Procter & Gamble

William Procter and Joseph Gamble became friends because they were married to twins (I mean, one for each). Actually, their father-in-law, whose surname has not been preserved, has advised them to do business.

Hennessy

The most popular French drink in the world was invented by an Englishman of Irish origin Richard Hennessy in 1765.

Heinz

You must have noticed that “57 varieties” are written on each bottle of the sauce. it turned out like this. In 1896, the founder of the company, Henry John Heinz, was traveling by train to New York on some unimportant business and saw a shop at an unnamed station with a sign "21 kinds of shoes!" Heinz really liked the numerological approach to advertising. so the number appeared on the bottles. The most interesting thing is that already then, 114 years ago, 60 products were produced under the Heinz brand (today there are about 5,700 of them - give or take a couple of hundred). The fact is that the number 5 was Heinz's favorite number, and 7 was his wife's.

Starbucks

Since the company was founded in 1971 by two teachers (English and history) and one writer, don't be surprised to be named after a minor character in Melville's Moby Dick, specifically Ahab's first assistant, Starbeck. The two-tailed siren (not a mermaid!) On the logo is also borrowed from the Pequoda's bow figure. By the way, until 1992, the Starbucks logo was brown, and until 1987, the siren sported topless.

Hewlett-Packard

Company founders Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard flipped a coin to determine the order of their names in the name.

Nike

This refers to Nike - the Greek goddess of victory. The Swoosh logo was drawn in 1971 by student Caroline Davidson for a royal fee of $ 35.

Patek philippe

During its existence, the company has changed several names. The first was Patek, Czapek & co - in honor of the founding partners: Polish émigrés and part-time watchmakers Anthony Patek and Francis Czapek.

Nestle

Nestle today is represented by two chicks in the nest and their mother. In the 19th century, when the company was founded, there were three chicks, because that was how many children at that time it was customary to have in an average European family. Along with the traditions, the logo has also changed.

Asus

This means pegasus (pegasus). It was decided to cross out the first three letters in order to automatically get to the beginning of the alphabetical lists.

Nokia

Nokia started out as a woodworking plant and is named after the area where one of its paper mills was built.

Сhupa Сhups

The author of the permanent Chupa Chups logo is Salvador Dali. The Spaniard Enrique Bernart decided to contact him, who in 1958 inherited a company that produced a bunch of different things (more than 200 products). Bernart came up with the idea of ​​putting the popular at that time lollipops on a stick and from now on to produce only this type of product. By the way, Chupa Chups from Spanish means "suck a suck".

Hugo boss

The tailor of the same name of his company has twice started a clothing business. The first time was in 1924. The company existed for 6 years and went bankrupt during the German financial crisis. Hugo Boss (this is how his name is pronounced in the original) was so upset that in 1931 he joined the NSDAP, and a couple of years later he received an order to sew uniforms for the SS (by the way, the design was done by an outsider - Walter Heck). In 1945, after the defeat of the Nazis, Boss began to be strangled with fines. Hugo could not stand all this leapfrog and died in 1948, but his work lives on.

Disney

Walt Disney's real signature has nothing to do with his company logo.

Ikea

The name consists of the initials of its founder Ingvar Kamprad and the first letters of the names of his family farm Elmtard and the neighboring village of Agunnarid.

Сoca-Сola

We would be happy to please you with the vile story that the very first Coca-Cola recipe contained the purest cocaine, but this is not true. There was indeed an invigorating extract of the leaves of the coca plant, but it had nothing to do with cocaine as it is today. But the first version of the drink contained alcohol and was sold in pharmacies as a cure for insomnia and neuralgia. True, shortly after the start of sales in America, there was a dry law, and the founder of the company, John Pemberton, had to come up with a non-alcoholic version, modern version which many drink to this day.

Snickers

Snickers was the name of the beloved horse of the Mars family, the owners of the chocolate empire.

Barbie

Designer Jack Ryan, who invented Barbie for Mattel, took the German doll Lily, the heroine of the shameful comics published in the 50s in the Bild newspaper, as a model. By occupation, the doll was a highly paid prostitute, completely devoid of disgust and moral principles. All Ryan did was smoothen her nipples and, to put it mildly, wiped his lips.

Land rover

The Land Rover logo, according to one version, was created from the outline of a can of sardines, which one of the engineers forgot among the drawings, but the designers were right there.

Windows 95

The melody that plays when the operating system starts up was written by Brian Eno. It's officially called the Microsoft sound.

Fedex

Remember the famous Fedex arrow? And it is there - formed by the spaces between e and x. designer Lyndon Leader assures that this is how the logo gradually affects the subconscious, hinting at the swiftness and perseverance of the company.

Marlboro

Initially, Marlboros were advertised as soft female cigarettes that (attention!) Do not smudge the lipstick. After the failure of this venture, the brand reoriented itself to cowboys and sympathizers. In this capacity, he lives and thrives to this day.

Zara

They say it only takes a brand a couple of weeks to start producing and selling a new line of clothing, while most other brands take half a year. Zara designers develop about 10 thousand new models per year! True, they are often inspired by other people's ideas.

Procter & Gamble

There is a myth that for the opportunity to wear anything to work, not suits, you need to thank P & G. The company, by promoting its laundry detergents, has done research and has proven that employees in plain clothes are more useful. Suits were no longer worn and dry-cleaned, and powder sales increased.

Brands that have become household names

• scuba - aqua-lung
• aspirin - aspirin
• petroleum jelly - vaseline
• heroin - heroin
• Jacuzzi - jacuzzi
• jeep - jeep
• voice recorder - dictaphone
• diplomat - diplomat
• dichlorvos - dichlorvos
• yo-yo - yo-yo
• sneakers - keds
• cognac - cognac
• copier - xerox
• tape recorder - magnetophon
• diapers - pampers
• scotch tape - scotch
• thermos - thermos
• teflon - teflon
• toilet bowl - unitas
• popsicle - eskimo

The most expensive Russian brands (according to mpp consulting agency)

• Beeline - $ 7552 million
• Mts - $ 6,115 million
• Baltika - $ 2560 million
• Green Mark - $ 1,188 million
• Lukoil - $ 1,040 million
• Prostokvashino - $ 790 million
• Klinskoe - $ 680 million
• Rastishka - $ 550 million
• Putinka - $ 540 million
• Megaphone - $ 512 million

Brands that will soon be gone (according to businessinsider.com)

Motorola. The company, which was ranked second in the global list of mobile phone manufacturers three years ago, now boasts a total debt of almost $ 4 billion. According to some reports, the brand will soon be bought by one of the Asian tech giants and will dissolve in itself without a trace.

Palm. Apparently, in the world of smartphones, where with an iron hand iPhone and Blackberry rule, there is no third place.

Kodak. The company never really recovered from the death of film photography. Kodak's entry into the digital printing market was delayed for so long that it ended up being useless.

Canon. This is a westernized adaptation of the original brand: originally meant Kwanon, the thousand-armed Buddhist bodhisattva of kindness and mercy.

