Super Bowl Brands: Budweiser
......................................................................................................................................................................
Company: Anheuser-Busch (Budweiser)
Name: In 1876, Carl Conrad and Adolphus Busch decided to call their new bohemian-style beer Budweiser, which is German for “from Budweis,” a city with a tradition of brewing beer since 1265. Although the US trademark was acquired in 1878, the name proved difficult to protect, as several ‘budweiser’ style beers existed at the time. By 1894, trademark suits were already roiling the courts. Globally, the existence of a Czech Budweiser prevented the name from becoming an international brand. Even today, the name Budweiser can only be used in 16 of 35 European countries. In others, it has to be marketed as Bud or Anheuser-Busch Bud.
Career Highlights: Probably the most iconic of all the Super Bowl brands, Budweiser and Bud Light consistently have some of the funniest and most liked spots. Memorable Super Bowl campaigns include The Bud Bowl in 1989, the Budweiser Frogs in 1995, and last year’s rocky-inspired Dalmatian and Clydesdale ad, which took top honors in most polls.
Read more
Word Stretch #2: Freedom
FREEDOM: The quality of state of being free: independence / Exemption or release / Ease, facility / Frankness / Unrestricted use / A political right
At first glance the word freedom may not appear very ‘stretchable,’ but a quick trademark search reveals 94 registered or pending marks. Certainly a word that can apply to everything from herbicides to hotels has got some flexibility.
While looking over the various trademarks, I realized that “freedom” can be divided into four categories:
1. Freedom as a philosophy- meaning free will
Leveraging the emotions behind personal identity, name brands in this category suggest living independently and authentically – being who you want to be. Brands that use this angle would include Freedom surfboards, inline skates, and the Freedom cologne by Tommy Hilfiger.
2. Freedom with regard to politics- meaning liberty or right
Freedom in this case garners strong political or government connotations. Brand names under this category are literally relaying a sense of protection and government, including Freedom aircrafts, armored vests as well as the ever so popular Freedom fries.
3. Freedom from restriction- meaning relief, emancipation
Many products in the medical field use the word freedom to connote relief from discomfort or restraints. Fresenius has a Freedom home dialysis machine. Freedom pesticide suggests freeing your crops or land from pests.
4. Freedom to do things- meaning latitude, flexibility
The most ‘freeing’ category of the four, these trademarks suggest providing range and ability. Freedom communications suggests going and connecting wherever you want, and Winnebago’s Freedom motor home invites consumers to explore the open road.
Freedom is a concept that everyone can relate to in one way or another, which makes it a potent word in the naming industry. Of course, with 94 trademarks in the US alone, whether it’s ‘free’ to own or not is up to your trademark attorney.
Contributed by: Maghan Cook
Word of the Day: Antonomasia
antonomasia (an-tihn-uh-MAY-zha)
noun
Latin word, from the Greek antonomazein, meaning “to name instead”
anti- {instead of} + onomazein{to name (from onoma, name)}
1. The substitution of a title or epithet for a proper name, as in calling a judge "Your Honor."
2. The substitution of a personal name for a common noun to designate a member of a group or class, as in calling a traitor a "Benedict Arnold."
Read more
You Do What for a Living?
“Wow is that like branding a cow?” or “You must be really creative to do that!” … That’s what people say when I tell them what I do for a living.
My name is Kelly, and I am a “brand namer,” a Senior Associate of Verbal Branding to be exact. "You guys must sit around in beanbag chairs and come up with names all day” or “That must be such a cool, easy job” are among other statements that I hear often. While we do sometimes brainstorm in beanbag chairs, and it is a cool job to talk about with others, naming doesn’t always come so easy, and although I like to think I possess a spark of creativity, it’s not as simple as thinking of a clever name, writing it down, and it magically appearing on a package. It’s actually much more than that…
Read more