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Posts Tagged ‘Super Bowl’

6
Feb

Super Bowl demonstrates the power of brand nostalgia

Posted by ipelton on: February 6th, 2012

After last year’s “big game,” I wrote a blog post titled “Super Bowl commercials demonstrate the power of brands.” Of course, that is still true. And as I have written before, no brand is more powerful in its field than the NFL (“Why the NFL is king of branding“). 

After this year’s run of great Super Bowl advertisement’s I have updated my assessment:

Super Bowl advertisements demonstrate the overwhelming lasting power (= $$) of solid brands. For example, here are some of the longstanding trademarks and brands featured in the promotional activity surrounding Super Bowl XLVI:

- VOGUE - registered for magazines since 1908!

- ROCKY - (registered since 1991) for a variety of good and services including series of motion pictures

- DROIDS - (from Star Wars, owned by Lucasfilm) registered since 1985 for toy action figures

- SEINFELD – registered since 1993 for television series

- BATTLESHIP - (registered since 1968) apparatus sold as a unit for playing a board game having movable pieces

- THE LORAX - registered for “books featuring children’s stories; computer, video and audio recordings made on disks, tapes, cassettes, cartridges and CD-ROM by laser and electronic means, all featuring children’s stories” (in use since 1971, registered since 1997)

- STAR WARS – registered since 1979 for toy action figures and comic magazines

- THE AVENGERS (registered since 1970) – magazines published periodically

- G.I. JOE - registered since 1964 for toy military kits

- MADONNA – registered since 1985 for clothing

Registered trademarks can last for ever. Strong brands can last forever. While the media – and for good reason – is frequently enamored by relatively new companies like Facebook, Twitter, Groupon, etc., the “distinguished” brands listed above serve as a good reminder that building a quality brand can pay dividends for decades, or even longer.


 

 

 

3
Feb

Trademark guide to Super Bowl® XLVI

Posted by ipelton on: February 3rd, 2012

Sunday is the Super Bowl®. In addition to the football game, Super Bowl Sunday is all about brands – teams, television networks, advertisers, celebrities, and more.

For this year’s game, here is a lineup of some of valuable and important trademarks that will be on display Sunday (click trademarks or images for U.S. Patent and Trademark Office records):

Some of the New England Patriot themed trademarks:

  • - education and entertainment services in the nature of organizing and presenting professional football games and exhibitions; providing sports and entertainment information via a global computer network or a commercial on-line service; organization of sports events; fan club services; educational services, namely, physical education programs and seminars in the field of football; entertainment services, namely, musical and dance performances provided during intervals at sports events; production of radio and television programs, football games, exhibitions, competitions and musical, comedy and dance performances performed before live audiences and broadcast via television, cable television, satellite television and radio broadcast; producing and distributing audio visual and multi-media presentations regarding the sport of football via a global communications network
  • PATS - T-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, and headwear sold to promote an affiliation or association with a professional football team
  • THE BELESTRATOR - Entertainment services, namely, providing expert commentary on sports events via television or the Internet
  • - Clothing, namely, hats and shirts
  • GRONK NATION - Endorsement services, namely, promoting the goods and services of others
  • WILFORK U UP – t-shirts
 Some New York Giants themed trademarks:
  •  - Jewelry, watches, clocks, ornamental pins, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, charms, collectible and commemorative coins made of precious metal and pendants made of precious metal
  • - Entertainment Services in the Form of Professional Football Games and Exhibitions
  • THE NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS - entertainment services in the form of professional football games
  • - Educational services namely conducting programs in the field of football
Some other trademarks relevant to Sunday’s game:
  • - Arena services, namely, providing facilities for sports, concerts, conventions and exhibitions (pending application)

  • MADONNA - ENTERTAINMENT SERVICES -NAMELY, LIVE AND RECORDED MUSICAL, DANCE AND DRAMATIC PERFORMANCES
  • LMFAO (application) - Clothing, namely, Aprons, Braces for clothing, Collars, Corsets, Ear muffs, Gabardines, Gloves, Headbands, Hoods, Jackets, Jerseys, Knitwear, Layettes, Muffs, hats, jackets, Sweat-absorbent underclothes, Underclothes, Wristbands

One of the most talked about ads this week is a HONDA CR-V ad featuring Matthew Brodderick and the Ferris Bueller’s Day Off theme (see below or click YouTube link if video is not loading)

Enjoy the game!