M & M`S. The candy casing for chocolates was invented during the Second World War: M & M's were included in the soldiers' diet. Melting in the mouth, and not in the hands, was then a matter of life and death: fingers smeared with chocolate could prevent you from grabbing a machine gun or putting on a helmet in time.

International brand mutations

You may be aware that the launch of the Blue Water mineral water failed in Russia (say it out loud and you will immediately understand what is the matter), and the Visit condoms were renamed Vizit. This also happens in other countries.

Spain: Mitsubishi Pajero in Mitsubishi Montero. Pajero literally means birdie in Spanish, but it is widely used to mean passive homosexual.

UK: Nuts at Topic. "Nuts" in English means, sorry, "eggs", and not in the gastronomic sense.

Russia, Poland, Ukraine: Сrest in Blend-a-med. Admit it, a toothpaste called "cross" not sold in a church shop would look strange.

Russia: Daewoo Kalos in the Chevrolet Aveo. original name the model was somehow more honest, or something.

Europe: VAZ-2101 "Zhiguli" in Lada. The word "Zhiguli" was too consonant with the international "Gigolo".

Russia: Mr. Clean at Mr. Proper. Obviously, marketers were wary of unnecessary connotations with the words "jammed" and "wedged".

English speaking countries: Ax at Lynx. Because it would be strange to use the "ax" after a shower.

The best slogans of the century (according to adme.ru)

• Sony - Like.no.other (like no other)
• Nokia - Connecting people
• Motorola - Hello moto
• Apple - Think different
• Hsbc - The world`s local bank ( local world bank)
• Nike - Just do it (just do it)
• McDonald`s - I`m lovin` it (that's what I love)
• Whiskas - Your pussy would buy "whiskas" (Russian creative)
• Mazda - Zoom-zoom (dryn-dygydyn)

How brands became famous, accidentally found the true reason for buying products and were able to convince their consumers to buy even more.

The reasons for buying are a big advertising secret. No matter how well marketers think of themselves, they still can't sort out the motives of human behavior and predict the reaction of buyers. They are looking for insights, classifying, summing up scientific bases, but despite this, quite often they manage to find the right strategy strictly experimentally.

Why do people choose this particular brand from the whole variety of products in this category? What quality of the advertised product should be the main focus in order to motivate the consumer to buy?

The history of the development of Marlboro and the appearance of the famous cowboy are widely known. But there is another cunning move of this brand, which is often forgotten.

Packs of heavy cardboard with a hinged top lid, which are now the standard for cigarette packaging, were invented at Marlboro. And not for the purpose of innovation or to showcase a design idea. And strictly for advertising purposes - to make Marlboro smokers a walking channel of communication.

The whole point was that consumers learned how to take out cigarettes from soft packs without taking them out of their pockets, which means that those around them did not see the brand. An unacceptable disgrace!

Flip-tops - this is what the current cigarette packs are called - had to be taken out, and a new one always attracts attention.

Over the years, of course, people have learned to pull cigarettes out of flip-tops without taking the pack out of their pocket. It's time to come up with a new complex packaging for Marlboro, but they didn't have time. Dunhill, a British American Tobacco brand, has already done everything to give its cigarettes a more premium look. In order to get a dose of nicotine from a Dunhill pack, you need to open not only the cap, but also the valve. You definitely can't do this in your pocket.

Moreover, for added luxury, Dunhill named this inner valve with the beautiful word “humidor”. Historically, a humidor is a cigar storage box that maintains an optimal moisture level and does not fade away the aroma. Dunhill hints to his consumers that cigarettes in such a pack are close in quality and aroma to cigars. And nothing that a pack of Dunhill costs you 60 rubles in Russia. But how beautiful.

There is a beautiful legend about how Estee Lauder started selling her perfume. She was not doing well, and her products were reluctantly taken for sale in shops and salons. Then young Miss Lauder came to the largest perfumery store in New York and - oh! - as if accidentally smashed a bottle of her perfume on the floor. The customers were interested in what this wonderful scent was, and the store simply had to conclude a supply contract with Este Lauder.

One day in the summer of 1896, Henry Heinz was walking around New York when he saw an advertisement on the street for a shoe store offering customers "21 shoe styles." By analogy, he decided to write "57 options" on his ketchups and sauces. This number had nothing to do with the real numbers of the assortment, but Heinz really liked it. And it impressed the buyers.

The history of the brand began in 1879, when Lare Olsson Smith created a new variety of vodka - "Absolute Rent Bravin" ("Absolutely Pure Vodka"). Its main difference is the purity achieved by the rectification method.

In the 70s of this century, Lars Lindmark took "Absolute Rent Bravin" under his wing. Such a fine vodka had to be marketed accordingly: everything had to be “absolute,” like the product itself. Gunnar Broman, who was then developing the concept of promotion, saw a traditional Swedish medical bottle with some kind of potion in a pharmacy's window and was shocked by its perfection and simplicity - it became the prototype for the packaging that the whole world knows now. Which - in many ways - became the reason for the cult status of Absolut vodka.

The manufacturer of the most famous bikes in the world has been holding the first place in the number of "branded" tattoos for several decades. It all started with the fact that Harley announced impressive discounts on bikes for those who come to buy a motorcycle with a logo tattoo.

Mescal is a traditional alcoholic beverage made, like tequila, in Mexico from agave. Technically, tequila is also mezcal, but a different variety and, objectively speaking, much better taste.

Mescal only became popular outside Mexico because of the caterpillar corpse floating at the bottom of the bottle. The poor larva does not affect the taste of mescal in any way - this is a well-thought-out publicity stunt. Exotic!

Europeans and Americans cheerfully drink mezcal, and then solemnly divide the caterpillar for everyone - this is now the way to go. And the Mexicans giggle at how cleverly they managed to bring their alcohol to the world market.

Tefal has long believed that the main motivation for buying Teflon-coated pans is that they do not require a single gram of oil to cook in these pans. However, later it turned out that the main incentive to buy them was the fact that pans with such a coating are very easy to clean, because food does not stick to their surface. The content of the advertising campaign has been changed, which significantly increased its effectiveness.

In Russia, the first Snickers chocolate bars appeared in 1992 and were positioned as a snack replacing a full meal. For a long time, the former Soviet consumer could not get used to the fact that for lunch instead of soup you can eat a chocolate bar, and bought Snickers as a "sweet for tea". After the BBDO Moscow agency took over the creative service of the brand, Snickers was repositioned for teenagers who, for the most part, love everything sweet and do not like soup.

There is a similar story about the ingenious marketer who first came up with the idea of ​​specifying in the instructions for use of the shampoo that it should be applied to the hair and washed off twice, which led to a double increase in sales. Well, remember the commercials for chewing gum in the pads. How many pads do advertising heroes put in their mouths? That's just it.

The main marketing trick of Pepsi is considered to be a move during the Great Depression in the United States, when Pepsi was sold in bottles of 340 ml, while Coca Cola was sold at 170 ml. The price remained the same: 5 cents per bottle. Such a godless dumping was accompanied in the advertisement by a corrosive song with the text “Pepsi-Cola hits the target, 12 full ounces is a lot! Twice as much for the same coin! Pepsi Cola is your drink. "

From 1936 to 1938, Pepsi doubled its sales thanks to the Great Depression. And the slogan permeated the brains of American consumers for another 20 years. Partly the same policy "more for the same price" Pepsi adheres to now, 75 years later. For example, in Russia, Coca Cola is sold in 0.5 liter bottles, while Pepsi is sold in 0.6 liter bottles.

