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Best Western, Worst Western

by Mars Riley       Best Western has an identity problem that has been 60 years in the making. Simply put, each of their hotels is an independently owned and operated franchise—each one unique. Considering they have 4,000 hotels in 80 countries, that may be too much uniqueness. It is impossible to predict what…

Paying the Extra Dollar for Branding in San Francisco | Why It’s Worth It

The startup market in San Francisco is extremely crowded and competitive. That’s why it’s essential to go the extra mile to make your business stand out from the competition. Especially if you’re working in a similar market as other San Francisco businesses, you need to differentiate yourself and ensure that your company is the one…

The house that Bob Marley built

by Mars Riley It may have taken 18 years, but the family of Bob Marley is now getting serious about the use of his name and image. This is not going to be an easy task. As anyone who has been to a street fair, beach boardwalk, or head shop can tell you – bootlegged…

What your Halloween candy says about you

by Jeffery Racheff Halloween is a magical time of year, especially if you’re a kid. It’s the one time when you can act like a blood-crazed zombie ninja without someone prescribing you Ritalin for the rest of your youth. Most importantly, however, it’s when you get to eat buckets of candy. Sweet treats are the…

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…