Glenn Beck's Brand of Politics at the Restore Honor Rally

Merriam Associates doesn’t often cover politics, but when we found ourselves in Washington DC during the Glenn Beck Restore Honor rally, we couldn’t resist asking participants why they came, what they stand for and what they hope will happen next. We discovered the “Glenn Beck brand” of politics is different than portrayed and is broader [...]

Toyota Brand Still Strong Despite Recalls

How are the recalls and bad headlines affecting the Toyota brand?  In Context Opinion hit the parking lot to talk to everyday drivers to find out if the brand is in trouble.

What we heard is that people still value the brand—some passionately.  While some people are concerned about the way Toyota initially handled the recall [...]

Renaming Proxios: CEO Talks About the Process

Fast growing, innovative companies can sometimes outgrow their brands.

“Our name became constraining,” said Frank Butler, CEO of Proxios, a fast-growing company using cloud computing technology to create affordable and reliable alternatives to traditional in-house information technology and phone systems. “Our old name Super-Server did not have broad appeal and it was dated.”

Merriam Associates gave this [...]

Heavy Equipment Branding

While buying a steam roller is very different from buying a can of soda, brand still matters. We talked to heavy equipment operators at work sites around the Chicago area to gather their opinions about construction equipment brands.

How Do the  Brands Compare?
Caterpillar and John Deere are the dominant brands. While competitors have multiplied and [...]

The Untold Health Care Reform Narrative: Blame Pharma

Merriam Associates Insight On-the-Street went out to discover what people think about the debate on health care reform.  We wanted to see if there is a consensus among regular people who are not taking active part in the debate.

What we heard is rather different from what is reported on the news.  Away from the fun-house [...]

New York Bar Show

AIG Name Change to AIU

Companies who think a new image will make customers forget the past do not understand this new, media-savvy world. AIG’s name change to AIU is seen as naive, cynical, or just plain disingenuous.

Best and Worst Wall Street Brands

Financial services brands have taken a beating–especially on Wall Street. We went downtown to talk to financiers themselves.

Viral Marketing Can Make Your Brand Sick

Viral marketing makes your brand message spreads far, fast, and almost free. But failing to plan makes for expensive mistakes–ask Motrin and Dr. Pepper.

Domino Sugar New Cannister Package Innovation

Sugar is sugar—until Domino’s introduced a new package consumers love so much they pay 12 to 46 cents more a pound. Great things come from innovative packaging.