From Timberland History. Timberland was having a hard time in the early 1980s. It produced quality pumps that were priced lower than industry leader Topsiders. It seemed a good product and low price were supposed to work for them, but things were not going well. Then Timberland made a very simple decision: they raised their prices, so that they were much higher than the prices offered by Topsiders. Sales have skyrocketed. That confirms the reliability of the statement of David Ogilvy "The higher the price, the more desirable the product becomes in the eyes of the buyer." The same technique of “artificially inflated demand” has been used by luxury brands for more than a dozen years.

At one time, the tobacco brand Parliament went the same way. Initially, its prices were below its main competitor Marlboro, which is also owned by Philip Morris, and sales were quite modest. It was very difficult for consumers to choose among the mass of offers of the same price segment, and they chose the usual, not giving a damn about the exclusivity of the “Parliament” filter. The brand had to leave the market for a year and, on reflection, relaunched at a much higher price.

The founder of the largest chain of stores Woolworth and the inventor of grocery labels and supermarkets has found the right insight that allowed him to amass millions. A shy and stuttering young man from the village at the age of 21, he got a job as a sales assistant in a small shop. At that time, the price of goods in stores, placed on the counter behind the seller, was not indicated. The seller "by eye" determined the buyer's solvency and named his price. Then the buyer either bargained or left. Poor Frank did not know how and was very afraid to call buyers, praise the goods, and bargain. He was so afraid that one day he even fainted while working. As a punishment, the owner of the store left him trading alone for the whole day, threatening that if the revenue was less than the usual daily, he would fire him.

Before the opening of the store, Frank attached a piece of paper with the lowest possible price to all goods (a prototype of the modern price tag). All the stale goods dumped in the warehouse, he laid out on a huge table, attaching a sign to it with the inscription "All for five cents." He set the table near the window so that both the goods and the plate could be seen from the street. And shaking with fear, he began to wait for buyers, hiding behind the counter.

All the goods were sold out in a few hours, and the revenue per day was equal to the weekly. Buyers, holding the product in their hands and seeing the price written on it, gave money without bargaining.

Frank left the owner, borrowed money and opened his own store. In 1919, Woolworth's empire consisted of a thousand stores, and Frank's personal fortune was approximately 65 million.

The famous and best-selling (after the Bible) "Guinness Book of Records" is nothing more than a publicity stunt invented by the managing director of the Guinness brewery, Sir Hugh Beaver. In 1954, at a Wexford dinner for hunters, Hugh Beaver got into an argument with one of the guests who flies faster - the plover or the partridge. It was then that Beaver dawned on everything the globe during such small gatherings over a glass of beer, real disputes about "the most" unfold. He decided that it was worth creating a book that would contain officially confirmed records in all sorts of areas.

A year was spent on research work, and on August 27, 1955, the first 198-page book was ready. The success was overwhelming: even before Christmas, she became a bestseller in the UK, bringing a good income to the beer brand. And at first the name of the Guinness stout influenced the sales of the Book, and then the yearbook began to help the parent brand.

In London at the end of the 19th century, brandy, rum and gin were very popular. Therefore, promoting the whiskey was not easy. Sly Thomas Dewar, one of the founders of the family brand, chose an unexpected strategy. He hired dummy buyers who visited various pubs, demanding to pour them Dewar's whiskey. Naturally, that was not on sale, and they left. After several such visits, Dewar himself appeared in the bar and offered to conclude a contract for the supply of whiskey.

In 1892, Thomas Dewar went to trip around the world... In two years, he visited 26 countries, and 32 agents began to work for the company and several export companies Dewar "s appeared. The company's turnover during this time has grown 10 times. And Tommy Dewar wrote his famous book Walk Around the World. Dewar's advertising campaigns around the world are now based on Thomas's cultural studies and his statements, separating the brand from competitors.

One of the first teaser ads in America was tested by the Camel tobacco brand in 1913. Deciding that the camel is not only a memorable vivid picture, but also an excellent reason for advertising innovations, specialists from the RJR tobacco company, a few days before the first batch of cigarettes went on sale, published mysterious ads in newspapers in almost ninety American cities. "Camels" - read the first of them. A few later, the message “Camels are coming” appeared, and then - “Tomorrow there will be more camels in the city than in Asia and Africa combined”! The next morning, the frightened and intrigued Americans finally learned the whole truth. Camel Cigarettes. already here! ”read the final announcement. Shocked by the unusual advertising, the Americans, of course, tried Camel.

When the first IKEA stores opened in the United States and were already recognized in Europe, furniture sales fell short of expectations. After some research, it turned out that while Americans liked the simplicity of the design, they wanted furniture to match the larger dimensions of their homes. All that had to be done was to increase the size of the furniture.

Victor Mills, a leading chemist and technologist at Procter & Gamble, who helped his daughter look after the children, had to repeatedly pull out wet diapers from under his grandchildren, wash and dry them. Of course, he did not like the process and wanted to somehow make his life easier. Then the idea of ​​a disposable "diaper" came to mind - a foldable pad with a high absorbency, which was planned to be placed in underpants of a special shape. After experimenting several times with different materials, Mills developed a new product for P&G, which began to be released under the Pampers brand name, which became a household name.

Usually, all children, after they eat caramel, become sticky hands, and they, without hesitation, wipe them on their clothes. A lollipop (originally made of wood), which could be sucked, as if holding on a fork and without staining clothes, was invented in 1958 by Enrique Bernat. The USP of the product was that it could be sucked without getting your clothes and hands dirty. At the same time, the first slogan of Chupa Chups appeared - “It” s round and long-lasting. ”The innovative stick, convenient packaging and bright logo by Salvador Dali have been appreciated by consumers in all countries of the world for more than 50 years continuing to suck on the fruit candy.

When the drink was introduced to a wide market (Europe, USA), the main competitors were Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Molson, Labatt, and Anheuser-Busch. The concept was the same for everyone - they toned up and stimulated, and the energetic Jolt Cola contained, among other things, a double dose of caffeine compared to Red Bull.

Then Dietrich Mateschitz took a risky step: he artificially raised the price twice compared to competitors, reduced the volume of containers in the shape of a battery, and began to place cans in stores not in the beverage departments, but in any other (note, when in the next once you go to the store - Red Bull cans, along with the rest of the energy drinks, can be found almost in the sausage department, including in the alcoholic one).

In addition, Red Bull crates were distributed free of charge to students on university campuses. At student revels, Red Bull went off with a bang, because by chance and a happy coincidence, it was quickly discovered that it fits perfectly with vodka, and so the new and very popular Vodka Red Bull cocktail was born.

