April 29, 2008
Hannah Montana Learns About Entertainment Naming and Branding the Hard Way
The world of entertainment naming is a difficult one to navigate and protect, as is evidenced by the uproar today over Miley Cyrus’s seemingly provocative photo shoot for Vanity Fair.
There are several big names here that are under fire: Miley Cryus (who just changed her name from Destiny Hope), Hannah Montana, Disney, and famed celeb photographer Annie Leibovitz.
Confused?
Cyrus is the fifteen year old star behind Disney’s clean-cut Hannah Montana brand name. This photo shoot, which was carried out apparently under parental supervision, is really an example of Annie Leibovitz just doing what she does best: creating edgy photos of people in the public eye. In this case, however, the person was a minor and some feel Leibovitz pushed the envelope a bit to far.
Miley Cyrus is topless in these pictures (if you’re the type who believes that being wrapped in a sheet is topless), which is a problem since Miley is, after all, a minor and Disney’s Hannah Montana target audience is 6-14 years old. Even Annie Leibovitz is on the defensive, despite the fact that Miley picked out the photos for publication herself.
Disney has weighed in, accusing Vanity Fair of "manipulating” Cyrus to get the sordid shots, which come after the embarrassing (but still essentially g-rated) pictures appeared on the Internet of the clean cut star.
People magazine readers overwhelmingly think the pictures are inappropriate, although many think they are “artistic." They could be both, but for a minor, the former trumps the latter.
I just have to ask how many youngsters are really reading Vanity Fair? I also have to ask what kind of contracts is Disney giving out to these kids?
I would imagine that if Disney was really thoughtful about protecting its brand naming, it might make partially nude photo shoots for stars of its pre-teen entertainment lines off limits.
Technorati Tags: Disney, Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana, Vanity Fair, People, Photo Shoot, Leibovitz
Posted by William Lozito at 8:56 AM
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April 17, 2008
Pharmaceutical Product Naming – Not as Plain as the Nose on Your Face
The FDA just announced approval for Alcon’s new nasal spray, Patanase (generic name, olopatadine hydrochloride), expected to be on the market next month.
This prescription drug for allergic conditions will join the "Allergy Arms Race" alongside blockbusters like Flonase and Veramyst (generic name, fluticasone).
The best thing about this name is that it leaves no doubt as to where the drug should be applied. Like Flonase, the nasal root (nasus in Latin) is almost universally understood as nose.
The PATA prefix, however, is harder to explain.
Obviously, Alcon’s brand architecture includes several other allergy drugs that begin with the PATA prefix, but all of these are for ocular allergies, and each is affixed to a semantically distinct suffix
Pataday
Patanex
Patadur
Patalopt
Patanol
Patadiem
Pataset
Patavance
Pataxcel
And it’s anybody’s guess as to why Alcon connected with the PATA prefix to begin with. PATA has no intuitive meaning in the major European languages. If anything, it’s close to the Greek/Latin root for father (Pater) - yet it’s hard to believe that Father Nose, Father Day or Father Next is what Alcon had in mind.
Further, the root, PATA, in Sanskrit means a woven piece of cloth or even a tapestry/painting. But Painting Nose and Painting Next are semantically puzzling concepts for a drug as well.
In Zulu, the word PATA when repeated as PATA PATA is slang for sexual intercourse. This too is probably not Alcon’s intended meaning.
There is, however, a Sanskit word, PATTAN, which means port. So, potentially, Patanase means Nose Port.
Closer to home, there is a chance that PATA refers to the Anglo Norman word, Patch. As in Nose Repair. But this might be taking things too far, since in the early trials of Patanase, the incidence of epitaxis (bloody nose) was significantly high.
Technorati Tags: Alcon, Patanase, Flonase, Allergies, Veramyst, Pataday, FDA, Nose Spray
Posted by Diane Prange at 11:51 AM
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April 15, 2008
Silver Seal is Product Naming Gold
I just read about Seal Shield's medical grade washable keyboard that uses exclusive waterproof technology and antimicrobial plastic. The alliterative Silver Seal name grabs your attention and promises a higher quality solution (in the silver) and protection (in the seal).
But there is more to name behind the product. Most consumers are not aware that silver has antimicrobial properties that kill germs and prevent the spread of disease.
