Sporting Brands

New Wilson Tennis Collection Echoes Classic 50s Tennis Designs

CHICAGO – The era of excessively droopy or excessively tight sportswear may be reaching its conclusion,

Keds Updates Branding, Color after DSW Purchase

NEW YORK – The sneaker brand Keds announced what they called a “brand refresh” this week. The Keds shoe brand has an updated logo in a newer shade of blue, in a promotional push coming after DSW’s purchase of the rubber shoe pioneer from Wolverine Worldwide. “The brand refresh is rooted

Puma, Brother To Adidas, Celebrates History in Anniversary Year

HERZOGENAURACH, Germany–The athletic shoe company Puma will turn 75 in 2023 and will celebrate its milestones with a series of events throughout the year under the banner of ‘Forever Faster’. “Puma’s founder Rudolf Dassler spoke about giving his athletes the agility and performance of a big cat, today we call

It’s All Downhill. Celebrating Regional Ski Shop & Vintage Ski Brands

As the ski craze hit America in the 1960s and 1970s, almost every city in the U.S. had an independent ski shop, filled with dozens of independent ski brands. These shops were sometimes ski and sports stores, other times ski and surf shops. It all depended on the climate, the

Auto

Chrysler Design Director at Lime Rock Signals Possible Future for Brand

LAKEVILLE, CONN. – Chrysler will be the honored car brand at this year’s Lime Rock racetrack and the Lime Rock Park Historic Festival, set for Aug. 31 to Sept. 4 in northeast Connecticut. The marque, which has suffered from a paucity of models, will produce its last 300, the 2023

China Promotes New MG Model In Europe

Candy & Snack Brands

Candy & Snack Brands

Briefly: Planters Continues to Expand Nut Line

Pepsi Logo Redesign Goes Back to All Caps

Petition Asks for Rescue of Traditional Life Savers Sweet Story Book

Bazooka Gum Gang Chews On 75 Year Anniversary

Hostess Brands Logo Has New Look, Same Heart

RC Tries Dollar Berry Brand Extension

Mars Seeks Entries for U.S. Chocolate History Research, Interpretation

Media

Brand Placement in the Christmas Movie Home Alone

For fans of the first Home Alone, brands that appear in the movie are part of the nostalgia. Each year, as we see the movie, we are transported back to the Reagan era. In spite of the three decades, however, the brands are fairly consistent. The brands help define the

History

Bulova Still Makes Time at U.S. Department Stores

Bulova, among the earliest U.S. wristwatch makers, still has a presence at U.S. department stores. Unfortunately, it is no longer a U.S. brand as Citizen Watch Co. Ltd., a Japanese watchmaker, acquired the company in 2008. The brand is one of the surviving American watch brands, which included a pantheon

Homer Formby Brand Needs Restoration After Minwax Shellacking

Minwax and parent Sherwin Williams have shuttered the beloved Homer Formby furniture refinishing brand. With the closing, a whole approach to conserving furniture has disappeared. An online search for the brand, eponymously named by America’s most famous furniture fixer, refers customers to a defunct web page for the Sherwin Williams

Belcrest, New Jersey Maker of China, and the Nescafe Mug

This week, John Kelly of The Washington Post reminisced about the clear Nescafe globe mug, famous from 1970s commercials. Kelly was kind enough to mention a column on General Foods International Coffee, which is still sold as Maxwell House International Coffee. One of Kelly’s readers, in a comment, mentioned the

Chemex Coffee Maker Celebrates 80 Years, James Bond to Doris Day

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Chemex drip coffee maker, that perfect symbol of 20th century product design, celebrates its 80th anniversary this year. The coffeemaker, created in 1941, is still made in the U.S., by a family owned company. The product is deceptively simple, namely an X-shaped beaker. The beaker has

What Happened to the Mongol, America’s Most Popular Pencil?

“Buy only the best pencils. The others are a snare, a delusion and utterly useless.” -Eberhard Faber II The book Quintessence, published in 1983, profiled a series of American products that were perfect, and could not be improved. One of those brands, along with Coca-Cola, Slinky, Oreo and the Cartier

A&P Centennial Stores Live On

The year 1959 was the 100th anniversary of A&P, the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company. Eisenhower was president. America was atop the world, as was A&P, which at that time was the largest grocery chain in the world. The company, never looking back except to evoke its own greatness,

Bab-o, New York Legacy of Babbitt’s Best Soap

QUINCY, Ill. – One of the best known, but forgotten, kitchen cleaners of the 20th century is Bab-O. Today, the brand is a trademark and product of, and a perfect complement to, the cleaning products of the family owned Fitzpatrick Brothers of Quincy, Illinois. Their operating manifesto? A business with

