Health experts have lined up to pillory the KFC Double Down for encouraging irresponsible eating. But it also marks the latest in a string of ads that try to appeal to masculinity.
Brands
What makes a company “cool”?
How do companies capture that elusive “cool” factor? Entrepreneurs and experts explain what separates the dorks from the dudes: personality, popularity, price competitiveness, problem solving and powerful friends.
How corporate America cashed in on Naomi Klein’s No Logo
Naomi Klein’s anti-brand manifesto No Logo became the unofficial bible of the anti-globalisation movement. Ironically, it also became a research manual for brands looking to market themselves to socially-conscious consumers.
The most valuable brands in the world
BrandZ has released its annual list of the 100 most valuable brand names in the world, with Google, IBM and Apple all holding on to the top three spots. Check out the full list here [PDF].
Sticky, catchy, different: playing the brand name game
It’s not easy to come up with a snappy business name which isn’t already in use, has an available website domain, conveys essential info and is easily spelt. Bruce Buschel recalls his seafood restaurant naming drama.
The biggest brands of 2090
Who will be the Apples, Nikes and Cokes 80 years from now? Media writer Simon Dumenco takes a stab: a successor to Twitter named after teen popstar Justin Bieber, a McDonald’s-Disney hybrid, and, of course, Google, which owns everything.
The 500 most powerful brands in the world
Brand Finance has released its annual list of the most powerful brands on the planet. Walmart comes in at number one, but Google has knocked off Coke for the number two spot, whilst Woolies, Telstra and Australia’s Big Four all make the cut, too.
Why I like Toyota more than Porsche
Why do we like the brands we do? Is it because of an irrational emotional connection? Or does your brand preference actually have something to do with value for money? If not, maybe it should, says Trent Hamm.
How Hello Kitty got her paws all over the world
Japan’s favourite feline, Hello Kitty, is celebrating her 35th birthday. The LA Times looks at how one cool cat went from a cute Japanese decal to a global phenom, complete with a theme park, TV series and restaurant.
How a logo is created: from go to ‘woah!’
A graphic designer offers a behind-the-scenes look at how a professionally designed logo is created, from the client’s brief to the unveiling
Australia’s most hated brands
The 2009 Brand Asset Valuator study reveals Australia’s most popular brand names — which this year include Google, Nokia and Vegemite — but far more interesting are the brands we like the least, which include Grazia magazine and Aurora Coffee.
CHOICE names and shames the shonkiest brands of the year
Consumer advocate CHOICE has named its picks for the shonkiest Australian products and services for 2009. Brands coming under fire this year include Aldi, L’Oreal, Tiffany, Qantas and Tiger Airways.
The world’s most valuable brands
Interbrand has released its annual report [PDF] on the world’s most valuable brands. Coke came in at number one for the ninth time running, while Google and Amazon have shot up the list.
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a… comic book cash-cow
Warner Bros is looking to get more bang (Biff! Pow! Bort!) out of its subsidiary DC Comics, by spinning a host of its lesser-known characters into films, video games, Pez dispensers and, ultimately, brands.
The secret stories behind 12 famous brands
Where did the Playboy bunny come from? Who designed MTV’s iconic ‘M’? Why has a can of Campbell’s soup looked the same for almost a century? Fast Company introduces the names and stories behind the image.
Very disturbing vintage ads: into the minds of mad men
What do murder, pedophilia, suicide and a baby tiger have in common? They’ve all starred in these amazingly disturbing vintage ads!
Playboy’s new strategy: the bunny is money
Playboy is reducing the frequency of publication to save money — and placing faith in the bunny brand to get it out of financial trouble.
How Haagen Dazs tried to save the honey bees
Ice creamery Haagen Dazs depends on bee pollination for more than 40% of its flavours. So, with slumping market share, it decided to tie its brand to one of last year’s hot-button issues. Smart.
Evening Standard says sorry for low standards
British tabloid London Evening Standard launched a unique campaign Monday apologising to readers for its “previous behaviour”.
Hell in a handcart Introducing the Twitter newspaper
Yes, it may seem like an awful development, still, here’s an idea: it represents an IMMENSE opportunity for a brand to create a custom, branded paper.
Virgin stretches its brand
Virgin hasn’t exactly kept its logo pure. That said, perhaps it doesn’t need to — after all, it has a brand identity. His name is Richard Branson.
The world’s most enduring brands
Each year a brand sums up the zeitgeist — think Lego in 1960, Coca-Cola in 1971, Levi in 1985, Guinness in 1999 and Google in 2000. But which is the most iconic of them all?
Blowing up Pepsi
Massimo F d’Amore has decided to tear down and then rebuild PepsiCo’s biggest beverage brands, including Gatorade, Tropicana, and Mountain Dew. But will he destroy them in the process?
Today we are complaining about “Iconic Aussie Brands”
Where are they now?”