Samsung introduced the idea of silver nano particles in household appliances back in 2003 (refrigerators, washing machines, and vacuum cleaners) and silver nano has been used to combat germs in socks, shampoo, and toothbrushes and it’s now being used to irradiate microbials on your keyboard, which by the way has “400 times more bacteria than your average toilet.”
The Silver Seal product name may be slightly ahead of its time, in terms of consumers fully appreciating the implications of silver, but it is poised to name a growing category of silver products developed to combat staph infections and other serious disease on your keyboard or in your washing machine.
The fact that it is dishwasher safe gets my vote too.
Technorati Tags: Silver Seal, Seal Shield, Silver Seal, Antimicrobial, Samsung, Silver Nano, Keyboard, Washing Machine
Posted by Diane Prange at 12:33 PM
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March 19, 2008
Very Zino Luxury Brand Naming set to be Very Profitable
The new Very Zino luxury line of pens, watches and luggage takes advantage of the immense equity around the Zino Davidoff name. All of these will feature the distinctive “brand symbol” of Zino Davidoff, whose name lives on as a brand that is synonymous with luxury. Davidoff believed that ““Pleasure in a thing of beauty is the essence of a happy life!”
Most people know the Davidoff name through his high end cigar brand, but he has also become a fashion and perfume brand via another company called Zino Davidoff Trading AG. The real feat here is that a brand name like Davidoff can straddle so many worlds.
His brand keeps growing and expanding. It is hard to think of another cigar brand that could be used to sell such an array of products, maybe Montecristo, but Davidoff was a shrewd marketer who learned to associate his name with his business.
Would I buy a Davidoff watch or briefcase? Yes indeed! And I’m not sure any other top cigar brand name would sway me. The name Davidoff, which sounds lavishly Eastern European (he was born in Kiev), just seems to fit better on a watch face or luggage tag than a name that sounds like its from Cuba.
The real question is why it looks just as good on a cigar band, but boy does it.
Technorati Tags: Davidoff, Zino, Cigar, Fashion, Perfume, Brand Name, Naming, Luxury, Montecristo
Posted by William Lozito at 8:54 AM
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March 13, 2008
Revlon Gets a $70 Million Lesson in Brand Naming
Today’s Wall Street Journal outlines Revlon’s return to its “core brand” after the failure of its Vital Radiance line for older women.
The problem was that Revlon disassociated its extremely valuable brand naming from the Vital Radiance line. It was a deadly mistake that ended a product that was actually very good. I can’t seem to find a word against it in the blogosphere. Some investors still have lots preferred stock faith in Revlon despite the recent debacle, which has cost the jobs of many of the senior management and created $70 million in losses, ouch! 
Revlon’s new strategy will be to use the power of the Revlon name to launch new products, something they should have done with Vital Radiance.
Revlon strayed from this basic marketing mantra because of its perception that new products, rather than well known brand naming, rule the day in the make-up world. Well, Vital Radiance was a great product, but without the Revlon name and the names of one or two glamorous models behind it, it failed. Better luck next time, Revlon.
Technorati Tags: Revlon, Vital Radiance, Makeup, Brand Naming
Posted by William Lozito at 7:42 AM
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March 6, 2008
Olsens, Abbey Dawn Offer Glam Tween Fashion Product Naming
I am a big admirer of the Olsen Twins brand name (Mary-Kate and Ashley) and the way in which these two women have leveraged their brand naming into a number of fields.
They are writing a book entitled Influence that will feature numerous photos of the two girls who have become walking brand names and have carved out a serious niche for themselves in tween fashion branding as well as in more mainstream clothing, for example, The Row.
Possibly inspired by the Olsen Twins’ success, punk rocker Avril Lavigne is getting all “girly” and is set to offer the Olsen Twins some competition with the introduction of her Abbey Dawn collection. Abbey Dawn being her childhood nickname.
The Olsen Twins, however, are, well twins, leading some bloggers to wonder if sibling branding may be a powerful trend. Witness the rise of the Olsen Twin’s siblings’ line Elizabeth and James and Twenty8twelve, a clothing line from Sienna and Savannah Miller: “The name of the brand comes from Sienna Miller’s birth date (December 28th).”
The fact is, product naming for tween girls is is getting just as cut throat as high street fashion and using entertainment icons to do the job seems to be a great way forward.
