April 28, 2008
Chi Chi’s Launches Linguistic Marketing Campaign
Hormel wants you to think of Chi Chi’s whenever you hear any word starting with “C,” so it’s only fitting that Chicago and Cincinnati are two of the first cities to benefit from this new C campaign.
According to BrandWeek “Consumers will see Chi Chi’s name associated with words like 'chicken,' 'cravings,' 'cooking' and 'celebration' in signage across grocery stores.” In total, they’ll have more than 2,000 words to choose from, but by no means will all of them be words Hormel wants associated with its product.
There are plenty of possibilites for wordplay on Chi Chi’s. More Words finds 430 English words starting with chi, including not just chicken but chips and chile.
And there are 1490 words containing chi, including achieve, achiote, and zucchini.
A mere 13 words end with chi, but one of them is mariachi.
Or you could look for rhymes, though perhaps peachy, screechy, and Nietzsche aren’t the best associations for fiesta food. (And the philosopher would never have recognized his name if you pronounced it to rhyme with Chi Chi’s, anyway.)
The real problem with the name Chi Chi’s, however, is the slang meaning of chichis. Though some people might associate them with fiestas, most of us don’t want to put salsa on them.
Technorati Tags: Hormel, Chi Chi, Salsa, Fiesta, Chips, Chicago , Cincinnati
Posted by William Lozito at 4:09 PM
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April 2, 2008
Al Ries is Wrong About the Isuzu Brand Name
Al Ries wrote an interesting article about the demise of Isuzu. He says that one of the chief reasons that the brand died was because “it had a terrible name.”
Those of us who speak English prefer words or brand names that are perfectly balanced by vowel-consonant-vowel or consonant-vowel-consonant. We find these words and brand names easy to pronounce. Think Coca-Cola, Kodak, and Toyota.
Also think Isuzu. A great example of a brand name balanced by vowel-consonant-vowel.
Other Japanese auto brands are successful in the United States and are similar to Isuzu Brand.
- Subaru is pronounced similarly to Isuzu and the former has carved out a nice niche business in the U.S.
- And the Suzuki brand name is no easier or more difficult to pronounce than Isuzu and, as we know, Suzuki is successful in the U.S. with both motorcycles and autos.
Although I have the utmost respect for Mr. Ries, I have to respectfully disagree with him on this one.
If Isuzu failed in the U.S. it had as much to do with "terrible" marketing, or product mix, or timing.
How is the auto brand name Hyundai, which can be pronounced as either "Hun-day" or "Hun-die," (the former being the correct pronunciation) establishing itself as a brand to contend with in the U.S.?
It's not because of a "terrible" car brand name; it's because, I think, when Hyundai was introduced in the U.S. with its tagline, "Hyundai rhymes with Sunday," it educated U.S. consumers on how to pronounce the name.
Hyundai made a positive out of its brand name being pronounceable multiple ways, not unlike, Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB) made a positive out of the unusual shape of the Volkswagen.
Sorry Al, Isuzu didn't fail in the U.S. because of its name, it failed for other reasons. Many other reasons.
Technorati Tags: Isuzu, Hyundai, Toyota, Suzuki, Doyle Dane Bernbach, Linguistics, Coca-Cola, Kodak, Volkswagen,
Posted by William Lozito at 8:00 AM
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March 21, 2008
Soccer Naming Gets Tough in Seattle
There seems to be some unhappiness in Seattle about the possible name of that city's major league soccer team.
The names that the soccer fans of Seattle have to choose from are: Seattle Alliance, Seattle Republic and Seattle FC, leading Seattle PI to report that sports fans were asking "Is it a phrase from a "Star Trek" convention? The name of an Eastern bloc country? Did focus groups consisting of a bunch of youth soccer coaches come up with some new moniker?"
Apparently, there had been a chance the name would be Emerald City says the WV Hooligan, who favors Seattle FC.
It seems like the folks in the Pacific Northwest have a pension for unusual names.
- Seattle's tourist slogan is "metronatural." Need I say more. Of course it reminds one of metrosexual, perhaps not the most positive association.
- Wisely, the state of Washington had the wisdom to drop its most recent state slogan "SayWA!"
