Myths and legends of world famous brands. The history of fashion brand logos

Myths and legends have long been a condition for a brand’s success in the market. A product that cannot be told a story is not a brand. Famous 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 were opened in the United States, having already gained recognition in Europe, furniture sales did not meet any expectations. After doing the research, it turned out that while Americans liked the simplicity of the design, they wanted furniture to fit the larger size of their homes. All that needed to be done was to increase the size of the furniture.

Western Union

Western Union owned almost all the telegraph services in the United States. At the very beginning of his business activities, Alexander Graham Bell, who at that time had a lot of debts, approached WU, offering to buy the patent for the phone for only 100 thousand dollars, but the company refused to spend the money, considering the phone a “toy” product. When they realized all the possibilities of telephone communication, WU leaders decided not to contact Bell and create their own system. However, Bell, who founded his own telephone company, sued WU and won. So Western Union lost its telephone business, which reduced demand for its main service - telegraph communication.

Pampers

Leading chemist-technologist at Procter & Gamble, Victor Mills, who helped his daughter care for her children, had to repeatedly pull out wet diapers from under his own grandchildren, wash and dry them. Of course, he didn’t like the process and wanted to somehow make his life easier. Then the idea of ​​a disposable “diaper” came to mind - a folded pad with high absorbency, which was planned to be placed in specially shaped panties. After several experiments with different materials, Mills developed a new product for P&G, which they began to produce under the Pampers brand, 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 Enrique Bernat was the first to create a lollipop (originally made of wood) that could be sucked without staining clothes or hands. The brand logo design was drawn by the famous countryman Salvador Dali to the company owner Enrique Bernat, “through an acquaintance.” It was he who, in 1969, came up with the flower shape for the Chupa Chups logo, which, with minor modifications, has successfully survived to this day. He suggested placing the logo not on the side, but on top of the candy.

Land Rover

The Land Rover brand logo has essentially remained untouched for six decades. They say that the creators were inspired to develop the logo by a can of sardines. One of the engineers allegedly forgot it on the drawings. The oil print from the can was copied and proposed as a silhouette for the emblem of a new car.

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola was invented by pharmacist John Pemberton, consisting of coca leaves and kola 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 harm to health, 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 removed from the drink, but the positioning of the product did not change and popularity increased exponentially.

Lacoste

The captain of the French tennis team promised a crocodile suitcase to Rene Lacoste if he won the Davis Cup. Because of this dispute, which, by the way, Rene won, the American press nicknamed the tennis player “alligator.” In France, Lacoste's nickname was changed to "crocodile" and was assigned to him also because of his persistent 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 precious stones, which allowed him to streamline the process of creating rhinestones. Rhinestones were named after the famous 18th century jeweler-fraudster Georges Frederic Strass, who passed off faceted crystal shards as diamonds. Thanks to Swarovski's flair and taste, the imitation became on par with the original, and the name turned into a world-famous brand.

Apple

According to one legend, Apple owes its logo, a bitten apple, to the brilliant mathematician, the progenitor of the modern computer, who made a huge contribution to computer science and suffered for his unconventional sexual orientation, Alan Turing.

Turing was a homosexual, which was illegal in Britain at the time, and homosexuality was considered a mental illness. In 1952, Turing was accused of sodomy and convicted. He was given a choice of two sentences: imprisonment or suppression of libido through injections of the female hormone estrogen, which was essentially chemical castration. The scientist chose the second.

One of the effects was growing breasts and decreased libido. In addition, as a result of his conviction, he lost his job and the right to work in the field of cryptography. The scientist lived in seclusion for a whole year, and then committed suicide by poisoning himself with potassium cyanide. Turing injected a cyanide solution into an apple, which he bit into 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. Henri Nestlé used the family coat of arms as a trademark for his first products. At that time, a traditional family was considered to be parents and three children. 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, joint research by P&G and Levi Strauss Jeans showed that employees in casual clothing are more creative and work much more efficiently than those who wear suits. And what did they do? P&G internally introduces the right to wear casual clothes on Friday. This news, thanks to the efforts of both companies, received huge coverage in the press, and many corporations followed suit. The washing powder market grew by 20%.

