KNOW YOUR BRANDS

Behind An Empire: How These 10 Iconic Brands Acquired Their Names

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In the vast consumer goods marketplace, brands often become more than just names on labels; they become symbols of quality, trust, and innovation.

However, behind every successful brand lies a unique backstory, often filled with ingenuity, perseverance, and sometimes even a tad of serendipity. Read on to find out the intriguing stories behind 10 household names that have left an indelible mark on the world.

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Amazon has been around for 25 years now, but before becoming the giant that it is, it shapeshifted several times. Jeff Bezos, its creator, first built an online bookstore intending to offer an unparalleled selection of titles and exceptional customer service. This brand was named "Cadabra", a clear reference to "abracadabra," a magic word.

However, Bezos’ lawyer at the time considered it an obscure name, and in 1994, Bezos and his wife started exploring other names and registered several domains, like "relentless.com" just in case one of those was going to be the one. Eventually, he decided he wanted a brand starting with the letter A, the first in the alphabet, and, after perusing the dictionary, he landed on the word Amazon, the largest river on the planet. The superlative had the winning factor and the rest is history.

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Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two graduate students at Stanford University began collaborating on a search engine project in 1996. Their initial goal was to create a more efficient way to navigate the World Wide Web. Originally named "Backrub" due to its focus on analyzing backlinks, the project eventually evolved into what we now know as Google, but the name was actually the product of a misspelling.

Sean Anderson, a Stanford graduate, pitched the term "googolplex" in a brainstorming session for the name change. However, Page countered a simple version of it "Googol", which denotes a colossal number in mathematics: the digit 1 followed by a hundred zeros.

When checking the availability of the domain, Anderson accidentally typed Google and Page liked this version of the name best. They secured it on September 15, 1997, marking the birth of a digital giant.

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Originally founded as "Blue Ribbon Sports" in 1964 by Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman, the company’s beginnings were quite humble. Knight, a former middle-distance runner at the University of Oregon, and Bowerman, his coach, shared a passion for improving athletic performance. They joined forces to import Japanese sports shoes from the Onitsuka factory to the United States.

The pivotal moment of the company came in 1971 when they rebranded it as Nike, a name inspired by the Greek goddess of victory. In Greek mythology, Nike is often depicted as a divine figure symbolizing victory, strength, and speed. This name, together with the presentation of the Swoosh logo marked the beginning of a new era.

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Steve Jobs may be the one you think of when you think of Apple, but the brand was co-created with Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne in 1976. The name, however, was in fact Jobs’ invention and it has more than one backstory. In Jobs’ biography by Walter Isaacson, the creator himself admits that he came up with the name while he was on a fruitarian diet. He mentions having visited an apple farm and considering the name because it was "fun, spirited and not intimidating." This story was confirmed by Wozniak who drove him back from the airport after that trip.

However, there is another reason why the brand was named "Apple," and that is because, just like with Jeff Bezos’ Amazon, Jobs intended to have consumers find his brand before his competitor Atari in the phone book.

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You drink their coffee every couple of days, and you probably use their space as an office and a place of recreation, but have you ever wondered why Starbucks is called Starbucks? The coffee company is a titan of the industry with good reason, and the story behind its name is just as interesting.

Bowker, Baldwin, and Siegl - Starbucks’ founders - set off with a simple goal: finding a powerful name. According to marketing specialists st****- words have that strength. The three men started scouting around for a name and came across a small town called Starbo, on a mining map. That was enough for Gordon Bowker to think of Moby Dick’s character, Starbuck.

As the company itself states, this name evokes "the romance of the high seas and the seafaring tradition of the early coffee traders."

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We bet that if you take your eyes off this article and look around, you’ll find at least one thing from IKEA, isn’t that right? That is because IKEA is part of our everyday life, and leaving their stores empty-handed is almost impossible.

We have Ingvar Kamprad to thank for this amazing creation, and if you pay close attention, you already know where the name comes from. That is right, IKEA is an acronym and the two first letters belong to the founder’s initials.

As for the E and the A in it, the first stands for Elmtaryd, which is the name of the farm Kamprad grew up on, and the second stands for Agunnaryd, the name of his village. Put it all together and you get IKEA, and probably a piece of furniture too.

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Pepsi has carved out a sparkling legacy spanning more than a century. Its journey has been one of continuous evolution making it an iconic global drink. This beverage originated as a remedy for stomach discomfort, thanks to Caleb Bradhma, a pharmacist in North Carolina. Seeking a name that better encapsulated its essence, Bradham eventually settled on "Pepsi-Cola" in 1902, having purchased the moniker "Pep Kola" from a local competitor.

Interestingly, the name "Pepsi" finds its roots in "dyspepsia," a medical term that means indigestion. By the 19th century, this was a very common affection, and products to cure it contained animal pepsin, a digestive enzyme. Although Pepsi never included this ingredient in its list, Bradham used this to his favor to sell Pepsi around!

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Nintendo, a household name in the gaming industry traces back to 1889, when it embarked on its journey with the humble venture into the playing card business. The moniker "Nintendo" was chosen for this initial foray, which comes from the Japanese language, as its creator.

Nintendo, which means "leave luck to heaven" is not just a label, it is the founder Fusajiro Yamuchi’s philosophical approach towards the nature of card games. Fast forward to the 1970s, and Nintendo made a pivotal shift into the burgeoning realm of video games. Despite the drastic change in industry and product, the company opted to maintain the original name. This decision was about both brand continuity and a testament to Ninendo’s enduring commitment to innovation.