Don't worry, Seattle, you may not be crazy about your soccer team's new name, but at least your team will not be called the PA Stoners, the name that came about in Pennsylvania for its NPSL (National Premier Soccer League) team from "Pennsylvania’s nickname: the Keystone State." Ouch!
Technorati Tags: Soccer, Seattle, Naming, NPSL, PA Stoners, Metronatural, Pennsylvania, Keystone State
Posted by William Lozito at 7:48 AM
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February 25, 2008
What Paris Hilton and The Naked Cowboy Know About Brand Naming
There are two naming related trademark cases out there that have people smiling this morning. The first is a list on CNN of trademarked phrases from the recent past like “19-OOPS” and "Let's Get Ready to Rumble!" that are now off limits to anyone who wants to inject a little modern phraseology into their product naming because they have been trademarked.
Matt Sanchez points out that even the wordsmith Paris Hilton can “lay claim and monetize parts of the English language” for her phrase “that’s hot.”
The Traverse Legal blog thinks that trademarking your unique phrase “illustrates how some forethought can become profit down the road.” I have to agree.
I also think that New York street musician Robert Burck, a.k.a “the Naked Cowboy” might have a good case when he defends his mark against Mars for using his likeness in their advertising, not least because he seems to have actually taken out two registered trademarks on himself.
Dan Slater on the Wall Street Journal Law Blog asks what he needs to make this case, the answer actually being pretty simple. He needs to prove there is a likelihood of confusion between himself and his (trademarked and profitable) brand name and likeness, and the images in the advertisement. As Sunny Hostin points out on the CNN site, the Naked Cowboy may soon be able to afford “some very nice duds.”
Technorati Tags: Trademark, Paris Hilton, The Naked Cowboy, Lawsuit, Let's get ready to rumble!, Burck, Brand Naming
Posted by William Lozito at 7:36 AM
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February 21, 2008
Hummer and Camel Reposition Their Brand Identity
If your brand name starts to look unfashionable, the thing to do is relaunch it with some subtle differences.
The Camel cigarette brand has recently gotten its first makeover in a century, with revamped packaging that includes the words "Since 1913" and the tagline "Our best smoke ever" on direct marketing materials. At least they have kept Joe Camel in the crypt.
GM, on the other hand, has decided to focus attention away from the Hummer’s brand name by not only shrinking the car, but focusing on each vehicle’s alphanumeric code (H2, H3, H4). GM has also directed consumer’s attention to the utility of the vehicle with its new tagline "Purpose Built."
In order to further distance itself from consumers who believe that it is a gas guzzling behemoth, GM has been shrinking the SUV as well, leading Oberdan Bezzi to design a Hummer Scooter, or the H2 450.
Technorati Tags: Hummer, GM, Camel, H2 450, H4, Cigarettes, Brand Naming, Purpose Built, Hummer Scooter
Posted by William Lozito at 7:30 AM
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February 15, 2008
Presidential Naming and Branding
How the naming of presidential candidates affects voters is something I have written about before, but the subject seems to have caught on.
A recent Reuters article in the press compares the merits of the name Hillary with the name Barack, with one professor quoted as saying “names are brands.” I couldn't agree more, as does Patrick Ruffini, who claims that “we are living through the first Presidential campaign that is being marketed like a high-end consumer brand.”
This sentiment was echoed by one of my respondents on the blog, who led me to a wonderful article about how fonts and typography are communicating to the electorate.
Hillary is indeed not a common name and thus it sticks with you and it is clear that she is not frequently using her maiden name Rodham and separating herself from Bill by de-emphasizing the name Clinton.
Search Marketing Guru points out that Hillary has essentially taken over the name on the Internet altogether.
Obama, however, is getting star power play for his stand alone last name and he certainly does not like reminding voters that his middle name is Hussein.
Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani focused voter's attention on their first names while John McCain prefers running on his last name.
One blogger claims that Fred Thompson dropped out because voters could not stand the idea of a president named Fred just like they felt the name Bob Dole was, well, dull. Dennis Miller, for his part tells us that there is no way a man named Huckabee can take the White House: “It’s like having a President with the name QuickDraw McGraw.”