Rumor has it that the so-called casual fridays, when you can move away from the strict dress code adopted in large companies and change the formal suit for casual clothes, was invented by P & G for advertising purposes. In the 80s of the 20th century, the world's largest company P&G was the leader in the washing powder market in the United States. But, despite the high advertising activity, the market share did not want to grow in any way. Then the company conducted research and evaluated the clothing care market. As a percentage, it turned out that powder is used in 65% of cases, and dry cleaning - in 35%. The company further found that 70% of consumers of laundry detergent are self-employed and wear suits 5 out of 7 days a week, which they give to dry cleaning.

Further, a joint study by P&G and Levi Strauss Jeans showed that employees in casual clothes are more creative and perform much more efficiently than those who wear suits. And what did they do? P&G internally introduces the right to wear casual wear on Friday. The news received huge coverage in the press through the efforts of both companies, and many corporations followed suit. The laundry detergent market grew by 20%.

This is a short article about what the signs familiar to the eye mean and who invented them.

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So-called Mobius loop symbolizes the three phases of material recycling:

• garbage removal
• garbage recycling
• production of goods from recycled raw materials

Its creator, a Stanford University student and winner of the 1970 Earth Day design competition, did not register his mark and is therefore not a trademark. But any manufacturer can use it to avoid green claims. Products marked with this mark can be recycled.

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CANON

Saburo Uchida and Goro Yoshida in 1933 created a company that was supposed to produce Japanese cameras, which in quality should not be inferior to their German counterparts. They bought and disassembled German camera samples to create their own inexpensive 35mm camera. They named the company Canon - in honor of the deity of Japanese mythology Kwannon, but due to fear of persecution by religious organizations, the name had to be changed slightly.

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NIKE

In 1971, design student Carolyn Davidson sold her idea, inspired by the winged Greek goddess of victory, Nika, to the company’s feet for $ 35. Later, for the sake of economy, the company removed the name from the logo and began to fight for dominance in the world of sporting goods with only one Swoosh.

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The Marlboro logo was launched in 1924 as a women's brand. In 1955, designer Frank Gianninoto put the cigarettes in a new red and white convertible pack, bold the name in bold Wild West, and turned it into a design classic. The lone cowboy and the stigma of the County of Marlborough (South Carolina) united in a single impulse, and began one of the brightest and longest advertising campaigns in the world.

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McDonalds, the symbol of the most famous fast food. The two golden arches logo first appeared in 1962, when designer Jim Schindler ditched the speed chef in favor of a stylized M, based on two specific arches of the first McDonalds restaurant in Phoenix.

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For thousands of years, the swastika has personified the peace-loving sign of the sun in almost every ancient culture. To "revive" Germany, the Nazis used this symbol by placing it on the flag, and as a result, turning it into an international symbol of fear and hatred. Back in the 19th century, nationalists borrowed this sign from German folklore, mistakenly attributing it to the Aryan culture.

People are constantly buying branded goods in stores and on the Internet without thinking about their history and origins. However, the history of each brand hiding under the product often has a long and interesting life... The brand almost always hides behind itself a well-thought-out, in a way unique and developed business plan over the years. What is the secret of the success story.

A universal recipe for building successful business no. However, the experience of many corporations can help aspiring entrepreneurs define the basic principles of development. It is useful for both ambitious start-up creators and seasoned market participants to study the success stories of well-known brands. The founders of world-famous companies started small and reached unprecedented heights due to persistence, passion, long-term endurance and a special look at their own production. Interesting brand stories are concentration useful ideas that have not lost their relevance today.

McDonald's: from a small restaurant to the world leader of fast food

The global fast food giant began its development in the 1940s when the McDonald brothers opened the first restaurant in San Bernardino. The institution was no different from hundreds of others and brought in a good income in the early years, but gradually, due to the increased number of competitors, the McDonald's began to experience financial difficulties. In order to withstand the competition, the brothers decided to make their restaurant unique:

• introduced a self-service system;
• reduced the number of dishes on the menu;
• made prices more affordable.

It was after the introduction of these innovations in 1948 that an outstanding success story of the enterprise began: several restaurants were opened in California, profits began to reach a record 350 thousand dollars at that time.

Perhaps McDonald's would have remained a small chain of California eateries if not for Ray Kroc - a supplier of multi-mixers. It was Ray Kroc who foresaw the great future of restaurants and proposed to expand the network by selling a franchise. In 1955, Croc founded a firm specializing in the sale of the McDonald franchise "s, and already in 1961 he became the owner of the company, having bought it out for almost $ 3 million from the founders. The new owner did not change his idea of ​​constant expansion of the business and in 1967 he sold the first franchise abroad - to Canada, after which the network began to grow at an accelerated pace, and the famous hamburger became famous all over the world.

McDonald's isn't the only company that has made it from scratch. You can read more about how people and companies achieved success.

Adidas - the creator of innovative footwear

The history of the creation of the Adidas brand consists of a series of successful decisions and serious tests. The path of Adidas began in 1920, when, due to the need, the brothers Rudolph (Rudi) and Adolph (Adi) Dassler, together with their father, began to sew sleeping slippers in a small workshop. Home production soon became successful, and in 24 last year, the Dassler brothers' shoe factory was founded, employing about a dozen employees in addition to family members. The company produced about 300 pairs a week, which allowed for a steady income. But the brothers always strived for more, and in 1925 Adolf Dassler invented the studded boots.

The development of innovative sports shoes made the Dassler family factory by the end of the 1930s the leading shoe manufacturer in Germany. Like many success stories, Dassler's story includes the period of World War II, when factories were confiscated by the Nazis, and a period of slow post-war revival of production. In 1948, the brothers split the company up: Rudy began to develop his company Puma, and Adi founded Adidas (originally Addas). Having gained independence, Adi Dassler continued to improve the previously created boots and began to expand production, bags, balls, and then all other elements of sports equipment began to be produced under the Adidas brand. The history of the Reebok and CCM brands, which were previously competitors of the Adi Dassler concern, and now continue their development in its structure, are closely connected with Adidas.

Braun is an electrical innovator

The Braun trademark was registered in 1921 by the German engineer Max Braun, specializing in the production of components for electronics. Brown's first success came after the creation of a radio receiver, in the production of which was used a material that was not very popular at that time - plastic. The engineer used a punching machine of his own production, which allowed him to increase productivity and reduce costs. In 1928, a small production grows into a factory, in the range of products of which, in addition to a number of models of radio receivers, there are radios and players.

In 1941, Max Brown invents an electric razor, which was later improved and became the brand's trademark. In 1951, the children of the founder, Erwin and Arthur Brown, became the head of Braun, who continued the work of their parent and made the company world famous. The history of famous brands includes several of the most important events, for Braun such events were:

• start of serial production of electric shavers in 1950;
• start of production household appliances in 1951;
• the emergence of the design department in 1956;
• merger with Gillete and entering the global market in 1967.

H&M is a leader in low-cost clothing

The history of brands in the world does not always begin with the invention of something new; sometimes, to achieve success, it is enough just to improve an already known product or service. This is exactly what the son of the founder of H&M, Stefan Persson, who owns the company's motto, did:

"Fashion and quality at the best price" - "Fashion and quality at the best price."

