Brand names and domain names – Difficult Internet bedfellows?

by Emmanuelle Haincaud

Most brands are present on the Internet. It is obvious that the closest the domain name (website address) is to the brand name, the easier it will be found on the web. Unfortunately, for brand holding corporations, it isn’t always easy to name their website using their brand name because the domain names aren’t always available. A domain name must be registered with the competent authorities to have the right to be used exclusively. But registration works on a first…

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Do you know your brand history? (True or False series #8)

by Éléonore Toubin

Do you really know your favourite brands’ history as well as you think you do? Test your knowledge thanks to the sixth part of the True or False series.   In 1994, Jeff Bezos resigned from his well-paid Wall Street job as the vice-president of a global investment management firm and moved to Seattle to launch a start-up. He ended up founding Amazon, which was originally called Cadabra; the name was later changed to Amazon partly because the Cadabra sounded…

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Brand safari: why brands should save their logos

by Éléonore Toubin

Numerous brands have animals as their logos, emblems or mascots. Those animals were carefully picked because of the values they embody or the feelings they awaken in their audience. They help build the brand visual identity and increase engagement amongst customers. On this little brand safari you can spot: Bacardi’s bat; Redbull’s bull; Puma’s puma; Twitter’s bird; Japan Airlines’ crane; NBC’s peacock; Dove’s dove; Abercrombie & Fitch’s moose; Camel’s camel; Ferrari and Porsche’s horses; Dodge’s ram; Playboy’s bunny; The Laughing…

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Do you know your brand history? (True or False series #6)

by Éléonore Toubin

Do you really know your favourite brands’ history as well as you think you do? Test your knowledge thanks to the sixth part of the True or False series.   Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield met in their early teens when they both attended the same gym class in high school. After Jerry had failed to get into medical school and Ben had dropped out of college, they decided to partner together and open their own business. They both completed…

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Do you know your brand history ? (True or False series #5)

by Éléonore Toubin

Do you really know your favourite brands’ history as well as you think you do ? Test your knowledge thanks to the fifth part of the True or False series. In 1911, car dealer George Whitaker meets car racing enthusiast Samuel Rootes through common friends. Rootes also happens to be the heir of the Bamford factories, a bicycle business located in suburban London. George and Samuel make fast friends and in 1913 they decide to produce their own vehicles by turning…

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Easter eggs are the best marketing tool

by Éléonore Toubin

Do you know what an Easter egg is? Are you sure? If your answer is: egg-shaped chocolates that are sold and eaten around Easter time; then you are ri…hum…wrong! Actually, the term Easter eggs also refers to messages/animations… hidden in computer programs, websites or video games. These hidden bonuses are called Easter eggs in parallel with the custom of hiding and then hunting Easter eggs (the chocolate kind) that sometimes contain little surprises. Indeed Easter eggs are a bonus, an…

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Do you know your brand history ? (True or False series #3)

by Éléonore Toubin

Do you really know your favourite brands’ history as well as you think you do ? Test you knowledge thanks to the third part of the True or False series. This American brand was named after a French explorer: Antoine Laumet. Missioned by Louis XIV to explore America, he lands in 1683 in Acadia (a Canadian province) and claims the title of Antoine Laumet de Lamothe, sir of Cadillac. In 1701, he founds Fort Pontchatrain, now known as Détroit, which…

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Do you know your brand history ? (True or False series #2)

by Éléonore Toubin

Do you really know your favourite brands’ history as well as you think you do ? Test you knowledge thanks to the second part of the True or False series. The first Starbucks opened in 1971 in Chicago. One of the 3 founders, Gordon Bowker, who had once been a writer before making a career as a businessman, wanted to name the place Pequod, after the hot-air balloon in Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days. But another founder, Terry…

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Do you know your brand history ? (True or False series #1)

by Éléonore Toubin

Do you really know your favourite brands’ history as well as you think you do ? Test you knowledge thanks to this first part of the True or False series. Asics is a Japanese company that was originally named Aoki Shinjiro Ikuso Sportswear: Aoki Shinjiro (the founder’s name), Ikuso (Japanese equivalent of “Let’s go!”) and Sportswear (to give the name an international and “cool” touch). When the company decided to go global, the brand name was shortened to its initials…

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4 Approaches to Mergers & Acquisitions Naming

by Lydia Brian

The feeling towards the mergers and acquisitions market seems optimistic for 2014, with most investment banks reporting growing numbers of deals in the pipeline. These landmark events for firms aim to create synergies, and brand value is a crucial factor, however only around half of these attempts actually succeed. One of the most common reasons for failure is conflict between the two entities, and it’s no surprise this is linked to the biggest killer for brands – brand confusion. Clear,…

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