Edwin Heathcote, writing in the Jan. 15, 2011 Financial Times on old British eateries, said: The more everything becomes the same, the more ubiquitous branding begins to grate, the more everything looks like it belongs in a mall – the more Britian’s few surviving “caffs” represent a refuge.’ Heathcote was writing about those British cafes, [...]
Entries from January 2011
Branding: It’s Beginning To Grate on Nerves
January 31st, 2011 · 4 Comments
Tags: Advertising · News
Fiddlestix: The Ideal Toys Brand Resurfaces
January 21st, 2011 · No Comments

The Ideal Toys brand has resurfaced at Big Lots, and on Amazon (see below). Ideal was one of the great American toy companies, and was the maker of one of the classic toys of the 1970s, Toss Across, which was basically a bean bag toss and tic tac toe. Wikipedia’s entry has the company has [...]
Tags: Toys
Tidewater Motor Oil, Washed Up at Cracker Barrel
January 18th, 2011 · 2 Comments

MATHEWS, Va. – For brand archaeologists, the best dig site is Cracker Barrel. They are fascinating museums of America’s business history, not to mention their gift shops filled with old-time brands. Here pictured in a restaurant near Jacksonville, Florida are cans of Tidewater Long Wearing Motor Oil. We thank Catesby Jones of Peace Frogs for [...]
Tags: Energy · Regional Brands
Landor Exec On Word-less Starbucks Nymph
January 10th, 2011 · 1 Comment

We sent some email questions about the new Starbucks logo to a veteran branding executive, Allen Adamson of the New York office of Landor Associates. Above, an explanation of these evolutionary changes from Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. Below, some straightforward explanation from Adamson: BrandlandUSA: What do you think about the changes? Adamson: The changes strengthen [...]
Tags: Fast Food and Franchises
Proctor & Gamble’s 28 Brands That Matter Most
January 3rd, 2011 · 13 Comments

In a discussion about whether Episcopalians believe in purgatory, our parish priest asked us to consider our actions, what we practice. Regularly, we pray for the departed, and if we pray for them, and are serious about it, it means that we believe, by what we do, that we think that these folks have not [...]
Tags: Grocery
Off-Course Airliner Reminds That Piedmont Airlines Lives On
January 1st, 2011 · 1 Comment
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The news that a civilian airliner was a bit off course and went into restricted airspace around Washington, D.C. made a bit of a surprise for many folks in the South. The reason? The plane was listed as a Piedmont Airlines plane, and Piedmont is an airline that many thought had completely [...]
Tags: Airlines