Technorati Tags: Brand Naming, Hillary, Obama, McCain, Huckabee, Rudy, Thompson, Fred, President, Campaign
Posted by Diane Prange at 7:57 AM
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February 5, 2008
Woolworth’s Lolita Brand Naming a Cynical “Mistake”
The news that Woolworth's in the UK had to pull a bed with Lolita brand naming for pre-school girls has been met with hoots of laughter across the blogosphere after the company claimed to not be aware of the literary allusion to the sexually predatory pre-pubescent girl in Vladimir Nabokov’s famous novel, which was not only made into (at least) two movies but also referred to in the song “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” by the Police.
Sorry, but it is difficult to believe that this was an inadvertent mistake, or that the brand naming was introduced without somebody raising an eyebrow.
Maybe, just maybe, the people who created the Filipino cookie in the Netherlands were unaware that there is an entire group of people out there who would be offended by a tagline like ‘Are you as Tasty as a Filipino?'
Fact is, brand naming for pre-teen girls has become a virtual porno playground. Bratz dolls (pictured below) are now flagrantly sexualized (and encourage the kids to be bratty) and Playboy is now making its way into school wear.
Blue Milk has a great blog talking about the corporate pedophilia that we are subjected to daily and the “billions of dollars of marketing aimed at kids whose childhoods are being cynically abbreviated, stolen for profit.”
But who really cares, right?
Technorati Tags: Woolworth's, Lolita, Bratz, Brand Naming, Filipino, Police
Posted by William Lozito at 7:28 AM
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February 4, 2008
Go Daddy Builds Danica Patrick’s Beaver into Its Brand Naming
John Moore’s Brand Autopsy blog has some wonderful Monday morning quarterbacking on the ads that ran on Superbowl Sunday, and I had to weigh in on Go Daddy’s efforts... just like many of Moore’s furious responders do.
Some backstory: Go Daddy had a very racy commercial rejected by Fox because it centered around a stripping Danica Patrick and the word “beaver,” which has a misogynistic sexual innuendo. They got free exposure by having nine others rejected as well.
So instead of unveiling their actual commercial on the air, the company’s Superbowl spot leads viewers to their website to watch the controversial ad.
They have also been airing a slightly less offensive advertisement that equated to registering domains on Go Daddy with a variety of sexual milestones.
The web version, which many believe was purposely made to get railroaded by Fox’s censors, has gotten fairly high rankings today: Alexander Wolfe at Information Week gives it a B+. And while Go Daddy swears the censor’s rejection was not planned, they have managed to drive lots of traffic to their web site — their objective, considering that’s where they do business.
What is bad is that they have forever associated the word “beaver” with their brand name and raised the ire of fifty percent of the online population, many of whom will spend this week convincing their employers to drop Go Daddy. Go Daddy’s CEO, Bob Parsons doesn’t really seem to care and is loving the attention, claiming that those who are offended are in the minority.
Maybe. Maybe not. But that's a pretty vocal group, as they should be.
Technorati Tags: Brand Naming, Super Bowl, Commercials, Advertisements, Ads, Danica Patrick, Go Daddy
Posted by William Lozito at 7:38 AM
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February 1, 2008
NY Leatherstocking Region Looks For Less Literary Brand Naming
The Chenango-Delaware-Otsego region of New York state has been referred to as the Central Leatherstocking Region since the famous I Love NY marketing blitz was launched 31 years ago.
The name is in honor of the James Fennimore Cooper novels that are set in the region (The Leatherstocking Tales that include "Last of the Mohicans" and "The Deerslayer").
Now, the entire I Love NY campaign is getting a shot in the arm and the somewhat obscure naming for this region is looking at a revamp.
I am familiar with this area but the fact is that the average traveler is unlikely to understand the highly literary allusion.
This is an exceptionally beautiful and historic part of New York that boasts the Baseball Hall of Fame 
and the fabulous Glimmerglass Opera (both in Cooperstown).
It also has the best tagline I have ever heard for apple pie and cheddar cheese, a favorite dessert combo for upstate New Yorkers: "An apple pie without the cheese is like a kiss without the squeeze.”
I will be watching how events develop in this region with great interest.