Technorati Tags: Fashion, Product Naming, Olsen Twins, The Row, Avril Lavigne, Abbey Dawn, Elizabeth and James, Twenty8twelve, Sienna Miller, Branding, Savannah Miller, Influence, Tween
Posted by William Lozito at 9:16 AM
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March 5, 2008
Placebos With Dummy Brand Naming Get Patients’ Approval
The Wall Street Journal Health Blog has a great piece up today that tells us that placebos might work better with a brand name. It seems that people expect more expensive, brand name drugs to work better than generics, despite some recent research on the matter that claims generics are comparable to brand name drugs.
Drug brand naming is a complex process that is an industry in and of itself.
It does seem to me that drugs that come with a higher price tag and an attractive brand name are going to be received by consumers with more alacrity than their generic counterparts. That may be why we spend so much time picking the perfect name for them. On top of that, good pharmaceutical naming can also prevent confusion on the hospital floor.
Technorati Tags: Placebos, Drugs, Brand Naming, Pharmaceutical, Generics, Hospital
Posted by William Lozito at 7:43 AM
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February 20, 2008
Kirstie Alley: Diet Brand Naming For The Rest of Us
The news that Kirstie Alley is going to start her own weight loss brand makes sense because so many people identify with her very public struggles with her weight.
She seems to be ready to leave Jenny Craig, where she has been the spokesperson for three years, with few regrets and best wishes to all.
Now, she has announced that she is the accidental role model for people who are struggling with the fatty roller coaster ride. Alley has a bevy of detractors, but many people support the idea of her striking out on her own, including the Diets in Review Blog. Her only problem might be that so many people liked her show Fat Actress, that her overweight persona might hurt her support for branding a weight loss product.
The actual brand name has not been announced, but I would suggest that she use her own name or a derivative of it. Kirstie Alley is somebody whose imperfections mirror our own, and she might just snag a niche market of people who are turned off by the saccharine perfection of other diet brands.
Kirstie’s would sort of be the diet brand for the rest of us.
Technorati Tags: Diet, Kirstie Alley, Jenny Craig, Weight Loss, Brand Naming, Fat Actress
Posted by William Lozito at 7:33 AM
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February 11, 2008
American Living Brand Naming Brings Ralph Lauren to The Rest of Us
Ralph Lauren's American Living will be launched at J.C. Penney’s today.
Launching interesting, unique in-house brand names is part of J.C. Penney’s strategy to gather a larger and more upscale customer and it seems to be working.
Some may think Lauren is slumming by going to J.C. Penney’s, but ultimately the strategy will work not least because it emulates what Martha Stewart and other big name brands have done, using high-end brands to elevate the J.C. Penney brand.
Lauren seems incapable of putting a wrong foot forward since the Ralph Lauren look is something that has permeated American culture.
This is clever, under the radar product naming. The internet has been full of the news that Lauren is behind this move, and the American Living products are Ralph Lauren in everything but name.
For those of us who want the look of Ralph Lauren without the price tag will probably head to J.C. Penney’s this week searching for a deal.
Technorati Tags: J.C. Penney, Ralph Lauren, Brand Naming, American Living, Fashion, Naming
Posted by William Lozito at 7:30 AM
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January 29, 2008
Sears and Halston Return to their Brand Naming Roots
The old adage “Know Thyself” is certainly true when it comes to popular brands.
Two news stories today put this into bold relief: the first is the return of glamour fashion brand names Halston and Ossie Clark, both of which died when they tried to move into popular, low brow fashion, but which have experienced a revival in recent years thanks to the likes of Kate Moss and Jennifer Aniston (pictured right, wearing a Halston dress). Maybe this time they will have learned something about sticking to their target markets.
The second was addressed by Jack Trout on Forbes.com yesterday when he wrote about the various brand names that helped build Sears: Kenmore, Craftsman, Die-Hard and Weatherbeater.
These are legendary brand names in American culture and are synonymous with the Sears brand name.
Trout suggests that allowing them to be sold by other retailers could spell disaster for Sears, adding that he feels that Sears should take over the Kmart brand naming altogether and present a united, unique front to Wal-Mart and Target.
It would be very interesting to see Kmart suddenly turn into Sears, which would immediately increase the brand name’s presence nationally. More importantly, it would be an over promise and is inconsistent with the merchandise offered in the current Kmart stores. In other words, this would be a band-aid fix.
Sometimes a brand name has to return to its origins to move forward, and remember the values customers have traditionally associated with their brand.
