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Adventures in bias: Why focus groups will kill your brand
- About: Branding, Naming, Positioning
“Apple is famous for not engaging in the focus-grouping that defines most business product and marketing strategy. Which is partly why Apple’s products and advertising are so insanely great. They have the courage of their own convictions, instead of the opinions of everyone else’s whims.” — Dan Pallota, “Real Leaders Don’t Do Focus Groups” In…
Tip of the hat: Branding Bulleit Bourbon
- About: Naming
This is the first installment of Tip of the Hat, a new series where we give a tip of the hat to brands who are doing it right. The branding of Bulleit is delicious. Branding alcohol can be tricky. Sure, some people are willing to try whatever the barkeep is mixing, but on the whole…
The top five bumper stickers that bum me out
- About: Naming
In a car, we’re a captive audience. This is probably because driving requires the use of our eyeballs, so we end up looking at a lot of bumper stickers. This is how we become acutely aware that the person in the red Subaru is really passionate about kale. Ultimately, I’m fine with someone trying to…
The 5 most compromising poses for Lululemon’s defective yoga pants
- About: Naming
Lululemon have themselves in a twist. The athletic apparel maker announced this week they are recalling a line of their yoga pants because the Luon material is too see-through. So to avert potential over-exposure, here are the 5 yoga poses that you should avoid at all costs while wearing Lululemon’s defective pants. (If you’re easily offended,…
March 21: General Assembly branding seminar taught by Eli Altman
- About: Naming
Failure to Communicate: The ten biggest branding mistakes startups make and how to avoid them. Taught by Eli Altman, Director of Strategy, A Hundred Monkeys Tuesday, July 24th from 6:30 – 8pm Class Description: Most startups are guilty of gross negligence when it comes to branding. This class is for anyone who wants their company…
Entrepreneur article on common naming mistakes featuring our Strategy Director Eli Altman
- About: Naming
You want a name that grabs the consumer’s attention but doesn’t try to cram in too much information, says Eli Altman, Director of Strategy at A Hundred Monkeys, a San Francisco-based branding and naming firm. “A good way to think about a name is that it’s the start of a conversation. It’s not a full encapsulation…
Inkling Habitat Has Launched
- About: Naming
Last night Inkling Founder and CEO Matt MacInnis announced that Inkling Habitat (names by A Hundred Monkeys), a collaborative digital publishing tool, is open for business. Those currently use Inkling Habitat include McGraw-Hill, Pearson, Wolters Kluwer, Elsevier and Wiley. For 2013, HarperCollins, TIME, Inc, DK, Rick Steves, Lonely Planet, and the Wall Street Journal have committed to use Habitat for their publications. Release here
Retrofit becomes the official weight loss program for NFL Players Assn.
- About: Naming
Losing weight is about the mental thing. Ask any 300lb ex NFL linebacker. Watch Retrofit (naming & strategy by 100M) CEO Jeff Hyman explain this to a very funny Chicago version of Jim Cramer. video here
‘Tis the season: A short history of holiday branding
- About: Branding, Naming, Positioning
Now that the first of this season’s feasts is behind us, let’s take a look back at the origins of the frenzy that follows. In 1939, FDR moved the official day of Thanksgiving from the last Thursday of the month to the fourth Thursday to boost holiday retail sales during the final years of the…
Snakes On A Plane: The hilarious horrors of SkyMall Magazine
- About: Branding, Naming, Positioning
SkyMall magazine is where bad ideas go to die … and then crawl back to feed on the brains of innocent air travelers. A criminal line-up of infomercials, the magazine takes mankind’s worst ideas and puts them in your seat-back compartment. In a pressure-sealed cabin. At 30,000 feet. At home you can change the channel…