Technorati tags: Leatherstocking Tales, I Love NY, New York, Brand Naming, Hall of Fame, Baseball, Opera, Cooperstown, Glimmerglass, Apple Pie, Last of the Mohicans, The Deerslayer
Posted by William Lozito at 7:32 AM
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January 22, 2008
Nike and Apple Take to the Air in Brand Naming
I have been mulling over Apple’s new MacBook Air brand name, which was announced last week at Macworld.
And here are a number of points that come to mind:
- Mac lovers knew the name was coming (and Apple may have helped them figure it out with their “There’s something in the air posters)
- David Pogue of the the New York Times writes that “the name ‘Air’ is particularly apt. It describes not only the laptop’s aerodynamic shape, but also its nearly complete inability to connect to cables.” I agree.
- Some people wonder if the folks over at Nike aren't going to think this is some kind of move on their turf, with one wag asking “So when the MacBook Jordans coming out?."
Or maybe that’s not a joke: in the very same week that Jobs announced the brand naming of his new computer, Nike let it slip that their 23rd Air Jordan was set for release.
Yes, “Air” is Nike territory, but I’d add that Apple and Nike are selling to an overlapping target market. By the way, I wonder if Apple minds the recently introduced Tata Nano auto, manufactured by Tata Motors in India.
Technorati Tags: Macbook Air, Nike Air, Brand Naming, Air Jordan, Apple
Posted by William Lozito at 7:33 AM
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January 21, 2008
Trademarking a Product Name can be Challenging
A lawyer’s attempt to trademark the term “CyberLaw” has been met with incessant laughter across the Internet with Eric Goldman suggesting that this is “the latest would-be-funny-if-it-wasn't-so-sad attempt to assert trademark rights on a common Internet term.”
A word in common usage cannot be trademarked unless it can be proven that customers associate the word with only your company, and the word “cyberlaw” has been around for well, over a decade, and associated with, well, “cyberlaw,” for far too long for that to happen.
Eric Menhart, a “recognized leader” in the field of intellectual property and the mastermind behind this application has gone on the defensive, proclaiming to the world that he has only applied to trademark the term for one class of protection: “services rendered by lawyers to individuals, groups of individuals, organizations and enterprises.”
He would have had a better chance trademarking the term for a video game. We all use the word in this sense (as in “hiring a lawyer who practices cyberlaw can be quite expensive.”)
It does not seem likely that he will be granted the trademark, not least because he will be unable to prove that this commonly used word already has a deep association with his company naming.
Technorati Tags: Trademarking, Cyberlaw, Product Name
Posted by William Lozito at 7:31 AM
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January 18, 2008
UNCF Updates Its Brand Naming
The announcement in the New York Times that The United Negro College Fund is revising its name to simply “UNCF” but keeping its famous slogan or tagline “A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste” should come as no surprise.
They have revamped their torch logo and the typography of their name to create a more inclusive image.
The main problem is the word “Negro,” it is simply not appropriate anymore and has been contentious in American culture for over a hundred years. Nowadays, Norman Mailer’s famous “White Negro” declaration is achingly dated and irreverent.
Back in 1999 the American Association of Retired Persons made a similar move, changing its name to the acronym AARP, partly because the word “retired” rankled a group of people who were anything but.
I think the UNCF acronym makes good strategic sense. The new logo is modern and contemporary while still familiar and reinforces the move to the UNCF acronym brand name.
Technorati Tags: UNCF, Brand Naming, United Negro College Fund, AARP
Posted by William Lozito at 7:35 AM
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November 20, 2007
New Slogan for Great Britain?
Great Britain is looking for a national slogan, a move which is being received with an expected dose of cynicism by the British public. Recent suggestions include "Get blotto, play the lotto, that's our motto" and "Dipso, fatso, bingo, ASBO, Tesco." Another amusing one is "Americans Who Missed the Boat" have posted yet more.
The UK has never had an official slogan. Even the Spice Girls' era "Cool Britannia" was more of a proposed and failed media tagline. This may be due to the fact that England "did not have the same grand cataclysmic moment of creation that other countries did" and thus a rallying cry was not really necessary. And as one student says, "We're British; we don't do slogans."
The Yahoo! News article on the subject quotes Shakespeare's "Virtue is bold, and goodness never fearful" as a possible slogan, but I would suggest that if you are looking to the Bard for inspiration, why not "The Sceptred Isle?"
