If you were at a country club pool in the 1960s or 1970s, you would likely see toddlers swimming about with little bubble floats on their backs. In some cases they were plain styrofoam, but in many cases they were more stylish and fabric covered version, from a brand calledMORE HERE
MIAMI – The late Sylvester “Pat” Weaver, the innovative NBC president responsible for the Today and Tonight shows, had a saying about Today. It was a show you could not kill, no matter what. Bad hosts, bad producers, off stories, competition..no worries! It was such a good idea that itMORE HERE
TAMPA – Since 1921, Navier A has been a classic for cafe con leche. It’s named for the shipping line that brought founder Carlos Menendez to the U.S. In 1921, Carlos Menendez, a Spanish immigrant, founded the Naviera Coffee Mills, named for the shipping lines that brought him to America.MORE HERE
One of the most venerable names in American inventing and entrepreneurship is Powel Crosley (1886-1961), an innovator who is credited with the first economy car, the first fax machine and the first lighted baseball field. Pictured here is the Crosley car, seen at an auto show on St. Armand’s CircleMORE HERE
Israel does it. Virginia does it. Britain does it. Italy does it. They even do it on Marco Island, where old native Calusa artifacts helps to define an image of the city, and the Southwest Florida kingdom that they used to rule. It’s archeology, and it’s a very under-used weaponMORE HERE
BRADENTON – Pepsico CEO Indra K. Nooyi appeared on CNBC after Davos, talking about how the company was seeking healthier options for snack foods. Pepsico was going healthy. Really healthy, which would bring to mind new versions of Quaker Oats or some such. But when BrandlandUSA spotted these Tropicana tangerinesMORE HERE
FOUR OAKS, N.C. -One of the many historic meal and flour brands is House-Autry, founded in 1812. The brand dates from 1812 in Newton Grove, North Carolina. Later, the mill grew and merged with Autry Brothers Mill Company in 1967 to form House-Autry Mills. They opened a 2001 mill inMORE HERE
SARASOTA – At the Mote Marine Aquarium here, there is a small cabinet of shark repellent brands. During World War II, the Navy tried to come up with ideas, and numerous brands were launched. They didn’t survive. The reality was that so many tens of thousands of men were sailingMORE HERE
MIAMI – There could not have been a more perfect Florida ambassador, and airline, than National Airlines. When the “Sunshine Airline” merged into Pan American World Airways in 1980, a uniquely Florida institution was lost. It was the first major airline that promoted a state as its marketing position andMORE HERE
Advertisers and agencies get so obsessed with technology in advertising that we forget that there is still effective analog advertising. One such concept is Sarasota’s I Pedal Ads, a bicycle-powered billboard. In most areas, zoning and sign restrictions have become so severe that there are fewer and fewer ways toMORE HERE