First, the curiosity, when you see a gaggle of characters and then notice they all have “tip purses” in some form with their respective costumes, beware. In a visit with a media company in Times Square (Viacom specifically) we had to pass a few of these characters who were looking to have their photo taken… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: Aaron Keller
But Aaron, What if the Name Was Trim?
Posted in Advertising, Branding, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, TrademarksAaron Keller’s keen branding and naming points yesterday — prompted by his recent encounter with a physician by the name of Dr. Cure, are well taken. Building upon that +5 naming scale theme, with a surname like Trim, especially if it is Will Trim, you might expect a personal trainer at one of the local health clubs,… Continue Reading
Who Stole My [Pinned] Art?
Posted in Guest Bloggers—Aaron Keller, Principal at Capsule Art, design and all that is valuable in this area has always been an interest of Capsule’s. We are in what some call the “graphic arts” business and while we never use that phrase, our appreciation for art is always present. In the last couple of weeks there have been… Continue Reading
When it Comes to Guest Blogging: Fine or Just Fine?
Posted in Branding, False Advertising, Food, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, TrademarksIn many contexts of our life experience, "fine" sadly seems to have drifted toward embodying mediocrity. Consider this all too common dialogue: "How are you?" "Oh, I’m fine." Or, perhaps, "Just fine." Translation: "O.K.," "average," "acceptable," "passable," "satisfactory," "I can’t complain," "I’ve been better," or maybe "could be much better" . . . . After all, how interested or… Continue Reading
A New Year’s Resolution: Really?
Posted in Guest Bloggers—Aaron Keller, Principal at Capsule Many aspire to improve our individual place in the world. Aspiration is good. There is nothing wrong with aspiring to something more than you currently are. But, when it comes to a strong brand, being honest with yourself is more important than stretching to a place you may or may… Continue Reading
Webinar: Hot Marketing Topics with Trademark & Legal Implications
Posted in Branding, Genericide, Guest Bloggers, Look-For Ads, Loss of Rights, Marketing, Non-Traditional Trademarks, Product Configurations, Product Packaging, TrademarksLast week I had the distinct pleasure of participating in a ninety-minute webinar with my good friend, frequent and eloquent guest-blogger on DuetsBlog – Aaron Keller of Capsule – complete with some friendly banter on the following: "Hot Marketing Topics with Trademark and Legal Implications." Minnesota Continuing Legal Education has generously provided a link where the webinar can be viewed in its entirety, here. As you’ll… Continue Reading
The Smell of Fear
Posted in Branding, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Non-Traditional Trademarks, Smell, Touch—Aaron Keller, Principal at Capsule During this time of year there are plenty of fright “experiences” where you can drag a loved one into a heart thumping confrontation of fear. These experiences are elaborately designed and those who attend know the rules, like “this one doesn’t allow the characters to touch you.” Apparently others do… Continue Reading
Vote Jank or Swank for Better Design
Posted in Guest Bloggers—Aaron Keller, Principal at Capsule From our inception, Capsule has been seeking a definition of good design. You may even say we’ve been a bit obsessed. Why? If we can define what good design is, we may be able to more readily identify bad design. It means saying one thing is good and one bad,… Continue Reading
Can You Put Toothpaste Back in a Tube?
Posted in Guest Bloggers—Aaron Keller, Principal at Capsule We produce intellectual property. We use our brains, our hands and our hearts to design engaging experiences for our clients. Whether its a package design, a logo or a name, we pour passion into creating intellectual property. So, here’s an interesting story and we’d like to get a perspective on… Continue Reading
Is That a Brand or a Can on Your Belt?
Posted in Branding, Guest Bloggers, Trademarks—Aaron Keller, Principal at Capsule It is known in a small circle that I began collecting belt buckles a few years back after visiting the Jack Daniels distillery and working with the Jack Daniels brand. So, when I travel, I try to pick up a buckle. When I find myself at flee markets or garage… Continue Reading
FUSE: Sharing Extraordinary Experiences
Posted in Guest Bloggers—Aaron Keller, Principal, Capsule We partook in the sharing and enjoyed the conversations. The FUSE Conference, is not about splintering. It also isn’t about specialization or close-minded thinking. FUSE is about the disciplines of design, marketing, brand and research being brought together in a way that makes for a more engaged consumer, audience or customer…. Continue Reading
A Gunslinger’s Trademark
Posted in Guest Bloggers, Trademark Bullying—Aaron Keller, Managing Principal, Capsule Both a modern and a historical crime unintentionally depicted on the one belt buckle. You’ve heard of the Jesse James gang, immortalized by their crimes and ability to epitomize the culture of our great western states. One day, back when the James brothers were in the business of crime and… Continue Reading
Whip Me Please. Don’t Ask.
