-a? Either way, this is not a good first question for people…

Tip of the hat: Trader Joe’s

The idea of Trader Joe’s is an island market where some wily trader scours the world for tasty bargains and passes the savings along to you. Shopping there was supposed to feel like a treasure hunt, and amazingly enough, after all these years, it still does. Like Costco, it’s a crossover experience: a store where…

To form a more perfect union: The MLS names its Philadelphia expansion team.

Major League Soccer has a new team: the Philadelphia Union. On Monday, the name and identity of the league’s 16th team were unveiled. While it may sound more like a newspaper than a soccer team, the Union definitely works on a few levels. It clearly relates to the history of Philadelphia. It has some class…

Indigenous branding: Whiskey Heaven

by Danny Altman and Pons Maar It isn’t created by branding companies, design firms, or ad agencies. Indigenous branding is something that is found off the beaten path, on dusty roads, in small towns and funky neighborhoods. It speaks to us because it is so far off the corporate track that passersby are completely disarmed…

Your face here: you can be an instant global brand

by Pons Maar and Danny Altman Have you ever wanted to be a recognized-around-the world iconographic image? Why go to all the trouble of creating your own icon when you can ride on the back of one that’s already out there? Revolutionaries have always had the best branding. Now you can follow in their legendary…

Brands that might not make it through the year

A report came out a few days ago that assessed the likelihood that some familiar household brands wouldn’t survive the year. On the watch list was Eddie Bauer, Chrysler, Old Navy, Esquire Magazine, Crocs, Saturn, Budget Rent-a-Car and Borders. It’s tough out there. Lots of people are making difficult decisions. While some are facing new…

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