November 27, 2018
San Francisco-based apparel giant Gap Inc. recently launched Hill City, a men’s luxury activewear brand. The new brand is essentially a men’s Athleta (another Gap-owned apparel maker, known for yoga pants, leggings, sweaters, and other day-to-night activewear for women). Both companies serve consumers who are looking to own fewer and better clothes (and don’t mind […]
October 30, 2018
Nissan has introduced an affordable new crossover utility vehicle (that means somewhere between an SUV and a hatchback/wagon): the Kicks. The subcompact will be sold globally, replacing the Juke in the U.S. Overall, reviews so far have been pretty good, particularly on the value-to-price metric. But will the name drive traffic? I say it’s green lights […]
September 20, 2018
Kroger is known for groceries, operating 2,800 retail stores under a variety of names. Food accounts for 94% of their total sales. Yet some of their stores, like Fred Meyer and Kroger Marketplace, offer non-grocery items as well, including apparel. Until now, these private labels haven’t been unified. But this week 300 of these stores […]
June 5, 2018
Philips Lighting has changed its name to Signify. Why is this significant? First, a little background: in 2016, Philips Lighting was spun off from the Netherlands-based multinational Philips Corporation (which was founded in 1891 by a Philips father and son team). Signify is retaining the Philips brand for their products, like Philips Hue. You may have […]
April 17, 2018
We’re all familiar with the non-English words used as brand names, like Kijiji, Bodega, Prego, or Uber. We’re probably more familiar with intentionally misspelled words used as brand names, like Tumblr or Lyft. Non-English names (especially European and specifically French-derived) can signal elegance, and are often used in fashion. Misspelling can be a cue that […]
March 15, 2018
A lot of people have trouble sleeping. Some count sheep. Others get medical marijuana cards. A new option? Som. Som is a berry-flavored drink that includes vitamins, minerals, and melatonin (a hormone) to help you relax and support healthy sleep patterns. The company’s marketing team has done a good job leveraging the simple English […]
February 22, 2018
The seltzer tsunami washing over America has not abated, and this month it was announced that one of the biggest bastions of beverage is getting in the game. Introducing bubly, brought to you by PepsiCo. I’ve gotta say, Pepsi’s new brand is really impressive, and a wonderful case study on how the name and graphic […]
January 23, 2018
A new online retailer has launched to provide natural food, eco-friendly household items, and socially conscious personal care items. The company’s name is Brandless. Much like No-Ad sunscreen (which, if you can’t guess, doesn’t run any advertisements), the deal is that the brand Brandless supposedly forgoes branding, thereby saving overhead, and passes on those savings […]
October 17, 2017
Fashion powerhouse Coach surprised the world by announcing that its parent company — which recently acquired Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman — will be changing its name to Tapestry. Nary a name change escapes lampooning on Twitter, and after the requisite ridicule, Chief Executive Victor Luis quickly clarified that the Coach brand will not be […]
October 12, 2017
Jet, the aspiring giant online retailer trying to swipe a slice of Amazon’s (organic) Whole Foods pie has just launched a slightly upscale house brand for food and other household essentials. They’re calling it Uniquely J. Jet.com spokeswoman Meredith Klein told the New York Post, “Uniquely J is yet another way Jet.com is innovating for the metro millennial. […]