International Naming

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What does a naming agency cost?

Posted on May 16, 2020 by Athol

Years ago when I was researching naming agencies and what they charge, I went to that awesome fountain of knowledge, Wikipedia and looked up Naming Firms (as they call them). Immediately I saw it was dominated by the big guys…

Great British brands of the 1800’s

Posted on May 6, 2020 by Athol

Cadbury (Year Founded: 1824) Cadbury was founded in 1824 when John Cadbury opened his grocer’s shop in Birmingham. Being a Quaker, he sold only tea, coffee, cocoa, and drinking chocolate. Cadbury’s little shop grew in popularity so much that only seven years…

Tagged with: british branding
Posted in Branding, Consumer Goods, Food Names, International Naming, Name Origins, Retail, Trademarks

Trademarks can last a long, long time thanks to Mickey Mouse

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Athol

When people ask me how long a registered trademark is good for, my glib reply is often “How old is Mickey Mouse?” Unlike patents, which typically expire after 17 years or so, trademarks can be renewed every few years. How…

Great old British Brands from the 1700’s that are still going strong

Posted on April 15, 2020 by Athol

Coutts (Year Founded: 1692) Coutts was founded in 1692 by John Campbell. It started life as a goldsmith’s shop in Strand, London. By the time of Campbell’s death in 1712, it was an operational bank. After his death, his son-in-law took…

Brands that grew out of adversity

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Athol

As the world goes through some tough times right now, it is interesting to see which major brands grew during depressions and wars. Surely there are some lesson to be learned here – not the least of which is press…

Corona beer branding nightmare. Our suggestion.

Posted on March 4, 2020 by Athol

Great Moments in Naming History This one started out when my colleague Greg sent me a link to an article titled “No, It’s Not the ‘Corona Beer Virus.’ Lawd.” I replied “Damn they must be fuming…what marketing spin would you…

+ Names are often a -ve

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Athol

Just as we happily bid farewell to a bad me too product called Google+, new video services come online called Disney + and Apple +. Walt Disney and Steve Jobs must be turning in their graves. Doesn’t management get that…

When one letter is sufficient in compound names

Posted on November 10, 2019 by Athol

Take for example the name : Impulsports. We read at such great speed these days we don’t often notice good spelling or bad spelling. In our minds we do not even notice the phonology – let alone the correct morphology…

Worldwide Trademark Clearance

Posted on October 20, 2019 by Athol

Do your names work in other countries? How about worldwide? Well that is a very daunting task for most product managers to achieve – in fact almost impossible to achieve guaranteed clearance without a lot of money. But you can,…

Confusing drug names are alarming!

Posted on October 1, 2019 by Athol

Recently I was within earshot of Paramedics in the UK repeating the incorrect drug type over the phone to the awaiting Accident and Emergency department. They announced Clobazam instead of Clonazepam. Thankfully, I was still with the patient and jumped…