Decoupage Lessons from the Grooviest Paste, Mod Podge

ATLANTA – One of the happier trademarks in the U.S. is Mod Podge, the decoupage coating. Georgia entrepreneuse and interior designer Jan Wetstone, whose Buckhead shop Jan’s Interiors is shown as the original owner of the brand, invented the Mod-Podge in 1965. Note that it was first trademarked with a

Department Stores

Department Stores

Rodbell rejoins Hudson’s Bay

Department Stores

Briefly: Belk Expands Outlet Network

Department Stores

Neiman Marcus Group Announces Job Cuts, Two Promotions

Department Stores

Hudson’s Bay Company Still Offers Downtown Toronto Displays

Bloomindales history Library of Congress archival
Department Stores

Bloomingdale’s Begins 150 Year Celebration Promotions Across Nation

Department Stores

Store Visit: JCPenney Tuned Up for Shopping

Magros tito Yugoslavia commie retail
Department Stores

U.S. Retail Shortages and Commie Command Economy Consumerism

Health, Beauty

Brutish Old Deodorants of the Bottom Row Still Find Customers

Many powerful brands lose their shelf space, and end up shuttered or at least diminished. But there is one category where many smaller brands have survived, and even thrived. Underarm deodorant and anti-perspirant. At a Florida Publix, the power of these brands is evidenced by the fact that even in

Sucrets: Since 1932, Tins Hold Answer to Sore Throats, Mystery Items

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. – Of the many cold and sore throat remedies, there is one brand, Sucrets, that has a mystery and lore about it larger than its original use. Not only are Sucret lozenges valued as a relief for sore throats, the tins well outlast the original product, and are

Consumers Rarely See Red Crosses at Johnson & Johnson

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – There are perhaps no American brands that are more trusted than Johnson & Johnson. A key part of the J&J brand identity, other than their blood red color and the trademark Johnson & Johnson script, is the company’s red Greek cross logo. Since 1888, the company

Mr. Bubble Brand Renovation Cleans Up

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minnesota – Care and attention to the important identity elements of a historic brand can make the difference between a moderately successful brand using its history as a crutch, and long-term successful brand with a future. The case of Mr. Bubble, owned by The Village Company, is the

Q-Tips Begin Centennial History Promotion

The humble Q-Tip, that cotton swab on a stick, celebrates 100 years in 2023. In preparation, the brands owner, Unilever, has released centennial packaging, seen in stores, including Publix. That the centennial info is before the actual year is the smart thing for a brand; you can use the century

Colgate’s ‘By Mennen’ Brand Still Resonates

For generations, the Mennen brand, now part of Colgate-Palmolive, was synonymous with mens’ and babies’ products, from baby oil to Speed Stick, Afta to Skin Bracer. Today, as the Colgate-Palmolive board meets for its annual meeting, it would do well to reconsider the value of the Mennen brand and company

Prid Salve

Prid Drawing Salve, An Old School Apothecary Remedy

There is a class of basic home remedies, still around, that one could have found at a Main Street independent pharmacy a century ago. One of those classics, often forgotten, is the drawing salve Smile’s Prid. Prid, which dates from 1947, treats blisters and boils, and other noxious conditions one

Clothing, Apparel

Underwear Brand Undercuts Fatherhood in Father’s Day Promo

DENVER – One can never underestimate the cynical desperation for a company to come up a Father’s Day promotion. Shinesty, the underwear maker, is encouraging men to get a vasectomy as a special “severance package.” The company is giving away five vasectomies at $1,000 each, and hoping that its product

Dining & Restaurants

Gloucester and Jacksonville Chipotle Prototypes Include Support for Local Produce

No Longer a Big Boy, Shoney’s Restaurant Chain Is Growing Again at 75

A Timeline of Top Southern Fried Chicken Brands on Popeyes 50 Year Anniversary

Briefly: Cracker Barrel Goes Hollywood; Piola Pizza Miami; Chi-Chi’s; Chicken Salad Chick

