BrandlandUSA

On day one, the meaning of a new brand name can be found in the dictionary (assuming it’s a real word). For a fleeting moment, “Amazon” was a river, “Apple” was a fruit, and “Kindle” conjured fuel for fire. But if early, literal meanings remain over time, the managers of the brands fail. That’s right, [...]

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LOS ANGELES – One of the great modern hotels, The Century Plaza, is potentially going to be demolished. I say potentially because the owner, developer Michael Rosenfeld, is only applying for permission to tear it down for another real estate development. The Hyatt Regency Century Plaza (click on the pool image above to make reservations! [...]

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Most companies don’t want average people in their headquarters. They say that there are “insurance” reasons they don’t have a display in the lobby or that “liability” or “OSHA” or some other rules prevent customers from touring facilities. But we know that is a bunch of bunk. It’s an excuse. Because, frankly, its not a [...]

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UMATILLA, Florida – Saw it with my own eyes. The Elks, that would be the Benevolent Order of Elks, are recruiting members and advertising themselves with Yahoo banner ads. Good job. In our Bowling Alone era, most hereditary and benevolent societies are struggling, and none more struggling than what were traditionally male benevolent groups. All [...]

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GOOCHLAND, VA – There aren’t too many drive-ins left, but some thrive. We can think specifically of Hull’s Drive In of Lexington, Virginia, where a community comes together summer nights to watch movies in their car. Hull’s almost closed, but the community rallied round, and saved the theater. There are many cases like this around [...]

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GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – In the 1970s, BOAC used firms like the architecture firm Gillespie Kidd and Coia to do its regional work. Here, an office in Glasgow. The city ticket office is almost forgotten these days, but were ubiquitous for all carriers until the mid-1980s. If you recall, BOAC was renamed British Airways in the [...]

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SARASOTA – Many of us can recall when IHOP wasn’t cool. Somewhere between 1980 and 1990, the chain got into the category of undesirable. It was so much so that the chain became a joke; comedienne Paula Poundstone’s “IHOP: It was a dream, I made it happen” routine about working at an IHOP came to [...]

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WASHINGTON – The United States Patent and Trademark Office and the National Inventors Hall of Fame and Museum are presenting a special exhibit featuring material from Michael Jackson’s patent and trademark applications. The exhibit is free and runs through Labor Day.Mr. Jackson is the co-inventor of a “system for allowing a shoe wearer to lean [...]

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Pens are important, and so is penmanship, though I don’t have the handwriting I wish I had and wish I had taken courses with the Marion Richardson series. That being said, I do like writing by hand, and like different pens for different things. And I like a fountain pen, though not the expensive ones [...]

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PALM SPRINGS – Any person who owns a silly little motel by the side of the road ought to look at Hope Springs Motel Resort in Palm Springs, California. It’s an utterly nondescript motel that has turned into a Travel & Leisure favorite. The recipe? A hip approach, minimalist design and ultra clean rooms. While [...]

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