Do you really know your favourite brands’ history as well as you think you do ?
Test you knowledge thanks to the third part of the True or False series.
Cadillac
This American brand was named after a French explorer: Antoine Laumet. Missioned by Louis XIV to explore America, he lands in 1683 in Acadia (a Canadian province) and claims the title of Antoine Laumet de Lamothe, sir of Cadillac. In 1701, he founds Fort Pontchatrain, now known as Détroit, which will be the capital of the American automobile industry a few decades down the road. In 1902, as a tribute, car maker Henry Leland and William H. Murphy – Ford’s shareholder – creates the Cadillac brand. Today, the French explorer’s arms are still the firm’s emblem.
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Virgin
At the young age of 20, entrepreneur Richard Branson decides to start a mail order business selling records – at the time, a really innovative concept. It could have been called Branson Empire, but when the time came to choose a name, Richard Branson opted for something related to his true passion: music. At the time, Madonna’s career is at its zenith: “Like a Virgin” shocks and offends, but tops the charts nonetheless. To shock but remain at number 1, that’s a philosophy that appeals to young Richard – he settles on the name Virgin.
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False. At the young age of 20, entrepreneur Richard Branson decides to start a mail order business selling records – at the time, a really innovative concept. When the time came to choose a name for the company, one of Branson’s colleagues pointed out that they were “virgins in business” and so they chose Virgin as the business name.
Danone
In 1918, Spanish businessman and biology enthusiast Samuel Martinez-Carasso, discovers and takes an interest in Pasteur’s research on Lactic acid fermentation. Samuel carries out his own research and ends creating his first yogurt in 1919. That same year he founds a company to commercialize his creation. Native from a small Andalusian village built near the Dañador (an affluent of the famous Guadalquivir), he decides to name his product after the river that lulled his childhood: thus Danone was born.
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False. At the end of WW1, Spanish businessman Isaac Carasso is bothered by the frequency of gastrointestinal infections affecting children in Barcelona. Inspired by biologist Elie Metchnikoff and the Pasteur Institute’s research on Lactic acid fermentation, he develops his first yogurt in 1919. That same year he founds a company in order to commercialize his yogurts. He decides to name his company after his son Daniel, usually nicknamed Danon (meaning “little Daniel” in Spanish).
Mercedes
Austrian businessman and automobile enthusiast Emile Jellinek organised races in the South of France, near Nice. In 1899, Jellinek takes part in the Nice-Magagnon-Nice rallye with his Daimler car; it’s the first time a Daimler is standing on the starting line. For this occasion, Jellinek christens his Daimler Mercedes, after his 11-year-old daughter Mercedes. In December 1901, DMG delivers to Jellinek a new 35 hp car, the very first Mercedes. The name Mercedes is trademarked the next year in June 1902.
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True.