I guess "God Save the Queen" has served them well for some time now and few people will understand the meaning of "sceptred."
The whole debate has prompted at least one blogger to post suggestions for a Canadian slogan. My favorite is "North America's very own Belgium."
Technorati Tags: Great Britain, UK, Cool Britannia, Spice Girls, Slogan, Tagline
Posted by William Lozito at 9:41 AM
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September 7, 2007
Milky Way 2 To Go Product Name Should Have Gone
A fascinating article by Monica Hesse in The Washington Post and reprinted by "A Dietitian's View" almost slipped under my radar screen this week.
Hesse points out that according to Datamonitor the number of foods with "go" in the product name (as in "on the go") has tripled since 2001.
This makes sense, because we live such a mobile, hectic lifestyle. She posits that people who eat food meant to be consumed "on the go" don't count the calories as much... as if snacks eaten on the subway or in your car don't really count.
But the term "on the go" is becoming grievously overused, and The Milky Way 2 To Go bar is an ideal example. In fact, if you think about it, "to go" or "on the go" are not product names but are category terms that are generic.
The Milky Way 2 To Go bar is just a regular issue King Size Milky Way cut in half that in fact replaces the King Size branding space.
The So Good blog starts out by saying "Mars, Inc. Makes Me Want to Jab My Eye Out" because the name is so ridiculous. "Since when is a candy bar not 2 Go?"
Apples and oranges are "to go," too! But unlike an apple, this candy bar is actually harder to eat while driving than it was before, when it was just a King Size, or so claims Holstein Grove.
Bookofjoe trashes the name as well, although one of his responders notes that it might save somebody's marriage, as "uneven distribution of the Milky Way is in the top ten reasons why people get divorced."
The name is deceptive. The "2," I think, refers to the two candy bars... or two halves of one candy bar, depending on how you look at it. But Milky Way 2 To Go looks like Mars couldn't decide what to call it.
What is wrong with Milky Way 2 Go? I suppose they were worried people might somehow not understand that you get these two bars to go. They also have a "6 to Go" product, which is a little more logical... kind of.
What was wrong with the term King Size, I have to ask? Surely, king sized items are just as ubiquitous? Was the target market becoming predominately female? Did the McDonald's Supersize debacle scare off customers who wanted big food?
If it did, you only have to look at my blog posts on the subject to see that Big is Back when it comes to convenience foods.
It probably doesn't matter: I have a feeling that this name is not going to go anywhere, especially since Milky Way says that the 2 To Go candy bar is "perfect for sharing or saving some for later."
Well, if you are meant to eat them on the go, how can you... oh, never mind.
Technorati Tags: Monica Hesse, The Washington Post, Milky Way, Milky Way 2 To Go, Mars, Inc., Product Naming.
Posted by William Lozito at 8:09 AM
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July 25, 2007
Saucony Name Branding Getting Corny Without Cheerleaders
Saucony has me stumped. The '80s shoe brand name has a new parent company, Payless Shoe Source, and is stepping out with a new brand identity, including a new brand name and refined logo: the brand name is now lowercase and neater looking. By the way, lower-case logos, either brand or company, appear to be a trend these days - think nielsen, at&t, unum.
OK. So far, so good.
They have kept their "Loyal to the Sport" slogan. Which is fine except for the fact that lots of their sneakers look like they are made for relatively sedentary non-runners. Who is Saucony being loyal to? Skateboarders, walkers or runners? Competitive rap artists? Which one is THE sport?
Ok, never mind. Let's move on. The real head scratcher is that Saucony is introducing a new brand "manifesto" on boxes and hangtags: "A good day is when we get to run. A great day is when we inspire someone else to run."
I'm just not getting this. It sounds like a weird take on Nike's "Just Do It" slogan, but in this case it's "Just Get Someone Else to Do It." It's right up there with that old riff on the Soloflex "No Pain, No Gain" campaign, which was transmogrified by some wags to "No Pain, No Pain."
Nobody seems to know where a slogan stops and where a "manifesto" begins, by the way.
Additionally, Saucony will use the line "No Cheerleaders Required" to promote their cross country shoes.
Well, yeah, that's right, guys. Cross-country runners don't get cheerleaders. They have never been required. Am I missing something? Are there squadrons of teenage girls out there somewhere waving pom-poms at long distance runners?
