We’ve spent some time here discussing the world-famous Coca-Cola brand. Most recently, David Mitchell wrote about the incredible consistency of the Coca-Cola brand over the past 125 years. A while back Dave Taylor wrote a nice Ode to the Brand of Brands, the King of Cola: Coke. And, let’s not forget my humble suggestion that… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: Jason Voiovich
The Great Chocolate War
Posted in Advertising, Branding, Guest Bloggers, Infringement, Law Suits, Marketing, Product Packaging, Trademarks—Jason Voiovich, author of the “State of the Brand” & Vice-President of Marketing for AbleNet, Inc. It sounds like something I’d get wrong in a game of "Trivial Pursuit". Name the belated military attempt of King William I to restore his position as monarch over the Belgians. I might have guessed the delicious-sounding "great chocolate… Continue Reading
Marketing “Made in the USA” in 2010
Posted in Guest Bloggers—Jason Voiovich, Ecra Creative Group I have to admit, I was not prepared. Over the course of five business days last week, I had three separate clients asked my opinion – in one form or another – regarding marketing their products as "made in the USA." I guess everything old is new again. As I… Continue Reading
Got Mammary Gland Excretions?
Posted in Guest Bloggers—Jason Voiovich, Ecra Creative Group Key Points: 1. The National Milk Producers Federation wants the FDA to crack down on plant "milks" (i.e. Silk) using the word "milk" to describe their product. 2. The dairy industry has reason to worry – dairy consumption isn’t quite keeping pace with inflation, the soy milk market (while small)… 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
A Dimming Energy Star
Posted in Branding, Guest Bloggers—by Jason Voiovich, Principal and Co-Founder of Ecra Creative Group I know I looked for it. A little over a year ago, I spent my normal morning shower in about 45 degree water. Needless to say, it was time for a new water heater. Undeterred by the cold for a day or two (my wife was out of… Continue Reading
The (South) Butt of the Joke?
Posted in Branding, First Amendment, Guest Bloggers, Infringement, Law Suits, Marketing, TrademarksWe’ve had a little rash of graphic design comedic parody lately. The first example is the notoriously funny The South Butt and its tagline "Never Stop Relaxing". Of course, this is an obvious knockoff of leading outdoor clothier The North Face and its "Never Stop Exploring" call to action. From a legal perspective, of course,… Continue Reading
Obamatunistic Advertising
Posted in Advertising, Branding, First Amendment, Guest Bloggers, Infringement, MarketingJacket maker Weatherproof Garment Company took advantage of a GQ-style photo of the President standing in front of the picturesque Great Wall of China. The White House was not pleased. Smack in the middle of Times Square in New York – one of the busiest and most-watched intersections on Earth – stood a larger-than-life billboard… Continue Reading
Does False Advertising Pay in the Baby Formula Business?
Posted in Advertising, Food, Guest Bloggers, Law Suits, MarketingFor Mead Johnson, the maker of Enfamil, $13.5 million is a small price to pay to halt the slide towards store brand formula. Some companies just have a knack for rubbing the federal courts the wrong way. Case in point: Baby formula brand Enfamil and its maker, Mead Johnson Nutrition. Last week, a federal court… Continue Reading
Lion’s Tap Shouldn’t Have Sued. At Least Not So Soon.
Posted in Advertising, Almost Advice, Branding, Food, Guest Bloggers, Infringement, Law Suits, Marketing, TrademarksA brief study in how the Lion’s Tap could have had its burger and eaten it too. I have to say, in the interest of full disclosure, I have an irrational love for the Lion’s Tap. Ever since I worked in Eden Prairie back in the 1990s, I’ve been hooked. Fast forward the better part of… Continue Reading
The Case of the Screwed Screw Maker
Posted in Advertising, Branding, Guest Bloggers, Infringement, Marketing, TrademarksMy business partner just finished building his deck. In addition to the bureaucratic ordeal, that is obtaining permitting, he decided to go the extra frustrating mile and install composite deck boards versus treated wood. Fair enough. There was just one little wrinkle: Normal deck screws will "mushroom" on you unless they are pre-drilled, or worse,… Continue Reading
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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...
Dan Kelly
You can call me a “non-traditional” attorney, which is a polite way of saying that I did not attend law school straight out of college. I spent five of my first six years after college as a junior high school teacher. The other year I worked as an engineer for a large corporation. More...
Sharon Armstrong
Voted most likely to become an actress while in pre-school, I don’t think I surprised anyone by becoming a lawyer, the steadiest professional gig open to those with a flair for the dramatic. 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...
Catlan McCurdy
Having long been told by my parents that I could do or be anything I wanted, I chose at the age of 10 to become an attorney, as it was the career that would most likely lead me to my goal of becoming the first woman POTUS.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...
Susan Perera
Born into the world with an aptitude for science and an affinity for art I found my career path quickly chosen for me. More...
Joy S. Newborg
When I took a personality/career test in high school to determine which path in life I should follow, I was told I should either be in broadcast journalism or law. So after I went to undergraduate school for broadcast journalism and film/television, I went on to obtain my law degree from the University of Minnesota. More...
Laura Gutierrez
An attorney I am not. Though told to become one, I don't possess those qualities needed to be an effective one (I lack confrontation skills, and although I can write a great argumentative essay, I can’t argue outside a sheet of paper). More...