Brand Twins: Same Brand Names for Different Products

Owning your brand name is critical for your business, but what many people don’t realize is that owning a trademark on your brand name is not the same as owning a unique name.

Facebook raised a ruckus last year when it applied to trademark “face”–yet there were hundreds of  “face” trademarks granted before Facebook [...]

Mashable Interview with on Creative Job Titles

Mashable has an interesting take on the do’s and don’ts of creative job titles quoting Merriam Associates. Your job title is part of your personal brand so make sure it says the right things about you. Here’s the advice on Mashable.

Other quick tips:

1) Be clear. If it makes people stop and wonder, it’s a mistake.

2) [...]

Greyhound: When Your Brand Is a Symbol of Awfulness

Alec Baldwin has “apologized” for his boorish behavior on a recent American Airlines flight by slamming the airline’s service, claiming: “Filthy planes, barely edible meals,” making “air travel experience as inelegant as possible,” and making “flying a Greyhound bus experience.”

Predictably, a Greyhound representative has fired back: “I don’t know if he’s ever been [...]

Merriam Associates on Business Radio Talking about Brands and Licensing

We were on the Brand Money show on Atlanta’s Business Radio talking about how licensing can build brands and how brands can profit from licensing.

O No O.co Rebranding Fail

Overstock.com fixed a huge brand blunder today when they announced they were abandoning the attempt to change their name to O.co.

Here are the top five reasons why the rebranding was doomed to fail:

There was never a strategic reason to change the company name. Name changes are expensive and risky in the best of circumstances. You [...]

Overhead Ads: Flying Is More Like Riding a Bus Than Ever

When ABC debuted its new show “Pan Am” this fall, reviewers mentioned the long-gone glamour of jet travel when people dressed up to take flight. Flying today is about as chic as traveling by bus. Now new advertising programs like those being offered by Spirit Airlines and Ryan Air make the bus analogy all the [...]

The "Occupy" Brand

Been There. Done That. Bought The T Shirt.

The “Occupy Wall Street” movement has spawned a brand:  the “Occupy” brand. Since the start of demonstrations a month ago, we’ve seen “Occupy Times Square,” “Occupy Atlanta,” and “Occupy San Francisco” spring up.  We also have “OccupyTogether.org” as an unofficial hub for other “Occupy” activities, and “OccupyEverything.org” [...]

David Boorstin on Herman Cain and the 9-9-9 Brand

David Boorstin, a noted expert on brands and society, politics, culture and business, has an interesting take on the rise of Herman Cain and the 9-9-9 brand. We’ve had candidates who have effectively used marketing principles, but this is the first time we have a candidate who is himself a master marketer. Read David’s article [...]

Chinese Brands Going Global, But Not Necessarily American

Milton Kotler, the preeminent marketing pioneer in China, updated me on Chinese brands. They may not be taking over the American market, but they are most definitely growing outside of China.  Here are Milton’s observations:

“Consumer brand management is making headway in the domestic China market and developing countries,even in Europe, with apparel, appliances, computers, white [...]

On Forbes.com Today: The Al Qaeda Brand Died Last Week

Please visit Forbes.com for our article on the demise of the Al Qaeda brand following last week’s drone attack on Al Qaeda’s most visible marketing executive and Inspire magazine publisher/editor.

UPDATE:  Found on Jihad Jihad Watch. Seems bin Laden himself was worried about his brand. In documents recovered by the SEALs, he wrote that he was [...]