Irony is something I enjoy capturing, as you already know, especially when it comes to branding. Take this recent image from my favorite hot dog joint in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Yesterdog: Note the vintage Drink Coca-Cola signage on the wall, directly behind the modern soft drink fountain, delivering only Pepsi products, to my great disappointment. Now,… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: Coke
Christmas Coke Can Kerfuffle
Posted in Branding, Food, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Product Packaging—Randall Hull, The Br@nd Ranch® Last November a polar-white holiday Coke design forced Coca-Cola to kick the can off store shelves after a swift and vocal backlash from Coke imbibers. The endothermic reaction was like they had changed their formula or something. Oh yea, they did that already. The arctic can design lasted only a… Continue Reading
Exposing Two-Face Brands
Posted in AlphaWatch, Branding, Goodwill, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, TrademarksI’m not talking about brands that say one thing and do another. I’m not talking about brands that don’t live up to their promise. I’m literally talking about brands with two faces. One face may be confident, complicated, technical, professional, and/or formal. Let’s call him, Stephen. The other face might be friendly, simple, approachable, engaging, and/or informal… Continue Reading
G Doesn’t Grasp Successful Marketing
Posted in AlphaWatch, Branding, Food, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Product Packaging, TrademarksIn November, I wrote about how Gatorade’s 2009 re-branding as G has been a complete failure. G was an ill-conceived approach to slowing sales in 2007 and 2008. It damaged brand equity, confused consumers and didn’t reverse the trend of falling unit sales. In the final paragraph of my last blog, I noted that PepsiCo… Continue Reading
Gatorade-Powerade False Advertising Case Resolved, For Now
Posted in Advertising, Agreements, AlphaWatch, Branding, Dilution, Famous Marks, Food, Law Suits, Marketing, TruncationYou may recall the Gatorade v. Powerade false advertising lawsuit filed by a Pepsico entity (Stokely-Van Camp, Inc.) against rival The Coca-Cola Company back in April, discussed here (with a copy of the complaint). You also may recall how G scored an F in the courtroom, back in August, losing a hotly contested motion for… Continue Reading
A Shack by Any Other Name…
Posted in Advertising, Branding, Guest Bloggers, Marketing, Trademarks, TruncationRadioShack recently introduced a new name, rebranding its stores "The Shack", which now adorns their retail environment and marketing efforts. The change was prompted by a desire to update the 88-year-old brand as they transition to mobile phone and wireless products without losing brand equity and mind-share, according to RadioShack. As Dan Neil of the Los… Continue Reading
Does Anyone Remember Spy vs. Spy?
Posted in Branding, Famous Marks, Marketing, TelevisionIf you’ve been tuning in to any television programming over the past months, it’s more likely than not that you have encountered a Coke vs. Coke Zero commercial. These commercials cleverly pit representatives of Coca-Cola against Coke Zero because Coke Zero has “misappropriated” Coca-Cola’s flavor in a low-cal drink. The commercials provide entertaining theories from taste infringement… 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...