Technorati Tags: Halston, Ossie Clark, Sears, Kmart, Brand Naming, Kenmore, Craftsman, Die-Hard, Weatherbeater, Jennifer Aniston
Posted by William Lozito at 7:28 AM
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January 3, 2008
Technology Brand Naming Men's Health Article
You may have seen the special edition of Men's Health Tech Guide 2008.
There are a lot of cool gadgets covered in this issue:
- Sierra Designs Echo Sleeping Bag
- Yamaha 2008 FXSHO Personal Watercraft
- Saeco Primea Cappuccino Touch Plus
Men's Health invited me to write an article on technology brand naming.
Technorati Tags: Men's Health, Technology Brands, Yamaha, Saeco
Posted by William Lozito at 8:01 AM
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December 20, 2007
South Beach Living vs Dieting = Good Brand Naming
Kraft's decision to omit the word "diet" in its South Beach Diet brand name and replace it with South Beach Living will probably turn out to be an excellent marketing move.
The South Beach brand name is well entrenched - it is not only a food line, but a vending machine name and a diet bar.
Other brands also opt to omit the word "diet" in their product names as well. Take Coke Zero, for example. This brand is flourishing partly because it's gender neutral and doesn't describe itself as "diet."
According to the Diet Blog, the word diet often connotes to consumers bad tasting food aimed at an older demographic as well as, incredibly, "failure."
I'd rather talk about "living" than "dieting" any day of the week. Good move, Kraft.
Technorati Tags: Kraft, South Beach Diet, Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero
Posted by William Lozito at 9:48 AM
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December 6, 2007
Brand Name Evaluation - The Importance of Context
As naming professionals, we are always surprised with associations that people make with the name candidates we present.
I feel it tells us as much about the person and their view of the world as it does their opinion on the name candidate.
One very common response we hear is "That name reminds me of x."
Our response is "You really have to evaluate the name candidates in context." Take the name American Eagle, for example.
- American Eagle is the regional carrier for American Airlines.
- American Eagle is also a retail clothing chain that is located in many shopping malls.
So, if our assignment were to name a clothing chain and we recommended American Eagle, it's very typical for client to say "It reminds me of an airline" and dismiss it for that reason.
We say, "Wait a minute." How about the Ford Fusion and the Gillette Fusion razor and the V8 Fusion juice?
As you can see, the same name can co-exist in multiple categories and not be confusing since all of these brand names are presented in context.
When I go to a store to buy Gillette Fusion razors, I don't think automobiles or juice.
Technorati Tags: American Eagle, American Airline, Ford Fusion, Gillette Fusion, V8 Fusion
Posted by William Lozito at 1:51 PM
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December 4, 2007
Brand Naming Can Tattoo You
I've said it before and I'll say it again: If you want a sure way to get your brand naming under people's skin, think tattoos.
As the latest trend, companies are not only incorporating tattoo art into their brand names, but also creating brands that are designed to appeal to people with tattoos.
- The convenience store chain 7-Eleven has a new energy drink called "Inked," which is "aimed at people who either have tattoos or those who want to think of themselves as the tattoo type."
- Dunlop has offered free tires for years to anyone who will get their "Flying D" tattooed to their body.
- General Mills is selling fruit roll-ups that allow kids to create "temporary tongue tattoos."
- Christian Dior, Tag Heur, Aussiebum, Bling, Benefit Cosmetics are all looking into creating "tattoo logos" in India, because tattoos are a big part of Indian culture.
Captain Morgan's new rum is called "Tattoo."
As you can imagine, people of all ages and nationalities wear tattoos, which means that you almost cannot lose by incorporating tattoo advertising into your brand.
What's next?
Technorati Tags: Tattoo, Brand Tattoos, 7-Eleven, Dunlop, General Mills, Christian Dior, Aussiebum, Captain Morgan
Posted by William Lozito at 9:47 AM
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November 13, 2007
eBay's Counterfeit Couture a Threat to Tiffany Brand Name
Tiffany's battle against eBay for not vigorously patrolling the sale of counterfeit Tiffany items is about to commence. The focus is on the ridiculous number of fake goods being sold by the online auctioneer.
Hermes has weighed into the battle, as have L'Oreal and others.
Despite the fact that eBay forbids the sale of these things quite explicitly, it seems that major brand names want eBay to take more responsibility for the no-good-nicks that fall through the cracks - and there seem to be thousands of them selling everything from Gibson guitars for under $3 to computers.