Posted in Branding, Guest Bloggers, Marketing—Aaron Keller, Capsule How do you feel when you’re being a bit indulgent? Guilty, perhaps. Sometimes it’s just something small, something you can enjoy without too much of an afterthought. The whipped cream atop your favorite coffee house (low fat) drink might be one of those treats. It is for me. But recently I’ve noticed… Continue Reading
The Designed Economy
Posted in Branding, Marketing, Trademarks—Aaron Keller, Managing Principal at Capsule The pattern of our society evolving from agrarian to manufacturing to service economy has been identified by many authors (Joseph Pine and Joe Gilmore being my favorites). Now, the next economy has been predicted to be everything from the information economy, the digital economy, the experience economy and many… Continue Reading
The Crowd Versus the Dream Team
Posted in Guest Bloggers—Aaron Keller, Managing Principal at Capsule This is a rant. Beware and hide your eyes if your ears turn red. Why a rant? Because I’m wondering when average became great. For that matter, when did average become good? I’m not sure, but it seems like that’s what we’re striving for today: average. Let me explain… Continue Reading
Sharing Accolades
Posted in Branding, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, TrademarksWe are humbled to share some more exciting news with you. Invesp’s list of the Top 100 Branding Blogs includes DuetsBlog, here. Thank you very much! OnlineDegree Blog has named the 50 Best Blogs for Creative Thinking, and ranked DuetsBlog as #10 on the list. Many thanks for the kind words and the strong vote of confidence!… Continue Reading
Lady Gaga and Bad Blake: Which is the More Authentic Individual Brand?
Posted in Guest Bloggers—Aaron Keller, Capsule In the movie “Crazy Heart,” Bad Blake is asked about authentic country music and whether Tommy Sweet was “real” country. With his hatred for Tommy, he still gave him the authentic country nod. Kind words, but really what is an authentic brand when it comes to an individual star like Bad Blake… Continue Reading
The Merger of Two Great Cities
Posted in Branding, Guest Bloggers, MarketingAn open call for change. Change where it counts, in brands. Don’t read this if you have a closed mind and can’t imagine a different future beyond tomorrow. You know who you are, this will make you cringe and we don’t need that on our conscience. For the remaining, take a minute to consider… Continue Reading
Know What You Mean, Mean What You Know (You Know What I Mean?)
Posted in Guest BloggersThe story of Kentucky Fried Chicken is a fascinating one for certain. Imagine you manage a brand that has "fried" in the name when an entire culture deems that word to be equal to an early death. The meaning of your name has changed, right under your feet. So what do you do? Change… Continue Reading
Experiences of an Altered Reality
Posted in Branding, Copyrights, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Sight, TrademarksAn entire experience designed as an altered reality. Sounds like science fiction, but drop yourself into Las Vegas and you will likely see the world from a new perspective. The full bombardment of your senses is real but nothing around you really is. You feel real marble inside palaces meant to emulate palaces in Rome…. Continue Reading
Is Naming a Billion Dollar Entity Different Than a Million Dollar One?
Posted in Guest BloggersCapsule recently helped name an international spin-off from Fiserv (a $10 billion business), now called StoneRiver and comprising one billion dollars in revenue. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to compare that process with our experience naming a million dollar business in the promotions category: Sidecar. Now that both projects are successfully completed, we can certainly… Continue Reading
Branded, Outlaw Style: “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.”
Posted in Branding, Famous Marks, Guest BloggersThank you, Mr. Eastwood, for all that you continue to do. Don’t worry, this isn’t the typical, mundane comparison between branding cattle and branding your next product. We can all agree; that metaphor has had its time. No, this is about the importance of the number three, the triad. Much of our scientific, mathematical, political… Continue Reading
Squirrels Know A Lot About Protecting Their Nuts
Posted in Guest BloggersMeet Duey, the squirrel. Protector of essential assets. He came to life in a conversation about the wonderful nuggets of creativity we find [when we’re lucky] and those who spend their career protecting these organizational assets. Stephen Baird is the ever-present Intellectual Property attorney with a special affection for Trademarks – he and his creative… Continue Reading
Duets Blog Authors
Steve Baird
Just so you know, I'm all about brands and the law, both professionally and personally. I regularly annoy family and friends in retail stores by focusing on product labels—not to buy the product, but to read the fine print and ask, "Who owns these brands" and "Did they really register those marks?" More...
Brent Lorentz
Although I wish I could say my path to the law was the result of a lifelong dream or calling, it was more the result mere curiosity and an affinity for leather-bound books. More...
Tiffany Blofield
Although my initial career path was to be one of the Supremes (not the musically talented ones with platform shoes and sequins, but rather, the nine wearing sensible shoes and pressed black robes in DC), I will likely stay in Minnesota as I have never lived anywhere else. More...
Brad Walz
My law career started on the ice…as a defensive hockey player (we’re not talking professionally…and if I were, I probably wouldn’t have gotten into law). More...
Derek Allen
In hindsight, writing about creativity and the law may have always been in the cards for me. I began training for a career in litigation at an early age by finding ways to disagree with pretty much anyone about pretty much anything. In my longest-running “case,” I argued with my middle school math teacher, Mrs. Jabs, for the better part of four years over whether, even if I got the right answer, I had to show my work to get full credit. More...
Martha Engel
Although my interest in gadgetry and my aptitude for math eventually led me to become an engineer, my ad executive father and artistically gifted mother fostered an appreciation for the creative from a young age. More...
Anjali Shankar
When I was in elementary and middle school, I loved writing short stories. Creativity and imagination seem to come naturally to people when they are young. More...
Timothy Sitzmann
I have always considered myself to be a creative person. Full disclosure: I'm not claiming that I've created anything good, merely that I have created things that exist.More...
Cathleen Dahl
Trademarks and I met through a small job advertisement in the back of a local newspaper, and little did I know that I would spend the next 18 years (and counting) deriving a living from their existence and importance. More...