Super Bowl Brands: E*Trade
......................................................................................................................................................................
Brand:
• E*Trade is so easy to use a baby can do it.
• E*Trade also translates its ease by selectively choosing a few words to define the brand. These words include: Global Leader, Value, Ease, Innovation, Security, and Service.
Career History:
• 1982—William A. Porter and Bernard Newcomb start Trade*Plus, the first company to allow people to buy stock over the internet while the stock exchange was open. These on-line trades were called “e-trades”, a term that eventually comes to define the company.
• 1991—Trade*Plus becomes E*Trade Group
• 1994—E*Trade Group is the fastest-growing company in the U.S grossing 11 million dollars in revenue.
• 2003—E*Trade Group becomes E*Trade Financial Cooperation.
Read more
Super Bowl Brands: Doritos
......................................................................................................................................................................
PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay brand, Doritos, might be on to something. With air time alone costing approximately $3million for a 30 second spot, who has the money to pay an advertising agency to make the actual commercial?
History: For the third year in a row now, Doritos has launched their “Crash the Super Bowl” contest in which regular people are able to submit homemade Doritos commercials to win a top prize of being featured during the Super Bowl. Most of the commercials from the past two years can be seen on You Tube and they are definitely worth watching.
Read more
Super Bowl Brands: Monster.com vs. CareerBuilder
......................................................................................................................................................................
Move over Steelers and Cardinals, the real match up this year is between Monster.com and CareerBuilder. Both companies are walking into a tough arena as Americans face a losing job market. A well thought-out game plan is essential for both Monster.com and CareerBuilder to gain job seekers and employers.
Here is a quick breakdown of the competitors:
Monster.com
Game Plan: Monster is back after a few years without presence in the SuperBowl. The company will be touting their newly redesigned and enhanced website during their TV spots. Monster’s ads will also promote a contest and prizes around the idea of applying for “Director of Fandemonium”, highlighting the company’s new role as the NFL’s official career service sponsor.
Read more
Queen’s Feast – Charlotte Restaurant Week
......................................................................................................................................................................
It’s that delicious time of year, when you can sample some of Charlotte’s best restaurants without spending all your Christmas cash. For one, scrumptious week you can indulge with a 3-course, prix fixe dinner menu for only $30 per person (not including tax and gratuity).
Check here for a list of participating restaurants. Reservations, which are highly recommended, can be gobbled up at OpenTable.com.
Dig In to Democracy
The Inauguration Day watch party at Addison Whitney was a deliciously bipartisan event. Our Star Spangled potluck included:
Obamaretto Cookies
Veggies and Diplomacy (AKA “New Crew”dités)
Oh Say Can You Bean Dip
Recession Proof Twinkies
Red, White, and Blueberry Cake
Pop and Circumstance
Red, White and Blue Apple Pie
Supreme Courtellini Salad
Stars, Stripes and Bites (aka Spicy Smooth Obama Jellama Biscuits)
Yes We Can Eat Monkey Cake
No Pork Lasagna
Star Spangled Salad
Bush’s WGD Weapons of Gas Destruction
Brownies vs. Board of Education
Undocumented Illegal Tacos
Swing Vote Salad
What was your favorite dish name?
Spooktastic Events
Branders and marketers take full advantage of creating names for holiday events, as evidenced by the plethora of Halloween-inspired names this year. Take a peek at some examples in the Queen City:
Scarowinds
Adding one letter to the original brand offers instant brand recognition
Boo at the Zoo
Rhyming adds memorability
The Amazing Maize Maze
Not necessarily Halloween-related, but homonyms are always fun
In other areas, you can find:
Halloween Spooktacular (SeaWorld)
MetroBoo (Miami Metro Zoo)
Monster Splash (Miami Seaquarium)
Howl-o-Ween (various canine-inspired Halloween parties)
What are some other Halloween-inspired brands or event names you’ve seen this year?
Oktoberfest Fakts
......................................................................................................................................................................
So we’ve all heard of this wild sixteen day festival, but do we really know the history behind it? What once began as a royal wedding celebration has overtime transformed into millions of beer-drinking, pretzel-eating friends pouring into Munich and places all around the world for the time of their lives.
Below are some fun fakts that the average joe doesn’t know:
• The original purpose was to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig I and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen on October 12, 1810.
• It began as an organized horserace in Munich, Bavaria (Germany), which included about 40,000 guests (seems minute compared to the roughly 6 million that now attend the event).
• It may be called Oktoberfest, but the event actually starts in September and ends on the first weekend of October. (this year starts September 20th)
• Theresienwiese is the name of the field on which the festival is held in Germany.
• It has been canceled 24 times due to war, disease, and other emergencies.
• Cincinnati, Ohio, which claims to host the "largest authentic Oktoberfest" in the U.S. attracts nearly 500,000 people each year.
Get more fakts here!
Don’t worry if you can’t manage to make it to Germany this year to join the festivities because there are plenty of opportunities to celebrate on a more local level. Visit here for more info, and have fun!
Contributed by: Ashley Hollingsworth
Yiasou!
When Greek meets the South you get one of Charlotte's most popular festivals Yiasou! Today is the first day of the 31st annual festival and you better believe that I will be standing in line for some scrumptious Greek food this evening. The festival is held at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox church, located in historic Dilworth. For all of you who are concerned about that parking nightmare, hop on the Lynx and you can easily walk from the Blue Line East/West Station.
For those of you who haven’t been before, this festival is truly a labor of love. The women of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox church start preparing food for the event six months in advance. And they take no short cuts, everything is homemade. In addition to the wonderful food, you will be entertained by the “Warriors of Greece” living history presentation, Greek folk dancing, and a live band. The festival lasts until Sunday, so make sure you go check it out! Yiasou! (Cheers!)
By: Rebecca Parker
The Olympic Rings, a Timeless Symbol
With the opening ceremonies of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games right around the corner, it is only fitting that we take a look at the history and meaning of the official Olympic Emblem, otherwise known as the Olympic Rings.Read more
Wikimania 2008
Wikimania 2008 is underway in Alexandria, Egypt this week, lasting through Saturday, July 19, 2008. This is the fourth Wikimania, a regular conference for all Wikimedians who contribute to one of the many Wikimedia Foundation projects.
According to Webster's Dictionary, a wiki is a collaborative Web site set up to allow user editing and adding of content. The community encyclopedia, Wikipedia, is one of the best-known wikis.
For those of you who are wondering, Wiki- comes from the Hawaiian word for quickly. The name Wikipedia is a portmanteau of the words wiki and encyclopedia.
Contributed by: Maghan Cook