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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Do you know your brand history? (True or False series #7)

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. René Lacoste (1904-1996) was a French tennis player whose victories in both national and international tournaments were notorious during the 1920’s. His tenacity on the tennis courts gained him the nickname “the Crocodile”. When the first tennis shirts were produced, René Lacoste took to wearing one on the courts and personalised…

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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 #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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How nicknames can damage or benefit a brand, Chevy vs. “Fix it again, Tony!”

by Éléonore Toubin

Fiat entered the American market in 1908. At the time, it wasn’t yet known as “Fix it again, Tony!”; the nickname was actually crafted some 60 years later in the 1970s and 1980s when some Fiat owners reportedly encountered problems with their cars. From then on Fiat got a reputation for making unreliable and poor quality cars. The nickname “Fix it again, Tony!” was coined as an acronym for Fiat and intended as a joke. However it stuck, to the…

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Life in a playful world : advergames, gamification & serious games

by Éléonore Toubin

When I was a child I liked going to McDonald’s because of the little promotional toys given away in ‘Happy Meals’. I didn’t even like the food that much but I would often beg my parents to take me to McDonald’s anyway. The fact that the toys changed so often and were always goodies from the last hot anime series or Disney movie only increased their appeal to the child I was (By the way, do you know that McDonalds…

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VIDEO: An introduction to brand naming

by Emma Peto

In May this year I gave a talk at the Great British Business Show held in London’s ExCel centre.  The talk was called An Introduction To Brand Naming.  It’s a short overview of the basics of naming, and highlights some of the issues you will need to consider when looking for a brand name.   For those of you who missed it at the show, or if you wanted to see it again, here it is below.   Or to…

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Generic top-level domains at top-level prices

by Eszter Fehér

We currently have 22 international generic top-level domains (such as the good old .com) with an additional 250 national-level ones (.co.uk for example) that we have got used to over the years. But when you get used to something, it is most likely that something will change… The applications for new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) are soaring, which will revolutionize the way domains work. It could be any extension imaginable, such as www.pedro.pizza or www.kindle.amazon. The price of applications aren’t…

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What if brands were one of us?

by Eszter Fehér

Brands are acting more humane to get in touch with the consumers and build up relationships. With social media, this is easier than ever before. But, how do we pick a brand over another brand? If brands are more personal, then we must treat them more carefully as well just like the people we surround ourselves with. They are part of our everyday lives and we want to make sure that we can trust them. Meeting As we are faced…

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Is It Branding Or Is It Marketing?

by Camille Medina

Not that long ago we exhibited at the Great British Business Show / Business Startup Show in London(some of you might even have come to chat with us?). Well to be perfectly honest with you, this event made me realise that many people misunderstand what branding is; in fact, I would say that it is more of a confusion than a real misunderstanding. If you feel unsure about what branding is or if you would simply like a refresher course,…

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