Briefly: Guinness Set to Open Taproom in Chicago

Briefs: IHOP Canada, Whataburger Academy Apparel, Schlotsky’s Expansion

Detroit in History and Commerce by Rogers & Thorpe 1891

New Italian Owner for Manitowoc Ice, Garland Stove and Frymaster

Gas, Oil, Energy

Gas, Oil & Energy

Electric Charger Network Expands Shell Retail Brand Footprint

Gas, Oil & Energy

Mobil 1 Supports Roadside Route 66 Preservation

Gas, Oil & Energy

Briefly: NACCO Rocks New Look for Corporate, Coal, Mining & Mitigation Units

Gas, Oil & Energy

BP Finally Brings Back Amoco

Gas, Oil & Energy

Texaco Still A Strong Brand

Gas, Oil & Energy

Gulf Stops Keep Going in America

Gas, Oil & Energy

Top Insecticide and Fungicide Brands

Retail Brands

Retailing

Xmas Retail Needs More Advent and a “12 Days” Approach

Retailing

Localized Retail Signage Makes the Brand Difference in Suburbs

Retailing

Wayfair’s Normie Christmas is the New Edgy

Retailing

Hip Pocket and the Regional Levi’s Jean Store

Retailing

People: New Ace Hardware Board; Foot Locker’s WSS

Retailing

True Value Stores Set to Celebrate 75 Years of Main Street Hardware

Retailing

Shovel Worthy Hardware: Home Depot, Lowe’s Can Do a Better Job at Sustainability

Soap & Cleaning

Soap

New Owners of Joy See Themselves Moving from Sink to Dishwasher

Soap

She’s No Longer Soaking in It: Palmolive Liquid Loses the Madge Manicure Hand

Soap

Updating the Century Old Ajax: Q&A With Richard Palmer, Little Big Brands

Soap

Ajax Leverages Venerable Brand for New EU Product

Soap

Bab-o, New York Legacy of Babbitt’s Best Soap

Soap

Bon Ami Redesign Gives Chick Some Details

Soap

Bar Keeper’s Friend, Historic Cleaner Since 1882

Soap

P&G’s Chipso Detergent, Swept Up in Tide

Soap

Parsons the Classic American Ammonia

Soap

On the Shelves: From Ivory to Cigarette Machines to Krispy Kreme Candles

Grocery Shelf Brands

Grocery

Cold Cut Culture: The Demographics of Grocery Hanging Sandwich Meat

Grocery

Dr. Casey Means and the Future of Great American Food Brands

Grocery

Smucker Buys Hostess and Brands Like Twinkies, HoHos

Grocery

Hey McCormick: Candy Does Not Need To Be in Every Food

Grocery

Design Rule: The Package Front Sells; the Side Tells.

Grocery

Tillamook Sponsors Themed Cream Area at Portland Airport

Grocery

Louis Sherry, Caterer and Hotelier to New York’s Gilded Age

Airline Brands

Airlines

Hawaiian Airlines Upgrades Approach to Branding; Debuts Teague Design for New 787s

Airlines

Vintage Pan Am Ads Online; Historic Gala Weekend in November Unveils Worldport Diorama

Airlines

Seaplane Service Begins Again in Tailwind Manhattan-Boston Route

Airlines

Southwest Celebrates 50 Years with 50 Stars, 13 Stripes

Eastern airlines new livery
Airlines

Eastern Airlines Flies Again

Airlines

Eerily Prescient United Ad from 1989 That Gives Recovery Route Map

Airlines

Lockheed Martin and the Last StarLifter, The Hanoi Taxi

Bulova, among the earliest U.S. wristwatch makers, still has a presence at U.S. department stores. Unfortunately, it is no longer a U.S. brand as Citizen Watch Co. Ltd., a Japanese watchmaker, acquired the company in 2008. The brand is one of the surviving American watch brands, which included a pantheonMORE HERE

There is an odd transposition an advertising, namely the change in race roles in television commercials. The change came firmly about during race riots in the wake of George Floyd, but it had been brewing for some time. That advertisers use race as a part of their marketing has beenMORE HERE

PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD – The House of Angostura, maker of Angostura Bitters, will celebrate its 200 year anniversary this year, in 2024. The brand dates from 1824, when it was created in Venezuela as a medicinal tincture by Dr. Johann Seigert, surgeon general in Simon Bolivar’s army. In theMORE HERE

Not too long ago, beers from Britain were in almost every single U.S. grocery store. Bass Ale was a staple of almost every supermarket in the 1990s. But go into a store today, and they are nowhere to be found. The craft brewing and IPA movement completely pushed these beersMORE HERE

For fans of the first Home Alone, brands that appear in the movie are part of the nostalgia. Each year, as we see the movie, we are transported back to the Reagan era. In spite of the three decades, however, the brands are fairly consistent. The brands help define theMORE HERE

TORONTO – Hudson’s Bay today announced the appointment of retail veteran Liz Rodbell as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective December 1, 2023. Rodbell previously served as President of Hudson’s Bay from 2013 – 2017, being appointed to the top position for her strategic oversight and impact on the overallMORE HERE