H&M was founded by Erling Persson, who opened his Hennes womenswear store in 1947. In the late 1960s, the entrepreneur decided to expand the business and acquired Mauritz Widforss, a specialized shop for anglers and hunters. After the merger of the two stores, a new one - Hennes & Mauritz - was created, which included women's and men's clothing.

The spread of H&M around the world begins after the company's transfer in the 1980s to Stefan Persson, who was the author of the idea of ​​producing high-quality and inexpensive clothing. The idea proved to be successful and attracted many people from all over the world who wanted to dress fashionably, but did not have enough funds to update their wardrobe. H&M stores, which number in the thousands around the world, present clothing, accessories and cosmetics. The success of the brand is also due to the frequent updating of collections, on the creation of which more than one designer is working.

Adidas, Braun, H&M are prime examples of brands with a long history of success that have inspired and motivated many people. These companies initially have a desire to change the life of mankind for the better. Their story will be useful and interesting to many who want to do something useful for this world.

Myths and legends have long become a condition for the brand's success in the market. A product that cannot be told a story is not a brand. Well-known brands are shrouded in myths and legends, half of which are real facts from the history of their creation, and half are the fruit of the imagination of marketers. Western companies even have a special term "storytelling".

IKEA

When the first IKEA stores opened in the United States and were already recognized in Europe, furniture sales fell short of expectations. After some research, it turned out that while Americans liked the simplicity of the design, they wanted furniture to match the larger dimensions of their homes. All that had to be done was to increase the size of the furniture.

Western Union

Western Union owned almost all of the telegraph office in the United States. At the very beginning of his commercial activity, Alexander Bell, who at that time had many debts, turned to WU, offering to buy out the patent for the phone for only $ 100,000, but the company refused to spend money, considering the phone a "toy" product. When the understanding of all the possibilities of telephone communication came, the leaders of WU decided not to contact Bell and create their own system. However, Bell, who started his own telephone company, sued WU and won the case. So Western Union lost its telephone business, which reduced the demand for its main service - telegraph communication.

Pampers

Victor Mills, a leading chemist and technologist at Procter & Gamble, who helped his daughter look after the children, had to repeatedly pull out wet diapers from under his grandchildren, wash and dry them. Of course, he did not like the process and wanted to somehow make his life easier. Then the idea of ​​a disposable "diaper" came to mind - a foldable pad with a high absorbency, which was planned to be placed in underpants of a special shape. After experimenting several times with different materials, Mills developed a new product for P&G, which began to be released under the Pampers brand name, which became a household name.

Chupa-Chups

The Chupa-Chups brand was founded in Spain in 1958 of the last century as part of the Granja Asturias company. Enrique Bernat was the first to create a lollipop (originally wooden) that could be sucked without getting your hands and clothes dirty. The design of the brand logo to the owner of the company, Enrique Bernat, was drawn by the famous fellow countryman Salvador Dali. It was he who, in 1969, invented the shape of the flower for the Chupa Chups logo, which, with minor modifications, has happily survived to this day. He also suggested placing the logo not on the side, but on top of the candy.

Land rover

The Land Rover brand emblem has essentially remained intact for six decades. It is said that the design of the logo was inspired by a jar of sardines. It was allegedly forgotten in the drawings by one of the engineers. The oil print from the can was copied and proposed as a silhouette for the emblem of the new car.

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola was invented by pharmacist John Pemberton, consisted of coca leaves and cola nuts, patented as a drug for nervous disorders, and sold in pharmacies. Cocaine at that time was not a prohibited substance, and nothing was known about its health risks, so it was often added for pleasure and tone to drinks instead of alcohol - Coca-Cola was not an innovation in this. When cocaine was banned, Coca-Cola was partly blamed for its popularization. Cocaine was excluded from the drink, but the positioning of the product did not change and the popularity grew exponentially.

Lacoste

The captain of the French tennis team promised a crocodile suitcase to Rene Lacoste if he wins the Davis Cup. Because of this dispute, which, incidentally, won Rene, the American press nicknamed the tennis player "alligator". In France, the nickname Lacoste was changed to "crocodile" and stuck with him because of his stubborn and tenacious behavior on the court. Robert George, a friend of Lacoste, drew a crocodile for him, which was later embroidered on the short-sleeved shirt the athlete wore.

Swarovski

Daniel Swarovski created the world's first electric grinding machine for cutting crystal and gemstones, which allowed him to streamline the process of creating rhinestones. Rhinestones were named after Georges Frederic Strass, a famous fraudulent jeweler of the 18th century, who passed off faceted crystal shards as diamonds. Thanks to Swarovski's flair and taste, the imitation has risen on a par with the original, and the name has become a world famous brand.

Apple

According to one of the legends, Apple owes its logo, bitten by an apple, to the genius mathematician, the progenitor of the modern computer, who made a huge contribution to computer science and suffered for his non-traditional sexual orientation, Alan Turing.

Turing was a homosexual, which was illegal in the UK at the time, and homosexuality was considered mental illness... In 1952, Turing was charged with sodomy and convicted. He was offered two sentences to choose from - either imprisonment or suppression of libido with injections of the female hormone estrogen, which was essentially chemical castration. The scientist chose the latter.

Growing breasts and decreased libido were one of the effects. In addition, as a result of the conviction, he lost his job and the right to work in the field of cryptography. For a whole year, the scientist lived in seclusion, and then committed suicide, poisoned by cyanide potassium. Turing injected a solution of cyanide into the apple, which he bitten and died. The apple was found on the night table next to the dead body.

Nestle

The original logo of Nestlé, founded in the 60s of the 19th century, looked like this: a nest with three chicks and their mother. As a trademark for his first products, Henri Nestlé used the family coat of arms. At that time, parents and three children were considered a traditional family. Later, closer to the middle of the 20th century, traditions changed. The logo has also changed. Now in the nest, traditionally for Europe, there are only 2 chicks.

Ariel

Further, a joint study by P&G and Levi Strauss Jeans showed that employees in casual clothes are more creative and perform much more efficiently than those who wear suits. And what did they do? P&G internally introduces the right to wear casual wear on Friday. The news received huge coverage in the press through the efforts of both companies, and many corporations followed suit. The laundry detergent market grew by 20%.

Pirelli

In 2002, Pirelli broke with more than forty years of tradition and released its famous calendar with photographs of clothed rather than nude women. On the cover of the publication was a photo of a girl in an autumn coat, and the seventeen-year-old niece of the then reigning President of the United States, George W. Bush, was chosen as a model. Lauren Bush, the granddaughter of the 41st US President (Bush Sr.), was just happy and shared her emotions with reporters: “I talked to my grandparents and they were happy. And when I said that I would be wearing clothes in the photo, they were even more delighted. "

Absolut

Uncle Ben's

The prototype for Uncle Ben is Frank Brown, the head waiter of one of the pre-war Chicago restaurants frequented by Mars executives. The image of Uncle Ben is tied to American folklore. One of the old stories tells of a black farmer who was famous throughout the country for his excellent quality and taste of rice.

