Do you know your brand history ? (True or False series #4)

by Éléonore Toubin

Do you really know your favourite brands’ history as well as you think you do ? Test you knowledge thanks to the fourth part of the True or False series. In 1893, North Carolinian pharmacist Caleb Bradham creates a cola aimed to cure dyspepsia (more commonly known as indigestion or stomach pains). The drink he creates is composed of caramel, sugar, aromatic extracts and carbonated water. Bradham names it after himself, Brad’s Drink. In 1898, Bradham changes the name Brad’s…

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Do you know your brand history ? (True or False series #3)

by Éléonore Toubin

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. 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…

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Do you know your brand history ? (True or False series #2)

by Éléonore Toubin

Do you really know your favourite brands’ history as well as you think you do ? Test you knowledge thanks to the second part of the True or False series. The first Starbucks opened in 1971 in Chicago. One of the 3 founders, Gordon Bowker, who had once been a writer before making a career as a businessman, wanted to name the place Pequod, after the hot-air balloon in Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days. But another founder, Terry…

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English languages: Webster and the Americanization

by Éléonore Toubin

As a non-native English speaker (French is my first language), I had to go through the arduous process of actually learning Shakespeare’s language from scratch. In school, most of my teachers were trained in the UK (it’s the closest English speaking country, obviously) and spoke British English with a polished British accent. In the face of our complaints (why do we need to learn another language, can’t people just speak French? Well, we will just mime then) they used to…

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Naming flowers and plants

by Éléonore Toubin

It’s spring at last and flowers are starting to blossom. They are lining our streets and filling our parks: cherry blossoms (Japan’s favourite), daisies, roses,… We love Spring and we love flowers. However, few people actually know the names of the flowers they admire. As you may have guessed, Botanical Nomenclature refers to naming, and more specifically to the naming of plants. People have always named plants, obviously; but botanical nomenclature was truly established during the 18th century. At that…

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4 Approaches to Mergers & Acquisitions Naming

by Lydia Brian

The feeling towards the mergers and acquisitions market seems optimistic for 2014, with most investment banks reporting growing numbers of deals in the pipeline. These landmark events for firms aim to create synergies, and brand value is a crucial factor, however only around half of these attempts actually succeed. One of the most common reasons for failure is conflict between the two entities, and it’s no surprise this is linked to the biggest killer for brands – brand confusion. Clear,…

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How nicknames can damage or benefit a brand, Chevy vs. “Fix it again, Tony!”

by Éléonore Toubin

Fiat entered the American market in 1908. At the time, it wasn’t yet known as “Fix it again, Tony!”; the nickname was actually crafted some 60 years later in the 1970s and 1980s when some Fiat owners reportedly encountered problems with their cars. From then on Fiat got a reputation for making unreliable and poor quality cars. The nickname “Fix it again, Tony!” was coined as an acronym for Fiat and intended as a joke. However it stuck, to the…

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& Fashion

by Éléonore Toubin

Gianluca Billo, Managing Director of Nomen Italy, tells us about the macro naming trends in fashion in his column “Naming Trends” in the Pubbico Today.   The fashion world has developed, over time, two major naming trends, identifiable with two well-defined types. The more traditional brand made ??of a name + surname (or surname only) is reminiscent of high fashion and has become a genre, a code: name and surname of the creator, designer, entrepreneur, reference to the house. Whereas…

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The Chinese Naming of Cosmetics Brands: Beauty Lies in Names

by Xiao Yi Hua

Dior, Chanel, Avon… Famous cosmetics brands all possess an elegant name, at least an appealing pronunciation, even if the word actually means nothing. That’s quite logical, because you cannot boost the sales of your beauty products with an ugly name in the age of branding. But how did brands adapt their names to the booming luxury market in Chine, the ancient Oriental dragon? I’d like to reveal the tricks of three western cosmetics brands translated in Chinese: LaMer, Estée Lauder…

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