branding

The Quest for ‘Authenticity’ in Marketing Is an Absurd, Impossible Dream

Businesses can’t sell us on the idea of authenticity if they don’t know what it really means. And once they do know what it means, then they REALLY can’t sell it.

The True Story Behind Adidas’ ‘All Day I Dream About Sex’ (And Other Bogus Brand Acronyms)

Adidas has been dreaming about sex for over 40 years, Fords have been ‘Fixed Or Repaired Daily’ for 60. Even Spam has a backronym, dating from WWII. But are any of them real?

The Problematic Legacy of Mr. Peanut, Gay Capitalist

Out and proud or not, Mr. Peanut lived for a century as a slave-trading aristocrat, selling his fellow legumes to a gruesome death by mastication

How Chubbies Became the Poster Shorts for Corporate Pinkwashing

It all started with a pair of rainbow short shorts and a curious lack of a Pride Month donation pledge