Michelin

At the beginning of the twentieth century, especially in the twenties, each large factory or small workshop acquired its own brand name... These were heroes of mythology, and images of animals (Peugeot lion and Lacoste crocodile), and symbols created from the company's products, such as Bibendum. Bibendum was created by the cartoonist O'Galop in 1898, who brought the idea of ​​André Michelin to life. The myth says that at the bicycle tire show, all the models were stacked on top of each other. The resulting stack was shaped very much like a fat man. For more than 100 years, Bibendum has undergone significant changes, but it has remained a character of the Michelin concern.

Mazda

Zoom-zoom is an imitation of the sound of a fast moving object. " Zoom- zoom"Say the English-speaking boys playing cars. And this is how Mazda creates the image of a brand with a sporty character, capable of bringing the buyer into a truly childish delight with its drive. By the way, when talking about Ferrari they use the expression “Vroom-vroooom”, and Mini Cooper makes “Beep-beep”.

Heinz

Red bull

The energy drink Red Bull was born in 1982, when Dietrich Mateschitz, during a business trip to East Asia, became interested in the widespread energy drinks there. He acquired the licensing rights for the well-known Thai brand Krating Daeng (translated from Thai as "red bull") and for the use of the recipe from Taisho Pharmaceuticals (Japan. When the drink was introduced to the wide market (Europe, USA), Coca-Cola , and Pepsi, and Molson, and Labatt, and Anheuser-Busch.The concept was similar for all - they toned up and stimulated, and the energetic Jolt Cola also contained, among other things, a double dose of caffeine compared to Red Bull.

Then Dietrich Mateschitz took a risky step: he artificially raised the price twice compared to competitors, reduced the volume of containers, shaped like a battery, and began to place cans in stores not in the beverage departments, but in any other (note, when in the next once you go to the store - Red Bull cans, along with the rest of the energy drinks, can be found almost in the sausage department, including in the alcoholic one).

In addition, Red Bull crates were distributed free of charge to students on university campuses. At student revels, Red Bull went off with a bang, because by chance and happy coincidence of circumstances, it was quickly discovered that he was ideally suited to vodka. This is how a new and very popular Vodka Red Bull cocktail was born.

Hewlett-Packard

HP founders Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard tossed a coin to decide whose name would come first. As you can imagine, Bill won.

Adidas and puma

It is known that the Adidas company got its name in honor of one of the founders, Adolf Dasler. And Puma was created by his brother Rudolf Dasler. There is a legend that the father of the Dasler brothers worked all his life as a baker. Adolf and Rudolf Dasler together opened a workshop for tailor-made sports shoes. Adolph had the qualities of a designer, Rudolph - a marketer.

After the Second World War and the death of their father, the brothers had a serious quarrel and divided the no longer small company "Dassler" (about 60 people) in half. This happened in the German town of Herzogenaurach, which was also divided by the brothers' quarrel into two parts. The workers of these factories went only to their taverns, drank different beer, their children attended different schools. The companies maintained their own soccer teams.

And until now, an employee of one company will be immediately fired if he is seen wearing shoes or clothing produced by a competitor.

Each well-known brand has its own logo by which it is recognized. Usually this logo is small and simple, but some of them are elaborate and mysterious. The history of the emergence of such specific logos of several of the world's most influential fashion houses - in this article.

Lacoste

An old and respected brand. Their logo - a tiny green alligator - is known to everyone who loves fashion. In 1927, during the Davis Cup, the American press dubbed Lacoste the "alligator" because of a dispute over which the winner of the tournament got a suitcase made of alligator skin. In France, Lacoste's nickname was changed to "crocodile" and stuck with him because of his stubborn and tenacious behavior on the court, where Lacoste never forgave his opponents mistakes.
Robert George, a friend of Lacoste, drew a crocodile for him, which was later embroidered on the blazer in which the athlete performed, and then fixed as a logo for all things the company produces.

Fendi

In 1925, the brand emerged as the name of a married couple who opened their first store. And only in 1952, the Fendi family decided to invite a professional designer, German Karl Lagerfeld, who laid the foundation for the brand, making it the way we see it now. The designer also developed a memorable logo that is still used today. The double letter "F", apparently, symbolizes the Fendi spouses.

Chanel

The famous Chanel logo was first shown to the fashion world in 1925 on a bottle of Chanel # 5. There are several versions about the origin of the picture. One story says that two crossed horseshoes are a symbol of success and good fortune. However, most fashion historians are inclined to believe that the emblem is the initials of Coco Chanel, the founder of the French design house.

Calvin klein

November 19, 1942 is the date of birth of the famous designer. Having started his atelier with the release of men's outerwear, Klein gradually moved on to design clothes for women. In the 1970s, the designer adapted the classic men's suit for women's fashion. In 1970, he introduced the PeaCoat, a double-breasted short coat with wide lapels.

This model became not only a hit of the season, but also determined the fashion of women's outerwear for almost a whole decade. Company logo - CK is easy to remember and gives a connection to the brand. The dark emblem is used for Haute Couture clothing, the gray emblem is for regular garments, while the white emblem is for sportswear.

Hermes

Erme is a French design corporation that is directly associated with impeccable taste and first-class style. Designer Erme's logo depicts
a horse with a cart, which is very symbolic for the brand - the history of the company began in 1837, when Thierry Hermes founded a private company for the production of horse harnesses. Hermes is the name of the founder.

For the next five generations of this family, they constantly expanded their production, creating a real Hermes empire. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Hermes production was supplemented with leather goods and luggage bags. At the same time, a unique processing technology was applied leather goods special, "saddle", seam. This is how the Hermes style was born.

Burberry prorsum

The company's success began with the invention of a waterproof material - gabardine - and its use in raincoats and long waterproof coats for soldiers. In 1901, Burberry already had a large order for these clothes. He marked the order with his new emblem - an equestrian rider in armor and a spear in his hand was registered as a trademark of the brand. The knight's costume was a copy of the original.

The Latin word "Prorsum", used in heraldry as a motto meaning "Forward", reflects the company's desire for progressive innovation, and the spear is a symbol of the protection of tradition.

Versace

The Versace logo is symbolically associated with Greek mythology... The head of Medusa Gorgon, as conceived by the couturier, symbolizes the fact that with his collections he turns the audience into stone. The designer's logo was invented in 1978 by Gianni Versace himself, who was obsessed with classic themes. So, the jellyfish was the best option for him, since it was she who he considered "the embodiment of fatal attraction."

All ingenious is simple. Collected in this material short stories the origin of the names of world famous brands once again confirm this law of life.

Adidas

The founder of Adidas was named Adolf Dassler, or Adi for short. His first company was called even more unpretentious - Dassler, but by agreement with the co-founder of Dassler, brother Rudolph, with whom they had a hard fight 60 years ago, none of them had the right to use this name anymore.

Adobe systems

In 1982, 40-year-old Xerox programmers John Warnock and Charles Geschke quit their jobs and set up a company to manufacture software... They named it Adobe, after the stream that ran behind Warnock's house.

Apple

Apple is founder Steve Jobs's favorite fruit. After three months of vain attempts to find a name for a new business, he delivered an ultimatum to his partners: “I will name Apple if by 5 o'clock you don’t offer the best. ” Apple Macintosh is the name of an apple variety sold in the United States.

