MY, YOUR and OUR
NY Times article on the use of MY, YOUR and OUR in branding campaigns.
May 03, 2006
April 24, 2006
"I Invented . . . The Apple Logo"
SyncMag: "I Invented . . . the Apple Logo."
April 14, 2006
Forrester Brand Trust Scorecard
From Forrester Research's 2005 Technology Brand Scorecard:
"In a reversal of the 2003 brand scorecard results, the past two years saw most device manufacturers' brand trust fall; only Apple and TiVo saw their brand trust rise. While brand trust dropped overall, there is tremendous variation in brand trust and in brand potential. In Forrester's brand scorecard analysis, Bose, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Panasonic, and Sony earn highest marks, while Microsoft, Gateway, and LG Electronics rank lowest. The brand scorecards include profiles of each brand's regular users and aspiring users, data that holds lessons for marketers seeking to reach new customers."
April 12, 2006
People Who Need PEEPS
People apparently like to make things out of PEEPS.
April 06, 2006
The History Of Nipper And His Master's Voice
April 03, 2006
Troubles For WINCHESTER Rifle
March 13, 2006
More on RED BULL and Pre-existing Trademarks
In the RED BULL story we noted that team name formulations such as RED BULL NEW YORK are unusual for U.S. sports franchises. RW, a long time reader, emails me to point out that the ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS and the HOUSTON COLT-45s (what the Astros used to be called), would seem to fit the bill as names that incorporate a pre-existing trademark. I had been searching for the equivalent such as YOMIURI GIANTS or YAKULT SWALLOWS where the brand name replaces the geographical name. Excellent work RW.
March 12, 2006
An Argument Against Going Down Market With Your Brand
C. F. Martin makes high-end acoustic guitars with good woods. It apparently has come out with a mid-priced model which contains plywoods and laminates, leading a purist to argue that this is the death of that brand.
I will merely state that taking a high-end trademark down market for a 'budget' line, is 'tricky' and leave the commentary to those in branding. The CEO of C.F. Martin gave an interview in 2003 and discussed this issue in passing.
Strange New Products Blog
The aptly named STRANGE NEW PRODUCTS BLOG. HT WordLab.
March 10, 2006
NY Metrostars Become RED BULL New York
The owners of the RED BULL energy drink have announced its purchase of the Major League Soccer franchise, the New York MetroStars , which will be re-named RED BULL New York
While incorporating a pre-existing trademark into a sports franchise has been done for decades in other countries (YOMIURI GIANTS, BAYER LEVERKAUSEN), and while various U.S. sporting events and stadiums have been re-named to include trademarks (FedEx Orange Bowl, Minute Maid Field, Winston Cup), our unscientific slovenly-conducted survey failed to reveal a major professional sports team in the U.S. with a pre-existing trademark in its name.
Unless you want to include the Discovery Channel Cycling Team.
Should we count car-racing teams?
Historical note: In 2001, the NBA prohibited FedEx from re-naming the team it just purchase, the Vancouver Grizzlies as the Memphis Express.
Parents' note: The MetroStars actually administer my son's AYSO soccer league. They have done a magnificent job and there has been the expected result that my son is a MetroStars fan. However, I'm not crazy about him becoming hyper-aware of a highly caffinated drink.
Depicted above, the logo from Red Bull's other soccer team, RED BULL SALZBURG.
March 09, 2006
'The Logos of Web 2.0 Companies'
Fontshop: 'The Logos of Web 2.0 Companies.' HT Kottke.
March 01, 2006
Vertically Arched Lettering Vs. Radially Arched Lettering
An illustration of vertical arched lettering on player's jerseys from the CD discussed below. Vertically arched lettering vs. radially arched lettering discussed in this ESPN article. HT Kottke.
February 22, 2006
Guy Kawasaki: The Name Game
February 21, 2006
Cigarette Graphics Collection
February 20, 2006
Will The Real NBA Logo Man Please Drive To The Basket?
FoxSports.com: History of the NBA, including the NBA's reluctance to acknowledge the general consensus that Jerry West is the model for the guy in the logo. HT Kottke.
February 16, 2006
"Status of US Brands Slips Globally Among Teens"
Christian Science Monitor: 'Status of US brands slips globally among teens.'
February 15, 2006
Logos On Flickr
February 13, 2006
C Eats O's
A collection of C's eating the next letter in the logo. Play guess the logo here. Via Be A Design Group.
February 06, 2006
Many Logos
Many logos to look at it here. HT Kottke.
February 04, 2006
Who's A Good Dog?
List of top dogs in popular culture. Santa's Little Helper was certainly underrated at #75. People, such as my children, would think that Goofy is overrated at #5. I would have voted for Gromit as number 1 and Ren as number 2. Trademark dogs on the list include Nipper (RCA), Spuds McKenzie and the Taco Bell Chihuahua.
TAB
Apparently people still really like TAB soda.
February 02, 2006
Steelers Stole Steel Style
Well, no, they didn't steal it. U.S. Steel let them use their logo at the time.
Hat Tip to Henry, who is the Official Email Correspondent of Trademark Blog XXL.
January 26, 2006
That Football Game Between Seattle And Pittsburgh
January 11, 2006
January 05, 2006
How Did I Think Up The Name 'The Trademark Blog'?
Via USA Today, via Snark Hunting, the 100 most common words in blog names.
January 03, 2006
The Lincoln MKX
December 30, 2005
New INTEL Logo
Filed with the PTO December 21.
December 27, 2005
Rumors Re Intel Dropping 'Intel Inside'
Unsourced rumors re Intel dropping the INTEL INSIDE trademark reported here by the Inquirer.
If things are slow you can go to uspto.gov and do an ownership search for recent filings by Intel (Intel has filed multiple applications for CORE INSIDE, XEON INSIDE and PENTIUM INSIDE, all since Dec. 1).
December 19, 2005
Evolution of the AT&T Logo
Animation of the evolution of the AT&T logo, with music, here.
November 22, 2005
Pajamas / Open Source Media
For those of you following the Pajamas / Open Source Media naming brouhaha, we note that our firm provides trademark availability and clearance services at popular prices.
UPDATE: Pajamas Media signals retreat about as well as you can.
October 27, 2005
LOGOOGLE
Logoogle, a site devoted to variations on the Google logo.
October 25, 2005
A Lesson In Branding From Mr. Happy Crack
Just what the title says, from Wall Street Journal's StartUp journal.