Uber, the popular brand that helps people arrange prompt ground transportation, is now also being called a verb. The Star Tribune recently reported that the founder of iHail, a recent competitor of Uber in the Twin Cities market, would like to achieve the same anointed status: “I want iHail to become a verb,
A Trademark Spinning Out of Control?
With the upcoming 2012 presidential election, this is the time during our American political cycle where spinning is almost a sport — at least an expected activity. Puns intended, as you’ll see.
Over the last several years, I’ve heard my wife speak about “spinning classes” at a local health club (mind you, not at
Lacking Credibility
I’ll have to say, I really enjoyed Aaron Keller’s guest post from yesterday. In addition to the valuable insights he provided, it got me thinking about some perhaps unrelated, but parallel topics of likely interest to legal and marketing types.
Aaron wrote about the importance of a brand being honest with itself and others. He expressed the
Webinar: Hot Marketing Topics with Trademark & Legal Implications
Last 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
Visa Branding: A Combined Alpha & Brand Verbing Alert
We have been following the truncation trend to single-letter branding symbols for some time now.
Visa appears to be heading in this direction with the relatively new V logo:
Based on trademark filings at the USPTO, it appears Visa began using this single-letter V logo by itself back in 2008 with the launch of
When You Verb Your Trademark, You Know What?
Well, perhaps more than just about every trademark use guideline in existence, including those offered by the International Trademark Association (INTA) ("NEVER use a trademark as a verb"):
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(television commercial link on Youtube here)
Maybe because you have been following the trademark verbing dialogue here on DuetsBlog and you have learned all
Riding the Brandverb Wagon Without a Seat Belt
I heard a radio spot the other day for Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based department store retailer Kohl’s:
"The More You Know, The More You Kohl’s."
Apparently not a new example of brandverbing, yet it continues, despite the ridicule of being called "The Absolute DUMBEST Slogan Ever," enduring grammatical criticism from at least one
This is How You Verb Your Brand
Recovering from a nasty bout of walking pneumonia over the last couple of days, I probably spent more time (at least, mindless time) in front of the television than the last several months combined.
One thing that caught my eye during a brief and surprisingly mindful moment while I suffered was another brand to recently jump on the brandverb
Verbing the DirecTV Brand Name
Yet another brand name and trademark being promoted as a verb in the tagline or signature at the end of each television commercial: "Don’t Just Watch TV. DirecTV."
For more on the subject of trademark verbing and the risk of genericide:
How Realistic is the Risk of Trademark Genericide?
The Grand Marshal in the Parade of Horribles, at least for some trademark types, is the one who forbids any deviation from the absolute "rule" against using brand names and trademarks as nouns or verbs, a standard "rule" commonly found in trademark use guidelines (only permitting the use of trademarks as adjectives). As I have written