Audi

Audi translates from Latin as "listen!" This is the Latin version of the surname of the founder of the company - August Horch

Bmw

BMW stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke. English version - Bavarian Motor Works.

Canon

In 1930, in Japan, Goro Yoshida and his half-brother Saburo Uchida created a company with an unspoken name, Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory in Japan. Four years later, developments led to the creation of their first camera, which they named Kwanon, after the thousand-handed Buddhist deity of mercy.
The company registered a lot of words to protect its trademark, which were similar in sound to Kwanon. One of them - already known to us Canon - eventually replaced the original name due to disagreements with religious leaders. Canon translates from English as "Canon", and from French - "Cannon".

Casio

In honor of the company founder Kashio Tadao.

Cisco

Acronym for San Francisco.

Coca-Cola

The main ingredients of Coca-Cola, when the drink was opened, were as follows: three parts of coca leaves (the drug cocaine was obtained from the same leaves) to one part of the nuts of the tropical cola tree.

Compaq

From Comp and paq (small integrated part).

Corel

In honor of the founder of the company, Michael Cowpland (Dr. Michael Cowpland). Stands for COwpland REsearch Laboratory.

Daewoo

The founder of the company, Kim Woo Chong, called the company modestly, "Big Universe", which is how it is translated from Korean.

FIAT

The company was founded in 1899. Fiat is short for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino. In addition, this abbreviation can be translated from Latin as an independent word that is often used in church everyday life - "let it be."

Fuji

Everything is very simple here, in honor of the highest and most famous mountain in Japan, Fuji.

Google

This is the second name of the most famous search engine in the world, the first was BackRub. But it was soon replaced by Google. This is a slightly altered word "googol", denoting the last of the numbers that have at least some meaning - one with a hundred zeros.

Hallmark

One of the most famous companies in the world in the industry of congratulations (postcards, etc.). Hallmark means the hallmark that English guild masters have placed on their products since the 14th century, as evidence that the guild is a guarantee of quality.

Honda

The founder's name is Soichiro Honda.

Hotmail

Founder Jack Smith came up with the idea of ​​accessing email via the web from anywhere in the world. When Sabeer Bhatia came up with a business plan for the service, he went through all the words ending in "mail" and eventually settled on hotmail, as the name was HTML (markup language).

HP (Hewlett-Packard)

Founders Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard tossed a coin to decide whose name would appear first. As you can imagine, Bill won.

Hyundai

The Korean word for "present" (tense).

IBM

IBM was founded in 1924 and stands for International Business Machines.

IKEA

Ingvar Kamprad (founding father) lmtaryd (home farm) A gunnaryd (home village in Småland, Sweden, where young Ingvar Kamprad was born and started his pen mailing business).

Intel

Bob Noyce and Gordon Moore wanted to name the company Moore Noyce, but by that time there was already a chain of hotels with that name. So they decided to stick with INTegrated ELectronics.

Kodak

K is the favorite letter of George Eastman, the founder of the company. He looked for words beginning and ending with this wonderful letter. Moreover, in all alphabets "K" is spelled in the same way. In the end, Kodak was chosen, supposedly this is the sound the camera makes when shooting.

Lego

Comes from two Danish words: leg ("play") and got ("good"). And in translation from Latin lego means “I read”, “I connect”.

Lg

Initially, these were two separate organizations: the cosmetics company Lucky Chemical Industrial (since 1947) and the GoldStar radio-electronic plant (since 1958). After the merger, the company received the name Lucky Goldstar, and in 1995 changed it to LG Electronics, simply shortening the name to an abbreviation.

Microsoft

MICROcomputer SOFTware. It was originally written as Micro-Soft. Then the dash was removed.

Mitsubishi

Invented by the founder of the company Yataro Iwasaki in 1870. translated from Japanese mitsu - three, and hishi - diamond. The letter "b" turned out to be the sixth not because of an error, but due to the fact that the Japanese usually pronounce the "h" in the middle of the word as "b". As for the logo, then, contrary to the prevailing opinion, it is he who is primary, and not the name. And it looks like this because the trefoil was the family crest of the founder of the company.

Motorola

Founder Paul Galvin came up with the name when his company started making car radios. Many audio component manufacturers at the time ended with "ola", the fashion was so weird.

NEC

Abbreviation for Nippon Electric Company, Ltd, abbreviated in 1983.

Nike

In 1978, Blue Ribbon Sports was officially renamed Nike, Inc. It is believed that the name is taken from the name of the goddess of victory Nika.

Nikon

Originally Nippon Kogaku means "Japanese optics".

Nintendo

Composite of three Japanese characters"Nin-ten-do", which can be translated as "heaven bless hard work." It's so hard to play.

Nissan

Formerly known as Nippon Sangio, which means Japanese Industry.

Nokia

In 1865, Knut Fredrik Idestam founded a pulp and paper mill in southwestern Finland. The company began to bear the name Nokia after it moved to the bank of the Nokianvirta River in the city, in fact, Nokia. The very word "Nokia" in Finnish means a dark, very furry animal, something like an ermine.

Pepsi

First manufactured in 1890s in New Bern, North Carolina by pharmacist Caleb Bradham. On August 28, 1898, Brad's Drink was renamed Pepsi-Cola. The Pepsi-Cola trademark was registered on June 16, 1903. According to one of the versions, Caleb Bradham derived the name "Pepsi" from the word pepsin (a digestive enzyme that helps break down protein). According to another version, Caleb Bradham borrowed the name “Pep Kola” from one of the local competitors, slightly corrected it and named his drink Pepsi-Cola.
According to another version, Caleb and his visitors simply liked the sound of this word, since it reflected the fact that the carbonated drink gave a certain vigor and energy (pep - pep, energy, liveliness).

Philips

The company is named after its founder, Friedrich Philips and his son Gerard, who founded it in 1891 in Eindhoven to manufacture light bulbs. They have not refused to bring light to the people until now, but they have replenished their assortment with a couple of hundred more items.

Puma

This company was owned by the brother of the founder of Adidas, Rudolf Dassler. After the historical scandal in the Dassler company, the brothers dispersed on different sides of the river and founded each on own enterprise... Initially, Puma was called Ruda, in honor of, as you know, Rudolph himself, but the name had to be changed in favor of euphony and memorability, leaving the base - four letters, the same vowels, a similar first consonant.

Samsung

Translated from Korean, "samsung" means "three stars".

Sanyo

In Chinese "Three oceans".

Sharp

The origins of the etymology lie in the 10s of the last century, when the Tokyo resident Tokuji Hayakawa began the production of a branded product - an ever-sharp mechanical pencil that does not require sharpening. Sharp is "sharp" in English.

Siemens

Founded in 1847 by Werner von Siemens.

Sony

The original name of the company in Japanese was "Tokyo Tsushin Koge Kabushiki Kaisa" and translated into English as "Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Company". The founders of the company, Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuki, were looking for a suitable word for a short name for a long time and stumbled upon the Latin word sonus (sound). In the 1950s, the American word sonny was popular in Japan, which is consonant with the word sonus and the word sunny. What could be better? But the word sonny, written in hieroglyphs, meant “unprofitable”. Then Akio Morita came up with the idea of ​​deleting one letter "n" and named the company "Sony".

