When Bad Names Happen to Good People

A few words of advice for what not to do...

Seven Deadly Sins of Company Naming Changes

Fascinating Web Site ...

...for all design geeks. Brand New dissects corporate and brand identity re-designs. With an active roster of catty commenters, it can be a bit addicting. For a truly guilty pleasure, check out the reaction to the new 5/3 work.

Also great for case studies.

Brand New

Take Two

Chicago's Rising Star

Como se dice?

"The estimate worked up by the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies for 2007 is $928 billion. Those are dollars spent inside this country by Hispanic consumers, American-born citizens as well as green-card residents and the undocumented, on things they want or need: batteries, iPods, laundry soap, lawn chairs, motor oil, Bulova watches, new-home loans, Volvos, takeout pizza, cellphones, power saws, swimming pools, deodorant, airline tickets and plasma TV’s. It’s $200 billion more than was spent two years ago. Propelled by continuous immigration and larger family size, the dual factors that are making the Hispanic population multiply faster than any other in the United States, the spending figure is expected to top a trillion dollars within the next three years."

How Do You Say ‘Got Milk’ en Español?

Hey, Who Hi-Jacked My Brand?

"Throughout the day we asked three key questions: 1) What does it mean to no longer have creative control of your brand? 2) How does social media enable new forms of co-creation? 3) How can your customers become your biggest allies in the creation of new ideas? There were no easy answers, but two consistent and valuable themes surfaced."

Feeling Trashed on the Web?

Today in Logo Tweaks

NFL to revamp shield with redesigned logo

Your Moment of Zen

Almost, but Not Quite

Archives of history reveal failed uni designs

Design Matters

"There is, however, compelling evidence that in the aggregate, companies that excel in design kick some serious butt in the market that matters most to investors: the stock market. The data comes from the London-based Design Council, a publicly funded research organization that promotes the role of design in Britain. The Council reports that over a ten-year period, from 1995 to 2004, 61 "design-led" businesses outperformed the Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 by more than 200%."

Proving Design Moves Markets
The Value of Design Factfinder

Tone it Down

"It's possible to take this Brand Voice thing too far, to the point where it feels like you're in some dodgy sci-fi movie (The Fifth Element? Total Recall?) where, to establish that we're in the future, when the hero wakes up in the morning in his futurepad, everything from his alarm clock to his coffee machine talks to him in a Star Trek computer voice."

could your brand voice please shut up?

Sign o' the Times

"The Federal Highway Administration granted Clearview interim approval in 2004, meaning that individual states are free to begin using it in all their road signs. More than 20 states have already adopted the typeface, replacing existing signs one by one as old ones wear out."

The Road to Clarity

The Limited

"It might seem strange to kill off a product at the peak of its popularity. But for Pepsi, Ice Cucumber was largely a marketing stunt: a way to generate buzz for the brand in what is arguably the world's most cutthroat beverage market."

Fad Marketing's Balancing Act

Gangsta

More PUPPET AGENCY!

Seller's Market?

"Procter & Gamble Co. delivered the goods by hitting its top-line growth target and beating analyst earnings projections by a penny last quarter, but it isn't yet delivering big divestitures of slower-growing brands some analysts have been expecting."

P&G's Slowing Sales Growth Fuels Calls for Divestitures

OOH ... in Your Ipod

Plan B?

"Not long ago, planners were the undisputed rock stars of the agency business. But they're now mere mortals in "the middle of the maelstrom of everything going on"

Account Planners at a Crossroads

Survey Says ...

The Top 100 Brands

Chasing Technology

"That's why Continuum, IDEO, ZIBA and other design/innovation consultancies and being drawn into the brand business (IDEO just opened in New York, the land of the brand). With their deep roots in design tools and methodologies that are ethnographic and anthropological, they have a different way of connecting to the consumer ... What ad agencies need to learn is how to do this. They have to connect their clients to their customers, not the latest technology."

Are Big Ad Agencies So Clueless That Corporations Should Avoid Them?

So Much for the 'Seafood Lover in You'

"Kim Lopdrup, president of Red Lobster, says that the marketing initiative is part of a three-stage effort to revamp the brand. The first phase involved improving operations so that customers got what they ordered and did not have to wait too long. The second phase is aimed at changing the public image and perception. The third part will be dedicated to increasing sales at existing restaurants and perhaps adding locations."

In the Kitchen and on the Airwaves, Red Lobster Gets a Makeover