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What does the apocalypse taste like?

by Eli Altman Recently I went into 7-11 to try their new Slurpee flavor: Apocalyptic Ice. It was created as a promotion for Terminator Salvation which will hit theaters across the U.S. tomorrow. We were more interested to find out what the apocalypse tastes like–surprisingly, not half bad. Take a look: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixyTrJM9qIg]

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…

Tip of the Hat: Benefit Cosmetics

by Susan Gertman and Eli Altman Today, our Tip of the Hat goes to Benefit Cosmetics–They broke the mold in the beauty business. Way before MAC and Sephora arrived on the scene, Jean and Jane Ford created a fresh alternative to the intimidating experience of buying beauty products in big department stores. Here are some…

Best name in the NBA? We’re going with Speedy

The NBA Playoffs are in full swing and I wanted to take a moment to discuss the player with the best name in the league. Jesus Shuttlesworth is fictional, so he’s out. It’s not Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Zaza Pachulia or Hedo Turkoglu—it’s the Atlanta Hawk’s own Speedy Claxton. How cool of a name is that? It…

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…

Naming the pandemic: it’s a flu-id situation

We said yesterday that the name of the pandemic was becoming a political football. Well today, the ball is still in motion. President Obama opened yesterday’s press conference by calling it the H1N1 flu virus. I know he promised us a science-based administration, and maybe H1N1 could slide by as a name for a star…

Naming the pandemic: the plot thickens

Yesterday we suggested that the “swine flu” was not properly named. Well it seems that a lot of experts agree with us but they don’t necessarily agree with each other. In a New York Times story headlined “The Naming of Swine Flu, a Curious Matter” it turns out that we were correct that this is…

Tweet tweeter twitter. What does Twitter mean to you?

by Eli Altman I’m not going to talk about how popular Twitter is. I’m not going to debate its merits or talk about how it’s ruining America’s youth. There are tons of places to talk about that (including on Twitter) and I think it has been discussed ad nauseam. Instead I want to talk about…

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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