There can be no question that tracking what people want on eBay is a great way of tracking the world's most desirable brand names. And if eBay becomes the portal through which people undermine brand name equity of some of the most desirable names out there, then that is a real shame.
Add to that the ready availability for almost any brand name luxury good over the Web itself and it might be argued that "counterfeit couture" could very well wipe out the real thing.
Technorati Tags: eBay, Tiffany, L'Oreal, Hermes, Gibson Guitars
Posted by William Lozito at 9:58 AM
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November 1, 2007
Coined Brand Names: Findability vs. Brand Dilution
We've talked before about the trend toward funky names and alternative spellings among Web 2.0 companies. Many of them even have similar logos, making them even harder to tell apart.
Some domain name specialists argue that if you don't choose a generic name, one that describes the nature of your business, for an Internet-based company, you are leaving money on the table.
The basic reasoning behind this argument is that when people are looking for something online, they're likely to try typing a generic name into the address bar. So, if they wanted to find books, they might type "books.com." And if you call your online bookstore "Books.com," people will find you online even if you don't do a lot of advertising.
Just about everyone now online knows that if you want to find books, what you actually type is "Amazon.com." But that's only because Amazon has done good job marketing itself, to the point where people associate Amazon with books in much the way they associate Kleenex with facial tissues and Xerox with photocopying.
Owning a generic domain name can certainly be useful. If you type "books.com," you get redirected to Barnes & Noble, which wasn't about to change its very recognizable name just to get a website, but had clever enough SEO advisors to take this step to associate its name with its product.
But the last thing a company trying to build a lasting brand wants is to commit genericide and have everyone else's knock-offs confused with their quality product - even if such genericization is a sign that your product is the one with the most market mind-share.
It's true that companies with physical presences and products have an easier time associating a coined or fanciful name with a particular thing - we see the Kleenex boxes on the shelves of the supermarket, after all. But even those companies have to spend time, energy, and money on advertising and marketing before they become household names.
A company with a descriptive or generic name still has to promote itself. Flicker.com only gets 150,000 visitors a month because Flickr is so popular. Even though the folks at Flickr would do well to buy flicker.com (if they can) and any other possible spellings, the "generic" name is only valuable because of what the specific name means to people.
Technorati Tags: Amazon, Kleenex, Flickr, Barnes & Noble, Xerox
Posted by Diane Prange at 11:24 AM
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October 24, 2007
Drug Naming: Down Side of Generic Drugs
Creating a new drug brand name is challenging, because you need a name that appeals to both doctors and patients and conveys or at least implies some of the benefits - oh, yes, and hopefully something people can pronounce and will remember without the need for a saturation TV campaign.
The generic pharmaceutical names of the same medications rarely have any of the same name characteristic advantages, since they're usually based on the chemical composition of the drugs. Even doctors may have problems with correctly spelling and pronouncing these polysyllabic wonders. Contrast "Prozac" with "fluoxetine" and "Allegra" with "fexofenadine" or even "Vicodin" with "hydrocodone/acetaminophen." (Acetaminophen, incidentally, is what we, Americans, know as Tylenol.)
This may help explain why so few people in a recent study could correctly identify the medications they were taking. It's easy to confuse one of those names with something else that may sound more familiar.
On the other hand, I doubt that explains it entirely, because most doctors use brand names when discussing medications with their patients; it's the HMO pharmacy that substitutes the generic version unless specifically requested not to. By now, most people who think of themselves as taking Prozac technically aren't. Prozac has become genericized like Kleenex.
Of course, with medications that aren't household names, the brand name may not be that much more familiar or comprehensible to patients, particularly if the medication is one of several tried for the same condition.
Remembering to take the pills on schedule may be more important to patients than remembering what they're called.
Technorati Tags: Pharmaceutical Names, Allegra, Tylenol, Prozac, Vicodin, Drug Naming
Posted by William Lozito at 9:36 AM
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September 26, 2007
Nike's Air Native N7 Brand Naming for Native Americans
Nike's new Air Native N7 is the new sneaker brand name designed especially for Native Americans. This is the first time Nike has designed a shoe for a specific race or ethnicity. With a "culturally specific look" and a wider, higher design, it is meant to cater to the specific foot needs of Native Americans. The design sounds pretty cool: there are feathers inside and stars on the sole to represent the night sky. These are referred to as "heritage callouts," and are accompanied by "sunrise to sunset to sunrise patterns on the tongue and heel of the shoe."
