Is there life beyond bananas?
Chiquita has been associated with bananas since 1944, the year the fruit supplier was founded. Indeed, this was the brand’s original intention. Not only to get the public to eat more bananas, but to get them to want to buy only those with the Chiquita sticker on them.
However, in recent times […]
More than copiers?
Xerox is one of the branding success stories of the 20th century. As with many other similar successes, the company didn’t just create a product, it invented a whole new category. Indeed, such is Xerox’s achievement that its brand name has become a part of everyday speech. In the United States, xerox is […]
Strange but true
Harley Davidson perfume. Coors spring water. Both of these were doomed to failure because of the brand name’s attachment to an unrelated product. However, the prize for the most bizarre brand extension must go to Bic.
The company, best known for producing disposable pens, thought its brand name was strong enough to be applied […]
A brand too far
Many brands fail when they move into inappropriate categories. For instance, Harley Davidson perfume proved to be an extension too far.
Virgin, however, is one company that seems to be able to apply its brand name to anything. Although Richard Branson’s empire began as a record label, signing groundbreaking acts such as the […]
The ever-expanding brand
In the 1970s Miller Brewing Company faced something of an image problem. For years it had been positioning its core brand, Miller High Life, as ‘the champagne of beers’. Jazz musicians had been used in advertising campaigns to endorse the beer and to consolidate its sophisticated image, but the results were increasingly disappointing.
When […]
Confusing the customer
Heinz’s All Natural Cleaning Vinegar was the food-maker’s first non-food item. The company, which had been founded by Henry Heinz in 1869, had made its name selling its ‘57 Varieties’ - good value, pre-packaged food such as baked beans, soup and ketchup - and decided in the 1980s to extend its brand into […]
Stretching a brand to its limit
Born in 1955, Crest was the first fluoride toothpaste brand. Up until that point, the Colgate brand had a stranglehold on the market.
However, Crest’s parent company Procter & Gamble realized that Colgate had a weakness. No fluoride. This meant more cavities and more tooth decay. Furthermore, Crest could back up […]
When branding goes ga ga
Baby-food manufacturer Gerber is responsible for one of the most frequently referenced brand failures of all time. Alongside Coca-Cola’s New Coke and Harley Davidson’s perfume, Gerber’s attempt to crack the adult food market is certainly one of the main entrants in the branding Hall of Shame.
The idea was to produce small […]
The sweet smell of failure
In various magazines, at various conferences, and in his online newsletter, Saatchi and Saatchi’s worldwide chief executive officer, Kevin Roberts, has talked of the ‘mythology of the brand’. The most powerful brands, according to Roberts, are those that have built their own mythology, or rather, that have helped their loyal customers […]
