Brand safari: why brands should save their logos

by Éléonore Toubin

Numerous brands have animals as their logos, emblems or mascots. Those animals were carefully picked because of the values they embody or the feelings they awaken in their audience. They help build the brand visual identity and increase engagement amongst customers. On this little brand safari you can spot: Bacardi’s bat; Redbull’s bull; Puma’s puma; Twitter’s bird; Japan Airlines’ crane; NBC’s peacock; Dove’s dove; Abercrombie & Fitch’s moose; Camel’s camel; Ferrari and Porsche’s horses; Dodge’s ram; Playboy’s bunny; The Laughing…

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Words Trivia Quiz #2

by Éléonore Toubin

How well do you know the English language? Whether or not you are a native speaker, take this quiz to find out – and enjoy a good opportunity to learn a few funny vocabulary facts at the same time.

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Word of the Day #4 – Mellifluous

by Éléonore Toubin

Let’s enrich our vocabulary with yet another amazing word. The word I picked for today’s Word of the Day is an especially beautiful word. I chose it because I loved its spelling, its pronunciation and its sweet etymology (and I thought it was funny because it sounded a bit like cauliflower). I most especially appreciate words that sound like a mix between the gurgle of a mountain stream and the sweet richness of a chocolate river, that’s why I love…

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Do you know your brand history? (True or False series #6)

by Éléonore Toubin

Do you really know your favourite brands’ history as well as you think you do? Test your knowledge thanks to the sixth part of the True or False series.   Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield met in their early teens when they both attended the same gym class in high school. After Jerry had failed to get into medical school and Ben had dropped out of college, they decided to partner together and open their own business. They both completed…

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When brands speak emoji

by Éléonore Toubin

Having studied literature, I always felt strongly about language: I fancy beautiful long old-fashioned words or any words that is slightly out of our usual day to day vocabulary. As a matter of fact “pulchritudinous” and “tintinnabulation” are two of my favourite words. As a firm advocate of perfect spelling and grammar, I am allergic to misspelling. Therefore, you shouldn’t be too surprised to learn that text language is one of my biggest pet peeves. To my great dismay, it…

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Words Trivia Quiz #1

by Éléonore Toubin

How well do you know the English language? Whether or not you are a native speaker, take this quiz to find out – and enjoy a good opportunity to learn a few funny vocabulary facts at the same time.

Read more >

Of the importance of words

by Éléonore Toubin

In 44BC Roman philosopher and political theorist Cicero wrote this verse: “Cedant arma togae, concedat laurea linguae” in an essay titled De Officiis (which can be translated as On Duties or On Obligations). The first words of this verse, Cedant arma togae, basically mean “Let arms yield to the toga”. They can be understood literally as “let military power give way to civil power” but also hold a deeper meaning “words are more powerful than weapons”. As a brilliant orator,…

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Do you know your brand history ? (True or False series #5)

by Éléonore Toubin

Do you really know your favourite brands’ history as well as you think you do ? Test your knowledge thanks to the fifth part of the True or False series. In 1911, car dealer George Whitaker meets car racing enthusiast Samuel Rootes through common friends. Rootes also happens to be the heir of the Bamford factories, a bicycle business located in suburban London. George and Samuel make fast friends and in 1913 they decide to produce their own vehicles by turning…

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A History of English Pub Names

by Lydia Brian

A pint, a packet of crisps and a cheerful owner – even the notoriously ugly carpets of local English pubs hold a special place in the hearts of the English and these grand establishments are beginning to crop up over the channel in Europe. Besides the décor and frequent large ‘English Pub’ signs to clarify, one of the biggest giveaways is their names. If you’ve visited the nation, chances are you caught a glimpse of a Royal Oak on your…

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Word of the Day #3 – Brobdingnagian

by Éléonore Toubin

I discovered today’s Word of the Day pretty recently, two days ago to be exact. I was perusing my old dictionary in search of synonyms for “gigantic” – let’s face it, “gigantic” is so unoriginal – when it caught my attention. My first thought was “Whaaatt?!?”, quickly followed by “Wait, how do you pronounce that?” and “What the heck does that even mean?”. My obvious bewilderment was a good sign as it meant I had found the perfect candidate to…

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