Brand Mix

Here's my weekly summary of interesting and entertaining posts and articles. More posts at the bottom of the page in "Martin's Shared Items:"

1) Branding: Alltop
First of all, a big thank-you to Scott White of Brand Identity Guru for choosing my site as one of The Top 44 Branding RSS Feeds In The World. In the world! All of these blogs are now featured on Alltop, the blog aggregator that "helps you explore your passions by collecting stories from “all the top” sites on the web." Scott used some of his entrepreneurial magic, connecting with Alltop-founder Guy Kawasaki to make this happen.

2) Life Is Improving: Schlitz Is Back: Brand New Day (BusinessWeek)
The economy may going to hell but not everything is gloomy now that Schlitz is back. "We believe that Schlitz is if not the, one of most iconic brands of the 20th century,” said Kevin Kotecki, president of Pabst Brewing Co., which bought the brand that dates to 1849 from Stroh’s in 1999." I remember visiting, way back when, the original Hard Rock Café (in London)--that was my first experience of a "real" American burger and a real American beer. The only choice: Schlitz or Colt 45. I think I chose the Schlitz.

3) How to Make a Video Contest Succeed - or Suck: BL Ochman
"Video contests by companies hoping for viral buzz and Google juice are as plentiful as mosquitoes on a humid summer night. But, like their insect counterparts, most video contests suck". What a start! Post includes tips for success and examples of drastic failures including her nomination for the worst contest announcement video ever broadcast.

4) Cuil - When Naming Goes Bad: Brand Identity Guru
This week saw the launch of a new search engine billed as a potential Google killer. But the launch was decidedly rocky. Scott's thoughts:
"1. Don’t make a name you can’t pronounce
2. Don’t make a name that requires you to say “pronounced as”…
3. Oh, and if you’re a search engine trying to take on king Google make sure the name cuil (you know, your company name) comes up in your own search results."
Plenty of others weighed in, almost all negative. (Here's the Fritinancy reaction.)

5) Atomic Brand Names: The Orau Foundation
This site was a Yahoo! Pick of the Week back in 2003 (remember those?). An interesting list of Atomic Brand Names from the time when radium and X-rays represented the height of quality. Will today's ever-popular superlatives: Platinum and Gold eventually lose their place as well? Perhaps the Platinum Shell card will become the Gas Shell card if oil prices continue to rise?

Bonus Pic:
The 50 Best Pun Stores: Photo courtesy of Bspcn.com; permission being requested.