Related posts:

2
Feb

Creative Chipotle ad references “Super Big… Professional Football Bowl Game”

Posted by ipelton on: February 2nd, 2012

Of course, the NFL might not think it is a creative as I do! I snapped this picture recently at my local Chiptole® restaurant. 

The NFL is notoriously vigorous – some would say overly so – in going after businesses that use the SUPER BOWL® trademark without being an official sponsor or licensee. For examples, see links to older posts below.

Related posts:

16
Feb

Super Bowl commercials demonstrate the power of brands

Posted by admin on: February 16th, 2011

Now that this year’s Super Bowl® is in the books (and my prediction of a Packer’s jinx due to their recent trademark filings for TITLETOWN failed miserably), we can focus on the best commercials from the game!

The most popular and buzz-worthy ads generally involved celebrity appearances or cross overs that show the power of brands and the trademarks that do the dirty work of protecting them. Here are some examples:

  • My favorite commercial was for the Volkswagen Passat featuring a child dressed as Darth Vader. The Star Wars franchise is still  strong many years after its creation and I am sure that LucasFilm was paid nicely for the use of Darth (Droid® is also a LucasFilm trademark). Darth Vader, like all Star Wars characters, is well protected:
    • The voice of Darth Vader is a registered trademark
      • Description of Mark: The mark consists of the sound of rhythmic mechanical human breathing created by breathing through a scuba tank regulator.
      • Goods: Costume masks; voice altering toys; toy computers; handheld playthings, namely, toy action figures and hand held units for playing electronic games; dashboard driver figurines, namely, bobble head dolls and modeled plastic toy figurines; Halloween and masquerade costumes incorporating masks
      • Note – the sound of a Light Saber® is also registered
    • - Costumes, namely, Halloween costumes, masquerade costumes, and costumes for use in role-playing games; costume helmets, namely, Halloween costume helmets, masquerade costume helmets and costume helmets for use in role-playing games; Toy action figures and statuettes; collectible toy action figures; collectible toy helmets
    • - Costumes, namely, Halloween costumes, masquerade costumes, and costumes for use in role-playing games; costume helmets, namely, Halloween costume helmets, masquerade costume helmets and costume helmets for use in role-playing games; Toy action figures and statuettes; collectible toy action figures; collectible toy helmets
    • DARTH VADER – toy figures
  • Kenny G starred in a Audi commercial. Kenny G might be poked fun at (and to his credit, embrace it), but he is no dope – he owns several registered trademarks including:
    • KENNY G – musical entertainment services
  • Eminem the musician/rapper starred in two different commercials. His brand is also protected by several trademark registrations:
    • EMINEM – entertainment services, namely, the presentation of live musical performances
  • GoDaddy.com again featured a racy ad, this time starring Joan Rivers. Her brand is protected too:

To view these commercials and others, see Spike.com

What was your favorite commercial?

24
Jan

Big Football Game will take place one week from Sunday – be careful what you call it!

Posted by admin on: January 24th, 2011

The Super Bowl® will be played between the Packers and the Steelers one week from Sunday, and it will be watched by hundreds of millions around the world.  I can use the words “Super Bowl” freely because I am not in any way competing with the NFL and the revenue it makes from the game and the Super Bowl® trademark.

But if you are in the apparel or entertainment industry, or you plan to show the football game in some manner that is commercial, be very careful what you call the game and how you advertise it. At one point, the NFL tried to stop businesses from using the “Big Game” in addition the Super Bowl.

Last year’s champs, the New Orleans Saints, have been involved in disputes regarding the phrase “Who Dat?”  The NFL has a history of aggressively enforcing it purported rights against multititude of businesses. For example:

The NFL owns several registered trademarks for SUPER BOWL® as well as registrations for:

Whatever your plans are for the big game in two weeks, if you have any business related to the biggest football game of the year remember that the NFL’s trademark police just might be looking to make an example out of you!