SORRY FOR THE DISRUPTION INTERRUPTION….
Confession time: I am a voracious reader. I love books that challenge us to think, explore, and expand. One of the best books I have read, and one that every business executive, marketer, brander, student, and, frankly, everyone must read is Jay Samit’s “Disrupt You!: [...]
SANTA, THE BRAND
A few years ago, Bankrate.com did a story called Santa’s Net Worth and asked me to opine about that value. Bankrate Story. Bankrate.com figured that with all of the Santas at malls, on street corners for charities, at kids’ and office parties, in commercials, roaming [...]
YOU CAN NOW REGISTER DISPARAGING TRADEMARKS
The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which governs appeals from the Trademark Office, has ruled that the barring of “disparaging” trademarks or service marks from federal registration violates the First Amendment. In this 62 page en banc (the entire panel of judges heard [...]
WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS: SOME PREDICTIONS FOR 2016
Not unexpectedly, predictions for brands and social media in 2016 are coming our way. In its newest report, eMarketer is predicting that Facebook and Twitter will continue to be the leading social networks for marketers, but both it and SEO consulting agency White Hat Media [...]
The Studios May Be Cutting Content Licenses to Digital Networks
Studios reportedly are weighing a cut in content licensing to digital networks such as Netflix, in an effort to stem the tide of dwindling interest in traditional TV. This comes at the same time as digital content houses, such as Full screen, are preparing an [...]
HOW HAMMING IT UP CAN BE A CLASSIC FAIL
So here’s a basic rule: know your customers before trying to sell them. As the comment on this photo indicates, Walmart should have taken a minute to understand that people who celebrate Chanukah likely are not going to be shopping for boneless smoked ham, or [...]
HW CLIENT TRISTAN TALES SPEAKING AT DIGITAL LA!
Congrats to our client Tristan deBurgh (“Tristan Tales”), a leading Snapchat Star, who will be a panelist on the Snapchat Panel at Digital LA on Monday, November 16th. We’ll be there – so come join us! http://digitalla.net
HW WINS FEDERAL CIRCUIT APPEAL FOR CLIENT KIDTRIBE
Our client KidTribe is a children’s wellness and exercise company that teaches happiness and healthiness through Hula-hoop exercises and dance programs at schools and sponsored events. One of its popular trademarks is Hoop-It-Up! ™. Two of its employees decided to go out on their own [...]
NEW STUDY ON SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCE REVEALS IMPORTANT INSIGHTS
An new study by the marketing firm Ogilvy & Mather suggests that the raw numbers of a social media influencer’s followers may not tell the whole story—rather, the influencer’s ability to engage fans and build an online community is more meaningful to brands. For influencers, [...]
(TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT) SIZE MATTERS
Brands love to tout their product benefits in advertising. The law allows for a certain amount of “flexibility” with the truth but there’s a line that can be and often is crossed. Stretching the truth is called “puffery” (as in “We’re the Best [fill in [...]
MOVING ON, PLAYBOY STYLE
One of the great brands, PLAYBOY, has decided to undergo some plastic surgery. Launched in 1953 featuring Marilyn Monroe on its cover and as its first Playmate, this iconic brand from its beginning redefined sexual culture and launched a national conversation, with us still today, [...]
THE WORLD’S MOST VALUABLE BRANDS
Interbrand, a leading brand consulting agency, has released its latest annual report of the world’s most valuable brands. As a sign of our times, the top 6 winners are tech companies. Not surprisingly, for the third consecutive year, Apple took the top spot with Google [...]