May 8, 2008
V8 Soup: More of a Good Thing
It seems like V8 vegetable juice has been around forever, but it’s actually only been since 1933.
The origin of the name is the 8 different vegetables used to make the drink. Obvious, and yet brilliant.
- It’s descriptive: it tells consumers what this drink has that ordinary tomato juice doesn’t.
- It’s suggestive: the V8 engine powers sportscars and aircraft, making V8 an energy drink long before the likes of Red Bull came along.
- It’s short, simple, and easy to pronounce.
Now V8's parent company Campbell Soup is introducing 5 varieties of V8 soup. This seems like a logical step to me.
As a child, watching the “I coulda had a V8” commercials, I was always skeptical about the idea of drinking vegetable juice instead of fruit juice. Okay, I was skeptical about vegetables in general at that age. Vegetables in soup make sense, even to someone who tried to feed her peas and carrots to the dog under the table.
Admittedly, corn, peppers, squash, and broccoli are not among the ingredients of the original V8, which means “V9” might be a more accurate designation, but this is a solid branding choice for Campbell’s.
Technorati Tags: V8, V8 Juice, Campbell Soup, Vegetables, V8, V8 Soup, V9
Posted by Diane Prange at 2:28 PM
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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 8, 2008
Dodge Journey Won't Stop Believing In Digital Brand Naming Promotion
The Dodge Journey is going to get a major online push today, with the introduction of the tagline, "If you can dream it, do it.”
A whopping 29% of Dodge's promotional media mix will be interactive, their “biggest digital outlay ever in terms of total dollars and percentage of the media buy” according to Ad Age.
The word Journey will play a pivotal role in the “Dodge Journey of a Lifetime” promotion and a series of videos for the NHL Playoffs entitled “Journey to the Cup.”
It’s a strong, evocative name, but it’s also hard for some us not to think of the cheesy 80s rock band “Journey,” which just announced its presence on Second Life. Their hit single “”Dream After Dream” comes to mind when you hear “If you can dream it, do it.”
And anyone who watched the end of the Sopranos remembers their song “Don’t Stop Believing,” which put the old time rockers back in the public consciousness.
Don’t laugh, the car is aimed at young singles and couples with small children. Plenty of the latter were subjected to those songs at at least one school dance.
Technorati Tags: Dodge, Journey, Rock Band, Don't Stop Belieiving, If you can dream it, do it, Journey the Band, Journey to the Cup, NHL
Posted by William Lozito at 7:54 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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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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August 22, 2007
To (dot) Mobi or Not to Mobi, That is the Brand Naming Question
The dot mobi dilemma is an ongoing challenge in the world of naming and branding, not to mention tagline development.
The dot Mobi blog tells us that sex.mobi is about to go on sale and that big brand names like Zagat.mobi and AAA.mobi have joined the club... not to mention Weather.mobi.
They are poised to break 700,000 dot Mobi names soon and Network Solutions even conveniently has a BuildMyMobi.com site to help developers help people promote their product names in this new arena.
And yet, and yet.
Dot mobi domains are not registering very well in India.
That's a bad thing because although so many people in the developing world use mobile phones to access the Internet, registering a dot Mobi name costs much more than simply redirecting users to a wireless dot com.
Also, the guys at GoMo News have a real bone to pick with the dot Mobi gang, calling them "arrogant." Ouch.
Teething problems aside, dot Mobi will have its role to play in the future of the Mobile Web, a future that was brought that much nearer with the smashing success of the iPhone.
But frankly, it is really hard to say where a dot mobi domain name fits into a product-naming scheme and even in a company's technology naming strategy.
Right now, the best I can say is that having a dot mobi naming strategy should be part of a naming service strategy... sometimes.
Technorati Tags: dotMobi, GoMo news, Skooba iPhone, Company Naming, Branding, Tagline Development.
Posted by William Lozito at 9:23 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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June 23, 2007
The Universal Sound of Desire? Maybe Not
BusinessWeek reports that when Unilever wanted to market its Axe deodorant/body spray in 75 countries simultaneously, vice-president Russell Taylor went looking for "an international expression of lust," a single phrase to represent uncontrollable female desire.
Leaving aside the inherent improbability that any scent will cause women to go mad with desire (particularly when worn by young men, who always put on three times as much cologne as they need and make me sneeze), coming up with a universal word or phrase for anything is impossible. Once you get past facial expressions and inarticulate grunts, you run into vast differences in language.
And Unilever's chosen phrase to encapsulate the response women have to Axe? "Bom Chicka Wah Wah."
Urban Dictionary claims the phrase is an attempt to mimic a 1970s guitar porn riff. I was around in the Seventies, and I didn't know there was such a thing as a porn riff.
Whatever the derivation, however, "Bom Chicka Wah Wah" seems about as far as you can get from any natural expression of lust or desire. (Of course, true universal sounds of lust are not the kinds of things you can put on prime-time TV.) Granted I'm a ways from the late teen-early twenties crowd Axe is marketed at, but even in my most slang-happy teenage days, I would have expected any guy to respond to "Bom Chicka Wah Wah" by calling the nearest mental hospital to see whether they'd misplaced a patient.
Nevertheless, perhaps due to an intensive advertising campaign that's found its way onto YouTube, the phrase seems to be gaining some traction. Which means that before too long, "Bom Chicka Wah Wah" really might become a universal expression.