The whole point of this new campaign is to make the brand name more streamlined and congruent. This has not been achieved, people. You have an ad line, a tagline and a manifesto and not much of it makes sense.
Plus, and I hate to say it, but nobody can pronounce your company name. Is it "sock-on-ye," or "sew-cone-ee"? Surely, it's not "so corny"?
That's not very inspiring.
Technorati Tags: Saucony, Payless Shoes, New Logo, No Pain, No Gain, Nike, Just Do It, Loyal to the Sport, Soloflex
Posted by William Lozito at 9:35 AM
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July 24, 2007
Hot Ghetto Mess The Worst Naming Mistake of 2007, Possibly Ever
Who says bloggers can't force a media company to reexamine its naming strategy?
The recent news that the exploitative and ridiculous Hot Ghetto Mess aired by BET has had its name changed to We Got To Do Better, is great news for anyone with a shred of decency.
The change was forced on the network largely through the efforts of one lone blogger, Gina McCauley, whose blog, What About Our Daughters slammed the incredibly racist content of this show which is, amazingly, supported by a black network despite the fact that it references an obscene website that might as well be a propaganda medium for the KKK.
Jasmyne Cannick asks the logical question about the name change: "After we finish laughing at each other so hard that it hurts, are we then supposed to be inspired to do better for ourselves?"
One thing is clear: No sponsor in its right mind wants to tie their brand name to a show (and by proxy to a website) "featuring naked black women and a black-face cartoon."
It seems that no one on TV is more exploitative of black culture than BET, who has claimed that they are not really backpedaling: The original name of the show was Hot Ghetto Mess: We Got To Do Better.
Yeah, whatever.
Jack and Jill Politics asks: "When will the minstrel shows end?" and suggest the current grammatically incorrect name get changed to BET Got to Do Better.
BET, nix the show, you nitwits.
You don't have to be a naming company to see that this is rotten to the core.
Technorati Tags: BET, Hot Ghetto Mess, We Got To Do Better, Gina McCauley, Jasmyne Cannick, Jack and Jill Politics.
Posted by William Lozito at 8:50 AM
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May 30, 2007
Brand Naming: A Naming Company's Best Friend
Alex Beam has a great column up in The Boston Globe entitled "It's a re-brand new world" that takes a hard look at the prodigious amount of renaming that's going on lately.
He looks at the very intelligent rebranding of Boston University as "Boston's University," a nice step up from "the third great University on the Charles."
He then takes a swipe at the Cingular/AT&T company name change, and goes on to to say: "Boston Scientific just rebranded its troubled Guidant brand of heart devices out of existence. Healthone Care System has rebranded itself as Atrius Health because of a name conflict with a Denver hospital network. Citigroup, Delta Air Lines, and even the Iraq war are all said to be in various stages of rebranding."
And while renaming and repositioning cemeteries, cities, and, indeed, countries (he has fun with Canada's new slogan "Keep Exploring," which I think is pretty good) may seem odd to the casual observer, we do it because naming matters. Slogans matter and even mascots matter.
I'd love to see a debate between Seth Godin and Mr. Beam. Seth just posted a great piece entitled "Naming: Of Renamed Brands and Previous Names." Seth says that in general, use an existing name with a great deal of recognition (think AT&T and Cingular), but change your product name or company name only grudgingly for three reasons:
- A merger makes is a necessity
- You need to simplify your brand architecture
- Your current name has too much negative baggage.
Once you implement the change however, make a clean break with the old name and market the new name aggressively.
Technorati Tags: Boston University, Cingular, AT&T, Seth Godin, Delta Air Lines, Branding, Company Naming
Posted by Diane Prange at 10:39 AM
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May 24, 2007
The Greatness Within the Everlast and George Foreman Brands
Everlast is revamping its brand identity including a new tagline, “Greatness is Within,” that demonstrates its fight to survive in the competitive athletic apparel and sporting goods market.
The new logo won't be officially launched until later this year and includes a refreshed logotype, a new icon and corporate colors.
Women’s Wear Daily pointed out that the company was looking for a “consistent message” as it moves to “premier brand caliber.” Everlast wants to emphasize its brand assets of “strength, dedication, individuality and authenticity.”
