{"id":14346,"date":"2019-08-15T09:48:36","date_gmt":"2019-08-15T13:48:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-715453-3009179.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=14346"},"modified":"2021-05-05T10:44:29","modified_gmt":"2021-05-05T14:44:29","slug":"famous-brands-origin-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress-715453-3009179.cloudwaysapps.com\/blog\/famous-brands-origin-stories\/","title":{"rendered":"The Origin Stories Behind 5 Famous Brands"},"content":{"rendered":"
Like superheroes, famous brands almost always have a great origin story. Okay, it might not be about a radioactive spider bite, but it\u2019s often not far off. Family feuds, top-secret recipes, and bizarre coincidences fill the histories of some of the world\u2019s best-known companies.<\/p>\n
Learning about the origins of famous brands is a great way to get an idea for the process of developing your own. Part method, part madness, the art of brand-building involves finding exactly the right elements to tell your story.<\/p>\n
From green armchairs to orange shoes and trips to the zoo, we\u2019re diving into the origins of five of the world\u2019s most iconic brand identities \u2014 and key lessons to take away from each.<\/p>\n
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Ubiquitous among adrenaline junkies, long-haul truckers, and athletes alike, Red Bull has dominated the global energy drinks market for decades. A brand identity<\/a> known across the globe, the company’s aggressive and creative approach to sponsorship has made the Red Bull name synonymous with everything from Formula 1, cliff-diving, nightclubs, snowboarding, and a guy literally jumping to earth<\/a> from outer space.<\/p>\n But it wasn\u2019t always this way. Red Bull once led a humble life as a pick-me-up for blue-collar workers in rural Thailand. Marketed to low-paid laborers and motorbike taxi drivers (who, presumably, were not trying to defy the laws of gravity and sanity like their North American counterparts), Krating Daeng was the basis for what would later become, you guessed it: Red Bull.<\/p>\n The potent concoction of caffeine and taurine was originally tweaked from a popular Japanese recipe by the Chinese entrepreneur Chaleo Yoovidyha, who introduced Krating Daeng to Thailand in the 70s.<\/p>\n Chaleo also designed Krating Daeng\u2019s logo: two fighting bison in front of a yellow sunset. Sound familiar? According to the South China Morning Post<\/a>, the logo \u2018\u201cevoked the lively spirit of the bullfights that have long been popular in parts of rural Thailand.\u201d<\/p>\n Cut to 1984: Austrian marketeer, Dietrich Mateschitz, is jet-lagged while traveling around Thailand for work. By chance, he picks up a strange medicinal looking bottle with two fighting bulls on it. His jet-lag disappears, and the seed for what we now know as Red Bull is planted.<\/p>\n Seeing the brand’s potential among western partygoers and extreme sports lovers, Mateschitz approached Chaleo with an offer to launch the brand outside Asia. And the rest is history!<\/p>\n While Mateschitz updated the brand, he stuck close to its roots. Red Bull retained the original fighting spirit of Krating Daeng, keeping \u2014 among other things \u2014 both the bison logo and the name.<\/p>\n Lesson:<\/strong> Famous brands have deep roots in our psyches. Don\u2019t be afraid to be inspired by an idea or formula that works already \u2014 but think about how you could improve it in a new and broader context.<\/p>\n2. TD: The Green Chair<\/h2>\n