The N7 name is a direct reference to the "seventh generation theory" which some tribes ascribe to, looking three generations behind them for wisdom and three generations ahead of them for legacy.
While alphanumeric naming is nothing new, particularly in the auto industry, this product reminds me of Wrigley's "5" gum brand, which depends heavily on the associations derived from the number itself (in this case the 5 senses), unlike the Milky Way 2 to Go bar.
I also must say that Nike has made a good move by addressing the needs of a small, niche market like that presented by Native Americans. It shows a kinder, gentler side of the company and underlines the interesting "core" of the brand name: "If you have a body you are an athlete."
Technorati Tags: Nike, Air Native N7, Milky Way, Athletic Shoes
Posted by William Lozito at 2:10 PM
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August 23, 2007
Ingredient Naming Lives On
First it was bifidus regularis in Dannon's Activia yogurt. Now it's Optibalance™ in Yoplait's new Yo-Plus™ yogurt.
The power of a fancy ingredient name to help sell a new product, particularly when that product advertises health benefits, has obviously not diminished at all in the past year.
As Yoplait's press release indicates, women these days are concerned with their digestive health, perhaps because the typical American diet contains so many things not conducive to their health.
And, of course, there's something appealing about the idea of getting what you need out of the food you eat instead of having to take something extra for that "occasional irregularity" the commercials used to talk about.
Yoplait takes a slightly different approach to naming its special-ingredient yogurt versus Dannon, which concentrated on the product's effect.
Yo-Plus focuses instead on the product's ingredients: yogurt plus special additives. The "food-plus" approach has been a popular way to appeal to shoppers since Vitamin D milk and "enriched" white bread were introduced.
My only concern is that if other manufacturers create their own "digestive" dairy products, people will get entirely the wrong idea about the purpose of Go-Gurt!
Technorati Tags: Dannon, Yoplait, DannonActivia, Yoplait Yo-Plus, Go-Gurt, Brand Naming.
Posted by Diane Prange at 10:09 AM
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August 18, 2007
Perfume Product Naming For the Ages?
Perfume brand naming seems to have been all the news this past week, not least because model Jordan has her own scent named Stunning.
That news comes on the heels that Angelina Jolie has lost her fight to prevent her daughter's name, Shiloh, from being a perfume brand. In this case I think the perfumer has a perfect right to use the name, which means "his gift" in Hebrew. That's a perfume brand name waiting to happen, Angelina.
The New York Times ran a great article that has stuck with me about a store in Manhattan that sells bespoke perfumes that appeal to men who are tired of smelling like coconut. The author states that "You can go through life for only so long smelling like a dessert topping."
According to the article, the perfume industry is kind of set in its ways, with two of the set beliefs being that
- Men will never buy scents with the word "rose" in the name
- It's impossible to open a store in Tokyo "because the Japanese don't like smells."
You guessed it. The store, Le Labo, is breaking both rules quite successfully, with a store set to open in Tokyo soon with a new product name for men called "Rose 31".
This is all interesting but I have to wonder, as a forum poster does, if we are ever going to have another classic perfume like "Chanel No. 5" that will stand the test of time.
View the Nicole Kidman Chanel No. 5 commercial:
Technorati Tags: Perfume, Fragrance, Chanel, Stunning, Shiloh
Posted by William Lozito at 4:40 PM
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August 7, 2007
The Beckham Brand Name Smells of Money
The Beckham brand name is marching on even if David Beckham himself is benched with an ankle injury.
Next month US shoppers will be able to buy David and Victoria's Intimately Beckham fragrance line.
The launch quietly went off last Thursday and the perfumes have been well received so far: Intimately Beckham Man is a "modern woodsy-spicy scent" while the Woman version smells of "lilies, tuberose, vanilla, sandalwood and orange blossoms."
The ad the Beckhams have been using across the pond, however, might need to be revamped... I simply do not recognize either of them in the picture. For instance, Victoria and David on the Victoria Beckham blog shows a much rougher looking bloke covered in tattoos.
This couple clearly has an empire going: the fragrance line, which includes David Beckham's Instinct is going to ring up $100 million, and Victoria is working on a line of sunglasses and clothing which already includes the VB Rocks denim jeans.
Their photo shoot last month in a seedy hotel probably heralds a new, rougher image for the American market, illustrating that the brand name can easily change with the times, even when Becks isn't on the fie