Technorati Tags: Axe, Lynx, Advertising, Bom Chicka Wah Wah
Posted by William Lozito at 5:18 PM
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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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December 12, 2006
Links du Jour 12-12-06
Mariah Asks Mary Carey for Name Back - The Hollywood Gossip blog has a good post about Mariah Carrey having trouble with a porn actress named Mary Carey. I recent wrote about the dangers of porn and brand dilution, but in this case the porn star is not backing down, stating “I’m ready to battle Mariah over this because I’ve been Mary Carey for a long time.”
What's in a name? A lot - Should The Dallas Cowboy’s Drop “Dallas” from their name once they move to Arlington? Paul Bourgeois at the Star-Telegram thinks not.
Palm Treo and Helio Follow Same Road - Palm has launched its Treo smartphone campaign under the tagline ”Not just a cell phone. A Treo.” I've noted that Helio is running a similar campaign under the mantra “Don’t call us a phone company.” Seems that being a cell phone is no longer the right positioning for these companies. As I've said before, the term “cell phone” is probably on the way out altogether.
Technorati Tags: Mariah Carey, Mary Carey, Brand Dilution, Dallas Cowboys, Positioning, Palm Treo, Helio
Posted by William Lozito at 10:44 AM
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November 21, 2006
Positioning: Helio, Helio, Thou Doth Protest Too Much
7-Up won by being the un-cola. Nintendo Wii hopes to be the un-gaming system. And it seems Helio just might win by being an un-phone.
Helio aims to catch the public’s attention by an un-positioning campaign. The company’s billboards show pictures of devices that look like cell phones, with captions like “Friendar” and “Conversation Starter” and the tagline “Don’t call us a phone company.”
The tactic is working, at least in terms of getting attention. The obvious question is “Well, if it’s not a phone, what is it?” That provokes people to find out more. On the other hand, hiding its own name in small print left me looking “Friendar” up on Google.
It’s unlikely that Helio will succeed in getting people to refer to their devices as “devices” rather than phones. Even Helio owners posting pictures on Flickr use the tag “cellphone” as well as “helio.”
What really matters to the wireless company, however, is not eliminating the word “phone” from the vocabulary of its users, but rather getting people to switch from other services to theirs. By rejecting the term “phone” and emphasizing features like MySpace Mobile and the Buddy Beacon, Helio turns its position as a newcomer into an advantage.
Thomas Sherman writes about Helio's "This is not your father's Oldsmobile" approach on his blog, The Sherman Foundation. Check it out for further insights into the campaign's approach, and for a couple links to the Helio TV spots which cleverly deliver the tagline as a punchline.
Technorati Tags: Helio, Friendar, Positioning
Posted by Diane Prange at 8:28 AM
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November 9, 2006
SUV Branding: Mitsubishi Plans to "Out Everything"
If you pick up your November issue of Car & Driver or Autoweek, you'll see that Mitsubishi plans to “Out Everything” the competition with a new ad campaign based on the word "out". The campaign underscores how the new Outlander Compact SUV outclasses and outperforms its competition, according to Mike Nash, director of advertising, Mitsubishi Motors North America.
The company has launched a website, www.outeverything.com, to further communicate its branding message. The emphasis of the campaign is on the performance heritage of the company and the superiority of the Outlander model, and I think "outeverything" communicates that well.
The true test will be whether the 2007 Outlander Compact SUV will indeed "OutFast," "OutBlast," and "OutMusic" its competition in consumers' minds.
Technorati Tags: Out Everything, 2007 Outlander, Mitsubishi Motors
Posted by William Lozito at 7:19 AM
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November 7, 2006
Brand Australia is Tops Today
The "Australian brand" beat the United States and Italy, in the second annual Country Brand Index 2006 (CBI). The recent announcement was made at the London World Travel Market, which is being closely watched by Darren Cronian of the Travel Rants Blog.
Probably no one is going to be more surprised today than the Australians themselves - the Talk of Town blog has one Adelaide resident wondering if countries should be brand names at all. Well, of course they can and are. Some point out that this ranking means that the controversial Bloody Hell campaign seems to have worked after all.
Well, not so fast.
Because the CBI ranks countries according to travel trends, Australia has cashed in - it wasn’t just the slogan. Tourism Australia has also been tirelessly touting the virtues of the country to Europeans, and one representative stated yesterday that “The Aussie character, matched by such a unique natural environment, ensures Australia is one of the most desired countries to visit in the world.”
Countries to watch are China, Croatia and the United Arab Emirates as future contenders for the title. The aggressive promotion of the Australian brand name coupled with the country’s natural appeal probably swung the day for the Australians. It is also third place in the category of “country easiest to do business with” and second to New Zealand for “best country for outdoor sports/activities”.
Technorati Tags: Australian Brand, Country Brand Index, Tourism Australia
Posted by William Lozito at 8:45 AM
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October 23, 2006
Slogans: Branding Seattle as a Metronatural Takes the Cake
I was hoping, really hoping, that I would have something exciting and positive to say about a new tourism slogan or tagline.
I'm very disappointed in Seattle's new slogan, Metronatural (see image of the top of Seattle's Space Needle.)
Does the Seattle Convention and Visitor's Bureau and creators of this slogan really expect someone who hasn't visited Seattle to be motivated by this slogan to spend time in Seattle?