Our post last week about “How To Game The Salad Bar” reminded commenter power lurker of the Chinese way of playing the game at Pizza Hut. See, in America when you tell people their salad bar is limited to one plate, they shrug because no American eats salad. But in China in the mid to late 2000’s, they turned into a competition to see who can create the tallest and most elaborate salad tower. [More]
branding
Gallery Of Generic Dr. Peppers
By 1.4.11
Naming a generic version of Dr. Pepper requires a special dose of imagination of the supermarket brand specialist not required by other fizzy drinks. You can’t just get away with “Cola” or “Orange.” There are innumerable variations and several websites have cropped up to document and catalog them. Check out postmyportfolio.com/Generic_Dr_Pepper.htm and Dr Kenton’s Generic Dr Peppers Page to get a pretty comprehensive overview. I think my favorite version is “Dr. Radical.” [More]
"Chicken Poop" Tops List Of Beauty Products With Ugly Names
By 1.3.11
I know that when I hear the words “chicken poop,” the first thing I want to do is lather it on my lips. And there’s nothing better than “jizz” for painting my fingernails. Wait — why are you looking at me like that? [More]
![Lots Of "[BofAExec Name] Sucks" Sites Getting Bought Up](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/boabuilding1.jpg?w=240&h=161&crop=1)
Lots Of "[BofAExec Name] Sucks" Sites Getting Bought Up
By 12.23.10
Over at Domain Name Wire they noticed that starting on December 17th, someone has been going around buying up all the various permutations of BankofAmericaExecNameHereSucks.com sites. So sorry folks, you won’t be able to start your new BrianMoynihanBlows.com, BrianMoynihanSucks.com, or BrianTMoynihanBlows.com blog. You were going to use it host your lookbook of clever Lawrence, KS fashions, right? [More]
Urban Outfitters Unveils Snazzy New Logo
By 11.10.10
Perhaps jealous of all the publicity The Gap received when it unveiled its dopey, short-lived new logo, Urban Outfitters unveiled this beauty of its own. [More]
Gap Already Admitting That New Logo Sorta Sucks
By 10.7.10
Earlier today, we wrote about the harsh criticism already being heaped upon the new — but not exactly improved — Gap logo. And apparently the negative feedback already has the retail chain on the lookout for something newer and improveder. [More]
New Gap Logo: Next Tropicana-Style Redesign Flop?
By 10.7.10 — Updated: 5.11.16
The marketing geniuses at The Gap seem to have fiddled around with Photoshop for a few minutes and designed a new company logo that’s as bland and uninteresting as jeans and a black t-shirt. It’s not ugly, but it’s not memorable or creative, either. What were they thinking? [More]
"Elite" Shoppers Ignore Logos, Focus On Subtle Signals
By 7.31.10
Listen hun, your Gucci bag and Burbury scarf aren’t fooling anyone. Sophisticated shoppers, the ones you’re pretending to be, they know better. According to a recent study, the elite among us skip past the logos and instead focus on subtle cues like distinctive designs and details to figure out who’s truly high brow. [More]
YMCA Is Now Just 'The Y'
By 7.12.10
Just like the kid in high school who suddenly asked you to stop calling him “Earl” and start calling him “Big E,” the 166-year-old Young Men’s Christian Association no longer wants to be known as YMCA, but simply “The Y.” [More]
Which Products Do You Always Go Generic For?
By 7.8.10
Last month, we asked readers to tell us which food brands had earned their undying loyalty. Now it’s time to go the other way and take a look at those products — not just food this time — that you only buy in their most generic forms. [More]
Brand Fail: Not Just Bagels
By 6.28.10
They may want to think about a new name. (Thanks to Andrew!) [More]
Arby's Is Expanding To Supermarket Shelves
By 6.15.10
Although the Arby’s spokeswoman who talked to the website Nation’s Restaurant News wouldn’t give specifics, she confirmed that in the near future you might see “packaged Arby’s items” in your grocery store. Sadly, it looks like these will be food items and not giant foam hats. [More]
Now You Can Have Your NBA Logo… And Eat It Too
By 5.26.10
Despite the NBA postseason being in its 13th month, basketball fans are still hungry to see their favorite teams. And now they can feed that hunger, literally, as the NBA has licensed the use of team logos on everything from pizzas to toast. [More]
Walmart Wins: Top 10 Most Valuable Retail Brands
By 3.11.10
Interbrand Design Forum– part of a global brand consulting firm– has ranked the top retail brands and guess what? Walmart is most valuable. [More]
Comcast Rebranding Itself As "Xfinity"
By 2.3.10
Comcast has decided to give up and rebrand its cable and internet offerings as “Xfinity,” which to us sounds like a company that would make porn. Sorry, but it does. [More]
China Introduces "Made In China" Campaign
By 1.8.10
China has caught on to the fact that it doesn’t enjoy a stellar reputation over here as a manufacturer of quality goods, especially after the tainted food and product stories of the past few years, so it’s doing what any good profit-minded business would do: running an image rehabilitation campaign. [More]
Men's Health Plagiarizes Their Own Cover (On Purpose)
By 12.11.09
Men’s Health was recently busted for reusing an old cover almost word for word. Now Men’s Health Editor-in- Chief David Zinczenko is telling the NY Post that it wasn’t a mistake, it’s part of a secret awesome branding strategy. [More]
Behold: Laser-Etched Food
By 10.15.09
Look at this picture that Kellogg’s UK posted on its Twitter feed. That’s a bunch of Corn Flakes that have been laser-etched with the Kellogg’s logo. This is the best marriage of food and language since alphabet soup.
