Thanks to a Mitt Romney staffer, ETCH A SKETCH® has been in the news quite a bit lately. The toy has been around since 1960. According to Wikipaedia, it was “inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong in Rochester, New York in 1998. In 2003, the Toy Industry Association named Etch A Sketch to its Century of Toys List, a roll call commemorating the 100 most memorable and most creative toys of the 20th century.”

Etch A Sketch is a great name.

• it suggests what the product does, draw
• it is fun to say;
• it is one of a kind; and 
• it is easy to reminder

Recent ads from Ohio Art wisely tapping into its recent turn in the news 

 Even better, the name and the product are well protected [click trademarks/images for USPTO records]:

• ETCH A SKETCH – registered for ‘Toy Self-Contained Opaque Screen Sketching Device’ since 1961
• TRAVEL ETCH A SKETCH  - registered for ‘toy self-contained opaque screen sketching device’
• POCKET ETCH A SKETCH – registered for ‘toy self-contained opaque screen sketching device’
• “WORLD’S FAVORITE DRAWING TOY” -toy self-contained opaque screen sketching device
• - registered for variety of good and services
• - registered for ‘self-contained opaque screen drawing device’
• Description of Mark: The mark consists of the configuration of the goods and the color red applied to the frame surrounding the opaque drawing screen.
• Lining and Stippling: The drawing is lined for the color red, and the color red is claimed as a feature of the mark.

A great name and brand, well protected, such as ETCH A SKETCH, is invaluable. And when a political staffer uses it as an analogy, everyone understands the reference.

For an amazing gallery of Etch A Sketch images, see http://www.gvetchedintime.com/gvetchedintime/gallery.php.

Pinterest is a website and mobile app that has become quite popular during the last few months. Pinterest is a tool for sharing and collecting content online, a “virtual pinboard.”

Pinterest is a great name! Fun to say. Suggestive — “pin” and “interest” combined. The name it is unique, it sounds exciting and interesting. In short, I think it is an A+ name.

But one thing is missing. The mark is not registered with the USPTO. Cold Brew Labs, Inc., the owner of Pinterest, filed for trademark registration in March of 2011. But after a review by the USPTO and initial Office Action - in which no conflicts were found – no response was filed by the applicant and the application was abandoned on December 30, 2011. [Note that under some circumstances an abandoned application can be revived within 2 months.] The only thing standing between Pinterest and approval of its trademark application by the USPTO was the submission proper evidence of use.

Pinterest is a great and creative name. To date, it appears the trademark protection for it has been mismanaged. Twitter went through its own share of trademark problems, issues, and expenses after it failed to protect its brand names early on in its success. Will Pinterest have to learn the same lesson the same hard way that Twitter did?

Yahoo! recently unveiled a new service. LIVESTAND is an iPad application.

“Livestand is your living magazine app, where the news and stories you care about come to life with visually stunning photos and videos. Explore its publications for breaking headlines, celebrity news, sports, or whatever you’re into—as you’ve never seen it. You’ll lose yourself for hours with its electrifying images and captivating content. Livestand is the ultimate tapping, scrolling, and swiping magazine experience”

How did Yahoo! do with name, LIVESTAND? I love it. LIVE = fresh, moving, new. STAND = reading rack. Together, the two terms are incongruous, and odd coupling. And that makes for a memorable name. And generally it makes for a strong trademark in terms of its legal protection.

Yahoo! has filed to register two trademarks:

LIVESTAND – Application Serial No.  85234543 - downloadable computer software for use in downloading, transmitting, receiving, storing and organizing a wide variety of content; telecommunications services; namely, providing access to computer database via the internet; transmission of information over the internet or other communications networks; telecommunication services, namely, the transmission of data and information; entertainment and educational services; namely, providing a wide variety of content in the fields of news, finance and entertainment, namely, movies, television, music, sports, and celebrity personalities via computer networks

LIVESTAND FROM YAHOO! - Application Serial No.  85244329 - downloadable computer software for use in downloading, transmitting, receiving, storing and organizing a wide variety of content; telecommunications services; namely, providing access to computer database via the internet; transmission of information over the internet or other communications networks; telecommunication services, namely, the transmission of data and information; entertainment and educational services; namely, providing a wide variety of content in the fields of news, finance and entertainment, namely, movies, television, music, sports, and celebrity personalities via computer networks

I think Yahoo! hit a home run with the LIVESTAND brand name, what do you think?

I recently wrote about my favorite logos. Slogans can also be a core elements of a brand, contributing to its message and helping to market it. The best slogans are fun, memorable, catchy, and communicate something important or unique about the brand.

Here, in no particular order, are my favorite slogans. I think they are all effective and each one possesses most or all of key qualities I described above. (Click slogans for link to USPTO records.)

Did I leave your favorite off the list? Let me know in the comments.

  One late addition:

L’EGGO MY EGGO – Eggo waffles