Subaru

By the name of the constellation Pleiades, which in Greek was also called the "Seven Sisters". And that's just the "Seven Sisters" in Japanese "Subaru". Literally into Russian, brned-name is translated as "to unite into one whole." The constellation of the Pleiades is displayed on the company logo.

Swatch

Acronym for Swiss Watch

Toshiba

It got its name from the abbreviation in 1978 of the former name Tokyo Shibaura Elektric Co., Ltd, obtained by the merger of Tokyo Denki, which was engaged in household electrical appliances, and Shibaura Seisaku-sho, which produced heavy electrical equipment.

Toyota

Named after the founder Sakichi Toyoda. Subsequently changed to a more euphonious Toyota. In Japanese, it consisted of 8 letters (a lucky number in Eastern culture).

Viagra

The first part of the word, "vi-", is taken from the words virility (potency), vitality (vitality), vigor (energy). And the ending "-agra" means "catch", "grab."

Xerox

Comes from the Greek "Xer", which, contrary to the guesses of especially witty comrades, is translated as "dry". The fact is that at the time of writing the name for the future copying giant (late 40s), there was only wet copying, and the author wanted to emphasize the use of dry powder dye in the technology. In English-speaking countries, the brand name does not sound "Xerox", but "Zirox".

Yahoo

The word was coined by Jonathan Swift in Gulliver's Travels. This was the name of one disgusting tribe that Gulliver had to face in his travels. Founders of "Yahoo!" Jerry Yang and David Filo chose this name because they called themselves yahoo. Besides, it's such a cry of joy.

3M

A mathematical notation for the three-fourths of the acronym for Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company.

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Facts about the origin of the names of famous world brands

Adobe- named after the Adobe Creek, which ran behind the home of company founder John Warnock.

Adidas- in honor of one of the founders of Adi Dasler.

Apple- the favorite fruit of the founder of the company Steve Jobs (Steve Jobs). After three months of futile attempts to find a name for a new business, he gave his partner an ultimatum: "I will name Apple if you don’t come up with a better offer by 5 o'clock." Apples Macintosh is the name of an apple variety sold in the United States.

Canon- in honor of Kwanon, the Buddhist god of mercy. Changed to Canon to avoid protests from religious organizations.

Casio- in honor of the founder of the company Kashio Tadao.

Cisco- abbreviated as San Francisco.

Compaq- from Comp and paq (small integrated part).

Corel- in honor of the founder of the company Michael Copeland (Dr. Michael Cowpland). Stands for COwpland REsearch Laboratory.

Daewoo- the founder of the company, Kim Woo Chong, called the company modestly, "Big Universe", that is how it is translated from Korean.

Fuji- in honor of the highest mountain in Japan, Fuji.

Google- the name comes from the word Googol, meaning one followed by 100 zeros. And Google was written on a check that the founders of this project (among whom, by the way, a former Russian - Sergey Brin) received from the first investor. After that, they named the search engine that way.

HP(Hewlett-Packard) - Founders Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard tossed a coin to decide whose name would come first. As you can imagine, Bill won.

Hitachi- in Japanese, dawn.

Honda- the name of the founder of Soichiro Honda.

Honeywell- the name of the founder, Mark Honeywell.

Hotmail- Founder Jack Smith came up with the idea of ​​accessing e-mail via the web from anywhere in the world. When Sabeer Bhatia came up with a business plan for the service, he went through all the words ending in "mail" and eventually settled on hotmail, as the name was HTML (markup language).

Hyundai- in Korean "present" (tense).

IBM- International Business Machines.

Intel- Bob Noyce and Gordon Moore wanted to name the company Moore Noyce, but by that time there was already a chain of hotels with that name. So they decided to stick with INTegrated ELectronics.

Kawasaki- in honor of the founder of Shozo Kawasaki.

Kodak- K is the favorite letter of George Eastman, the founder of the company. He looked for words beginning and ending with this wonderful letter. Moreover, in all alphabets "K" is spelled the same way. In the end, Kodak was chosen, supposedly this is the sound the camera makes when shooting.

Konica- Formerly known as Konishiroku Kogaku.

Lg- the first letters of the two Korean brands Lucky and Goldstar.

Lotus- Mitch Kapor, founder of the company, practiced meditation. Hence the name (lotus pose).

Microsoft- MICROcomputer SOFTware. It was originally written as Micro-Soft. Then the dash was removed.

Mitsubishi- invented by the founder of the company Yataro Iwasaki in 1870. In Japanese it means "Three Diamonds". The name is also displayed in the company logo.

Motorola- Founder Paul Galvin came up with the name when his company started making car radios. Many manufacturers of audio components at the time ended in "ola".

Mozilla Foundation Is the successor to the Netscape Navigator browser. When Marc Andreesen, the founder of Netscape, created a browser to replace Mosaic, the company called it Mozilla (Mosaic-Killer, Godzilla).

Nabisco- originally "The NAtional BISCuit COmpany", changed to Nabisco in 1971.

Nikon- originally Nippon Kogaku, means "Japanese optics".

Nintendo- Composite of 3 Japanese characters "Nin-ten-do", which can be translated as "heaven bless hard work."

Nissan- formerly known as Nichon Sangio, which means "Japanese industry".

Nokia- began as a woodworking plant, expanded to the production of rubber products in the Finnish city of Nokia.

Novell- the name was invented by the wife of co-founder George Canova. She mistakenly thought that "Novell" in French means "new."

Oracle- Company founders Larry Ellison and Bob Oats worked on a consulting project for the CIA, codenamed Oracle. Subsequently, the project was closed, but the name remained.

Sanyo- in Chinese "Three oceans".

SAP- "Systems, Applications, Productss in Data Processing" was founded by 4 former IBM employees who worked in the Systems / Applications / Projects group.

SCO- from the Santa Cruz Operation.

Siemens- founded in 1847 by Werner von Siemens.

Sony- from the Latin "Sonus" (sound) and "sonny" (youngster in slang).

Subaru- by the name of the constellation. It is also displayed on the company logo.

SUN- founded by 4 university friends, short for Stanford University Network.

Suzuki- named after the founder Michio Suzuki.

Toshiba- was founded after the merger of FMCG Tokyo Denki (Tokyo Electric Co) and Shibaura Seisaku-sho (Shibaura Engineering Works).

Toyota- named after the founder Sakichi Toyoda. Later it was changed to a more noble Toyota. In Japanese, it consisted of 8 letters (the lucky number in Japan).

Xerox- The inventor, Chestor Carlson, wanted to include the word "dry" in the title (since at that time there was only wet copying). "Xer" - dry in Greek.

Yahoo- the word was coined by Jonathan Swift in Gulliver's Travels. That was the name of a repulsive, disgusting person. Founders of "Yahoo!" Jerry Yang and David Filo chose this name because they called themselves yahoo's. However, now the name stands for Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle.

3M- Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company