Archive for the ‘Branding – logos’ Category

Shouldn’t Trump be eyeing Iceland instead of Greenland?

August 20, 2019

Recent reports are that Trump is mulling the idea of the U.S. buying Greenland from Denmark.

Rationale: Strategic military locale, rich resources, historical legacy.

True or illusory, got me wondering whether Trump has his eye on the wrong target.

Some friends & family recently tripped to Iceland.

They loved it, but remarked “it was pretty cold”.

I asserted that you waive you right to carp about chilliness when you choose to go to a place called “Iceland”.

After chuckling, I said “sounds to me like a  branding issue” … and, my friends said “that’s right … and there’s a story about the naming of Iceland and Greenland.”

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Digging a bit, here’s the story that I’ve been able to piece together …

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Posted in Branding - logos | 1 Comment »

Shocker: IHOP is staying IHOP.

June 5, 2019

And now, I’ve got a beef with IHOP !

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Last summer. IHOP shocked the world by announcing that they were changing their name from IHOP to IHOB … from P is for pancakes to B is for burgers.

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At the time, we posted: IHOP changing name to IHOB … or are they?

We argued that changing the name chainwide would be pure folly since (1) IHOP is an iconic brand that “owns” the pancake niche. (2) “IHOP” — the name — has “stretchability” … since not all folks are even aware the IHOP “P” stands for pancakes (3)  The battlefield is strewn with the bodies of companies who have tried to do battle with the burger chains (4) Changing a brand name is a very expensive process … it costs a lot to change the signs, menus, letterheads etc.

At the time our bet was that the publicized name change was just a marketing ploy … aimed at generating mucho publicity for the non-pancake part of the menu … for getting more lunch and dinnertime business.

And, we said: If that’s the case, then the headfake is a brilliant marketing move … garnering  a lot of buzz around some new burgers on its menu.

OK, that was then, this is now … so let’s update….

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Posted in Brand equity, Branding - logos, Restaurants | Leave a Comment »

IHOP decides to kickass on burger chains… say, what?

June 13, 2018

Changing name to IHOB … or are they?
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Just in case you the news got drowned out by the NOKO Summit …

IHOP announced that the company was rebranding … from P is for pancakes to B is for burgers.

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Marketing brilliance or pure folly?

Here’s my take …

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Posted in Brand equity, Branding - logos, Logos & brandmarks | 1 Comment »

Branding: Would you rather travel to Iceland or Greenland?

July 29, 2016

Some friends recently tripped to Iceland.

They loved it, but remarked “it was pretty cold”.

I asserted that you waive you right to carp about chilliness when you choose to go to a place called “Iceland”.

After chuckling, I said it was a branding issue … and, my friends said “that’s right … and there’s a story about the naming of Iceland and Greenland.”

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Digging a bit, here’s the story that I’ve been able to piece together …

(more…)

Posted in Branding - logos | 1 Comment »

How soon can I get some of those ‘next day‘ blinds?

June 11, 2015

Of course, it’s a trick question.

I started thinking about this a couple of weeks ago.

Heard a commercial for ‘3-Day Blinds’.

My thought: not a very compelling selling proposition when you’re up against NextDay Blinds

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Then, we had a  set of mini-blinds break.

Of course, being instant gratification folks, we called NextDay Blinds.

What an eye-opener …

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Posted in Brand, Branding - logos, MARKETING | Leave a Comment »

Why does he keep calling them “ISIL”?

September 11, 2014

A couple of day-after–the-speech thoughts…

First, some props for the President.

On the style front, I’ was glad that he was eyes forward last night.  As loyal readers know, for prior talks to we0the-people, I asked Why didn’t he look us in the eyes?  Apparently he reads HomaFiles and changed course.

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But, the speech left me scratching my head ….

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Posted in Brand, Branding - logos, Communications, Obama, Speeches | 1 Comment »

Name game: Is rebranding ObamaCare the administration’s silver bullet?

December 4, 2013

A couple of weeks ago, the Administration decided that ObamaCare need to be rebranded and remarketed since, in the words of CNN: “The name Obamacare – and the much maligned URL HealthCare.gov – have become associated with digital failure and government disorganization.”

Ouch.

In my post Rebranding ObamaCare …  I suggested a new name: ObamACA™  … hoping that the name would catch traction and I could bag some royalties.

No such luck (so far).

Still, as a recovering marketer, I’m interested in the question: Would it help the administration sell the law if they ditched the ObamaCare name.

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Source: Kaiser Health Foundation

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Well, it turns out that Gallup has already polled on the question …

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KFC burying the Colonel’s bones … say, what?

July 19, 2013

“You won’t find the colonel on the marquee or signage,” says KFC President John Cywinski, “but you’ll find more abstract references to our heritage.”

Say, what?

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First KFC ditches the bones.

Now, it buries Colonel Sander’s bones …. and his goateed trademark pic.

Here’s the story.

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Posted in Branding - logos, Logos & brandmarks, Trademarks | 1 Comment »

Branding: New logos ditch the past.

January 2, 2013

Several companies launched new logos in 2012.

There were a couple of themes to the changes.

Some – like JC Penney — were trying to disconnect from their devolving legacies and present a new “fair & square” image.

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Other brands changed logos for apparently different reasons …

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Posted in Branding - logos, Mktg - Brands | Leave a Comment »