The new icon shows a vanishing perspective apparently symbolizing “infinity.” Clearly, Everlast is moving away from it’s old “rope-a-dope” brand image into one that might conceivably compete with Nike and Adidas, shooting for “premier athletic brand status” via their 72 licensees.
I think Everlast's current image is pure boxing and not general sports and fitness. Everlast even declares on its website that its name is synonymous with boxing. When I think of the Everlast brand name, I think of Mohammed Ali and Rocky Balboa. For me, the Everlast name conjures up visions of victory, yes, but also visions of pain and blood.
The lovable George Foreman has had something to do with making boxing and boxing-related branding more approachable. There certainly seems to be "greatness within" the George Foreman brand.
In fact, Monday’s announcement that Foreman is now co-team owner of IndyCar Panther Racing makes me think that there's nothing the Foreman brand can't take on. Well, almost nothing.
George Jr., Foreman’s eldest son, commented that, "our involvement with Panther Racing offers a tremendous opportunity to bring together two championship brands and cross-promote two sports powerhouses across a diverse fan base."
This co-branding deal, or "Panther Punch", as some are calling it, has the Panther team hoping to leverage Foreman's status as a champion brand.
Is the Everlast brand destined to be a champion, too?
Technorati Tags: Everlast, Greatness Is Within, Athletic Apparel, Rebranding, George Foreman, Athletic Brand, Panther Racing, Brand Names
Posted by William Lozito at 9:14 AM
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May 9, 2007
Presidential Candidates As Brand Names
Why is a presidential candidate like a box of Kellogg's® Corn Flakes®? Both of them are brands, and their names are their reputations.
Unlike cereal makers, however, candidates don’t get to choose their own brand names.
Few politicians are fortunate enough to be born with names that imply “great leader.” (One might make a stretch and associate Hillary Clinton with Sir Edmund Hillary, the man who climbed Mount Everest “Because it was there,” but Senator Clinton doesn’t appear to be doing so herself.)
Barack Obama, of course, has already had to deal with detractors playing on the likeness of his name to that of Osama Bin Laden. Nevertheless, his brand is strong with voters, according to Presidential Brands 2008, which scored both Democratic and Republican candidates according to familiarity, reputation, personality, performance, and connectivity. Download the complete report here.
According to the study:
- Hillary Clinton means “competence”
- Barak Obama means “celebrity” which ties in nicely with Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement
- John Edwards means “compassion”
- Rudy Giuliani is an American icon
- John McCain is an American hero
- Mitt Romney is an American idol
Or, to put it another way,
- Clinton is a Volvo station wagon
- Obama is a BMW Z4 convertible
- Edwards is a Prius
- Giuliani is a Toyota RAV4
- McCain is a Ford Pickup
- Romney is a Dodge Viper
Meanwhile, several candidates are buying Google AdWords campaigns by bidding on each other’s names. If you search for “Obama,” on Google, for example, you may find a voting poll for Hillary Clinton in 2008 in the right sidebar along with the ads paid for by Obama’s own campaign.
The biggest problem these candidates have to face in branding themselves isn’t their own names or their rivals’ AdWords campaigns.
It’s the negative associations that people have with the word “politician.”
Carla Marinucci, San Francisco Chronicle Political Writer, researched candidates' websites and found that some of the qualities the top candidates are trying to associate with their names are in much the same way how a company brands a product:
- Hillary Rodham Clinton - Slogan: Leadership, experience, women's advocate, "making history."
- John Edwards - Slogan: "Change," big ideas, champion of the poor and middle class.
- Rudolph Giuliani - Slogan: "America's mayor," maverick, strong, decisive leader.
- John McCain - Slogan: "War hero," steadfast, independent, commitment, record of achievement.
- Barack Obama - Slogan: "Hope," change, action, fresh face.
- Mitt Romney - Slogan: "Bold, new leadership," business success, public achievement.
For more unique perspectives on presidential candidate branding, check here and here. Also check out why candidates should use MySpace in their branding efforts.
Technorati Tags: Presidential Candidates, Presidential Brands, Brand Names, Clinton, Obama, McCain, Romney, Giuliani, Edwards
Posted by Diane Prange at 11:07 AM
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