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McDonald's is the number one titan of the fast-food industry and it dates back to 1940. It all began with a modest barbecue restaurant established by Richard and Maurice McDonald. Little did they know that their journey would evolve into a global phenomenon.

Even if the company takes its name from the owners, the pivotal moment came when Ray Kroc, a tenacious milkshake machine salesman entered the picture. He acknowledged the potential of the kitchen setup and saw an opportunity for expansion. Under Kroc’s leadership, McDonald’s underwent a transformative journey and became an empire of golden arches spanning across the continent keeping the name of the family that first created the brand and honoring it with the many variations of it we can find in the name of the dishes.

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What began in 1969 as a modest enterprise has blossomed into a global powerhouse, leaving an indelible mark on industries ranging from electronics to finance and beyond. At the heart of Samsung’s identity lies its name, a beacon of aspiration and promise.

In Korean, Samsung translates to "three stars," a poignant reflection of founder Lee Byung-chull’s lofty ambitions for the company. To him, the name was more than a mere designation, it embodied a vision of brilliance, strength, and enduring radiance. Each star symbolized a face of his vision: largeness, abundance, and resilience. And they have certainly honored this story as it has rapidly become an icon of innovation and enterprise with unwavering determination.

10 famous slogans with stories you probably never heard

Some slogans are so catchy that you could probably finish them in your sleep. "Have a break, have a…" But what's the story behind these iconic phrases? Did you know Red Bull's famous slogan cost the company millions of dollars? And how did Mastercard, a company built around spending money, create one of its most famous campaigns around the idea that some things are priceless? The answers aren't always what you'd expect. Here are 10 famous slogans and their surprising origin stories.

Did you know Red Bull’s famous slogan cost the company 13 million dollars? The slogan originated in Austria with entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz, promising customers the boost they needed to go further, with the clever use of the word "wings" suggesting extra energy and performance.

But in 2014, a man sued Red Bull for "false advertising" because the drink didn’t give him wings and falsely implied it offered superior physical and mental performance. The company eventually settled for $13 million, allowing eligible Red Bull customers to claim either $10 in cash or $15 worth of free products—though Red Bull didn't admit any wrongdoing.

In 1997, Mastercard ran a commercial about a father and son at a baseball game, where the cost of tickets and snacks contrasted with the value of spending time together. But how does a credit card company sell its product by telling people some things can’t be bought?

The idea was simple: what do people actually value? That way, even though they were selling a product directly tied to money, they made it about family and important moments. The campaign became one of Mastercard's longest-running and most famous ads.

KitKat has one of the most recognizable yet simple slogans around. But how did they come up with it? It was created in the late 1950s by Donald Gilles of the London advertising agency J. Walter Thompson.

The message was clear: Just take a break from work and enjoy a chocolate bar. The first TV commercial showed people taking breaks at work, reinforcing the idea that KitKat was perfect for a short rest and linking it to a familiar habit. The slogan caught on so well it’s still being used today.

Levi’s was using this slogan by 1978, but why did it stick? The message connected with people who care not just about fashion but also about durability, and suggested that its high-quality clothes never lose their appeal. That way, Levi’s built its reputation as a brand that sells things that last. Over time, the advertising line actually became a promise to customers about the quality and durability of its products.

The iconic camera company Kodak had used the idea of a "Kodak moment" for decades, but in 2001, it introduced a famous twist to the formula to promote its digital cameras. But why did the slogan work so well? Before smartphones, Kodak was one of the biggest names in home photography, and taking pictures with one of its cameras was a typical way to capture the moments you wanted to remember.

The slogan tapped into that feeling very well, and instead of just buying cameras, it made people feel they were buying memories.

This slogan made PlayStation sound like a ticket to another world. What was the secret behind it? Both the PlayStation 1 and 2 brought major advancements in graphics, making video games more and more immersive.

So, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Sony leaned into the idea that video games could transfer players to an alternative world where nothing mattered except the game. The phrase conveyed the emotional appeal of gaming without naming a single game or console feature.

The Washington Post officially adopted this slogan in February 2017, but why did the newspaper choose those words after nearly 140 years in business? Owner Jeff Bezos reportedly wanted a phrase that captured the newspaper's mission of holding powerful institutions accountable.

The expression "democracy dies in darkness" was popularized by journalist Bob Woodward, who explained he got the idea from a judge's opinions about government secrecy. The staff considered more than 500 slogan ideas before settling on it.

Airbnb went on to become one of the world's most recognizable home-rental platforms. The company wanted to express a simple idea: no matter where you traveled, you could feel at home. So it summed it up in just two words.

In 2014, Airbnb rebranded to put that idea front and center. Even its logo changed to a symbol that showed a heart, a location pin, and the letter "A."

We've all said, "Just one more episode," and Netflix knew exactly how to make the most of that. Netflix introduced the slogan around 2014, as streaming was becoming a much bigger part of how people watched TV.

But in 2020, Netflix moved away from "See what’s next" to "One story away." The idea was not to focus on endless consumption, but on the emotional impact a single story can have on you.

Ferrari built its reputation on powerful sports cars and a long history of racing. So a slogan like "We are the competition" reflected the company's competitive roots, but with a clever twist that made it clear to other brands that Ferrari was the team to beat. This slogan was introduced in the mid-1980s, and even though Ferrari may not use it officially today, it remains one of its most memorable lines.