UK Government: UK Intellectual Property Office joins WIPOS global brands database. “The Global Brands Database is an online resource made freely available by WIPO. It provides access to more than 50 million records, from some 71 national and international collections, in one place…. Initially, the UK will add around 3 million records, starting with existing registered trade marks. “
Vulture: When Brands Got Horny . Eeesh, these headlines. “How did we get here? And what does our overstimulated future look like? Let’s relive the history of horny brands to find out. All screenshots included below are tweets that have been deleted but not forgotten.”
Ford Authority: Ford Heritage Vault Proves Incredibly Popular As Traffic Overloads Site. “…the response to this new site was so overwhelming that many had difficult accessing it as the Ford Heritage Vault has garnered a large amount of traffic, to the point where it’s been down quite a bit over that same time span, as Ford archivist Ted Ryan explained to the Detroit Free Press.”
BusinessWire: American Girl Launches New Family-Friendly Podcast Network (PRESS RELEASE). “The new podcast network, with ad-free shows spanning diverse formats and themes, will amplify the brand’s digital and creative storytelling—sparking imaginations and a love of reading. The American Girl Podcast Network will launch with three original shows—one scripted and adapted from the brand’s slate of fan-favorite published content for young readers that debuts today, followed by two nonfiction podcasts with a mix of guest interviews, real-life advice, and behind-the-scenes exclusives that launch this summer.”
Drapers: New website to support Ukrainian fashion brands launches. “The platform… aims to help Ukrainian clothing, jewellery and accessories brands that still have access to their collections and can ship items worldwide, following Russia’s invasion on 24 February. Ukrainian fashion brands showcased on the website include Dhuz, Poustovit, and Alice K, among others.”
The Guardian: Cosmopolitan no more: Russians feel sting of cultural and economic rift. “Three months into the war, Russia has become the most sanctioned country in the world, and almost 1,000 foreign brands – the majority of them voluntarily – have curtailed their operations there, according to records kept by the Yale School of Management. The exodus of companies continued this week with McDonald’s officially announcing it would leave Russia after three decades.”
Mazda Newsroom: Renovated Mazda Museum Grand Reopening in May: New virtual museum opening today. “Due to open to the public on May 23 this year, the museum’s spatial design and displays have seen a complete makeover with the aim to provide customers and people in the community with a space in which they can grow closer to Mazda, as well as to strengthen the Museum’s role as a base for communication of the Mazda brand. Additionally, an online Mazda Museum was launched today on our official website to allow many more visitors to browse through the museum’s displays.”
Washington Post: Russian influencers cut up Chanel handbags, claiming ‘Russophobia’. “Russian influencers are cutting up their Chanel handbags on social media in angry protest over restrictions imposed by the luxury French fashion label that mean they can no longer buy its products abroad.”
Mashable: The secret Wikipedia prank behind the Pringles mascot’s first name. “The name ‘Julius Pringles’ — which Kellogg’s claims as officially trademarked, though a search of the United States Patent and Trademark Office site for ‘Julius Pringles’ returned no immediate results — looks not to have come from a marketing team, or some long-forgotten Pringles founder. Rather, the name stems from two Wikipedia savvy, hoax-loving college students snacking away on Sour Cream & Onion Pringles in their dorm room back in 2006.”
Philadelphia Inquirer: Only four Kmarts are left in the U.S. and two are in New Jersey. “Ben Schultz, 23, was too young to have experienced Kmart’s powerful hold on American retailing. Plus, he said, ‘my family was more of a Target family.’ In his teen years, Schultz worked at a McDonald’s in a parking lot in front of a Kmart. ‘On my lunch break I would wander around there [the Kmart],’ he said. ‘There weren’t many people in there.’ Now a graduate student in public history at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, Schultz has become an expert on Kmarts and the company, putting together a spreadsheet and a map of every Kmart — when it opened and when it closed, with the address and other information.”
WWD: Ralph Lauren’s Latest Collection Is an All-Digital Roblox Exclusive. “Ralph Lauren is now dressing Roblox avatars. Along with the Ralph Lauren Winter Escape, a new virtual destination to celebrate the holidays, the American brand introduced a brand new, all-digital collection on Wednesday, available exclusively in Roblox.”
WWD: Manolo Blahnik Unveils a Digital Archive With Color, and British Humor. “The Manolo Blahnik Archives: ‘New Way of Walking’ is part museum, part VIP gallery tour, part pop culture lecture that brings the designer’s work, inspirations and memories to life in a 3D experience that stretches across five separate ‘rooms.’”
PR Newswire: The North Face Partners with San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to Launch the Brand’s First-Ever Digital Archive Celebrating More Than 55 Years of Enabling Exploration (PRESS RELEASE). “The North Face today announced the launch of its fall brand campaign, It’s More Than A Jacket, an initiative honoring and celebrating the memories and stories of adventure created over the brand’s more than 55-year history. To capture the meaning behind every piece of gear, The North Face is launching its first-ever crowdsourced digital archive, calling on explorers all over the world to submit stories and images of their own well-loved products to potentially be included in the official archive.”
NBC Boston: New Online Trail From Famous Vt. Cheesemaker Connects Consumers to Farms. “One of the best-known brands in grocery stores across New England and beyond has a new tool that aims to drive business to dairy farms that welcome visits. The Vermont-based Cabot Cooperative Creamery, which makes the famous Cabot Cheddar Cheese and other dairy products, is pointing consumers to where they can visit member farms — the ones that are set up for public visits.”
