Snow Leopards Helping Snow Leopards
New Snow Leopard imagery for Apple’s new operating system is spurring people to act on behalf of the real cats.
“Swine” flu probably won’t hurt the pork industry
1. The pork industry feels the use of the word “swine” flu to describe this latest outbreak will hurt consumption.
2. In addition to short-term market data, they cite other examples of virus-induced hysteria.
3. All that said, long-term data for public health shocks in the poultry, tomato, and spinach markets (and even the last swine flu in 1976) show little impact.
Ever heard of fibromyalgia?
Key Points:
1. Fibromyalgia is an example of drug company marketing at its best: Convincing the medical establishment to pay attention to real suffering.
2. Fibromyalgia is also an example of drug company marketing at its worst: Using emotional tactics to boost prescriptions.
3. Regardless of the final judgment, we cannot ignore the power of giving a vague set of symptoms a legitimate name.
Pixos? Seriously, you are not fooling anyone.
Author:
Jason Voiovich
Ecra Creative Group
They were called Aquadots.
Last Holiday season, cable television networks with my kids’ ear started advertising a new product. The concept seemed pretty simple: The young “artist” used what amounted to an oversized syringe to squirt colored gel dots onto a special “canvas”. Think of a gooey “Light Bright” (remember those?).
Well, [...]
Kinko’s (the moniker). 1970-2008. R.I.P.
Author:
Jason Voiovich
Ecra Creative Group
As someone who loves good corporate names, this is a sad day.
The folks at FedEx who purchased the ubiquitous Kinko’s chain in 2004 for $2.4 billion saw no further use for the “FedEx Kinko’s” combination. The new name, FedEx Office, officially wipes Kinko’s off the corporate landscape.
Founded in 1970 with one [...]
From strangely unique (Gluek’s) to positively ordinary (Cold Spring)
Author:
Jason Voiovich
Ecra Creative Group
Being in the brewery business today is not easy.
The competition for the US alcoholic beverage market remains intense. Beer is a core product, followed closely by wine and other spirits. It all depends on who you are, where you live, how much you make, and in which circles you socialize. [...]
A plum worth more than gold
Author:
Jason Voiovich
Ecra Creative Group
There was a time when having a Gold card meant something.
To obtain one (a Gold VISA or Gold MasterCard) meant you had achieved a certain point in life. A certain level of income. A certain net worth. The Gold card symbolized elite status in a world where not everyone [...]
The stickier name wins: Blu-Ray stomps HD-DVD
Author:
Jason Voiovich
Ecra Creative Group
Sony was determined not to let it happen again.
For those of you in Generation Y, let me explain. Back in the early days of the Video Cassette Recorder, there was not one, but two cassette formats.
Betamax came first in 1975. Developed and launched by Sony, the Betamax tape – and [...]
50 years of LEGOs: The most successful toy brand of all time
Author:
Jason Voiovich
Ecra Creative Group
What makes the LEGO brand so strong?
One way might to make that judgment would be to examine the toy brands that (largely) came and went over the intervening period.
LEGOs grew up in the era of Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys, Erector Sets, and Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots. By all accounts, it [...]
The Carbon Motors E7: A great idea in search of a great brand
Author:
Jason Voiovich
Ecra Creative Group
The crucial road test for any 16-year old driver: Recognize the ubiquitous “police car” shape.
At any time of day or night. At any angle. With or without the light set on the roof.
It is just about as easy now as it was back then: almost all police departments drive the [...]
About
Jason Voiovich
Ecra Creative Group
Phone: 651.209.2778
Principal and co-founder of Ecra Creative Group, a Minneapolis, MN based creative services firm specializing in brand development, reputation process management, naming/trademark, and product launches to drive measurable business results.