Pirelli

In 2002, Pirelli broke with more than forty years of tradition and released its famous calendar featuring photographs of clothed rather than naked women. The cover of the publication featured a photo of a girl in an autumn coat, and the seventeen-year-old niece of then-reigning US President George W. Bush was chosen as the model. Lauren Bush, the granddaughter of the 41st President of the United States (Bush Sr.), was simply 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 happy.”

Absolute

Uncle Ben's

The prototype of Uncle Ben is Frank Brown, the head waiter of one of the pre-war Chicago restaurants, often visited at one time by the management of the Mars company. The image of Uncle Ben is tied to American folklore. One of the old stories tells about a black farmer who was known throughout the country for the excellent quality and taste of rice he grew.

Michelin

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

Mazda

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

Heinz

Red Bull

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

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

In addition, cases of Red Bull were distributed free of charge to students on university campuses. At student parties, Red Bull went out with a bang, because by a random and happy coincidence it was quickly discovered that it went perfectly with vodka. Thus, a new cocktail, Vodka Red Bull, was born, which has become very popular.

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 received 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 as a baker all his life. Adolf and Rudolf Dasler together opened a workshop for tailoring sports shoes to order. Adolf had the qualities of a designer, Rudolf - a marketer.

After the Second World War and the death of their father, the brothers seriously quarreled and divided the no longer small Dassler company (about 60 people) in half. This happened in the German town of Herzogenaurach, which a quarrel between brothers also divided into two parts. The workers of these factories only went to their own taverns, drank different types of beer, and their children attended different schools. Companies maintained their own football teams.

And to this day, an employee of one company will face immediate dismissal if he is seen wearing shoes or clothing produced by a competitor.

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

Lacoste

Fendi

In 1925, the brand appeared 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, the German Karl Lagerfeld, who laid the foundation for the brand, making it what we see it now. The designer also developed a memorable logo, which is still used today. The double “F” apparently symbolizes the Fendi couple.

Chanel

The famous Chanel logo was first shown to the fashion world in 1925 on the Chanel No. 5 bottle. There are several versions about the origin of the drawing. One story says that two crossed horseshoes are a symbol of success and good luck. 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 production of men's outerwear, Klein gradually moved on to designing 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 not only became a hit of the season, but also determined the fashion of women's outerwear for almost a whole decade. The company logo – CK is easy to remember and gives a connection to the brand. A dark color logo is used on Haute Couture clothing, a gray logo is for regular clothing items, while a white logo is for sportswear.

Hermes

Hermé 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 carriage, which is very symbolic for the brand - the history of the company began in 1837, when Thierry Hermes founded a private company producing harness for horses. Hermes is the surname of the founder.

The next five generations of this family constantly expanded production, creating a real Hermes empire. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Hermes production expanded to include leather goods and luggage bags. At the same time, a unique technology for processing leather products with a special “saddle” seam was used. This is how the Hermès 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 - a horseman 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 defense of tradition.

Versace

The Versace logo is symbolically linked to Greek mythology. The head of the Gorgon Medusa, according to the couturier’s idea, symbolizes the fact that he turns viewers into stone with his collections. 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 attractiveness.”

Everything ingenious is simple. The short stories of the origin of the names of world-famous brands collected in this material once again confirm this law of life.

Adidas

Adobe Systems

Apple

Audi

BMW

Canon

Casio

Cisco

Coca-Cola

Compaq

Corel

Daewoo

FIAT

Fuji

Google

Hallmark

Honda

Hotmail

HP (Hewlett-Packard)

Hyundai

IBM

IKEA

Intel

Kodak

Lego

LG

Microsoft

Mitsubishi

Motorola

NEC

Nike

Nikon

Nintendo

Nissan

Nokia

Pepsi

Philips

Puma

Samsung

Sanyo

Sharp

Siemens

Sony

Subaru

Swatch

Toshiba

Toyota

Viagra

Xerox

Yahoo

3M

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The Ford Motor Company was founded in 1903. Its founders were twelve businessmen from Michigan, led by Henry Ford, who held a 25.5% stake in the company and served as vice president and chief engineer of the company.

The company's first car was sold on July 23, 1903. It was a "petrol sidecar" driven by an 8 hp engine, called the "Model A". The car was described as "the most advanced car on the market that even a 15-year-old boy can drive"

From the very beginning, Ford wanted to produce mass-produced cars that had a very simple design and low cost. In those years, very few people could afford a car. Ford wanted to “put the world on wheels” and therefore sought to make a car accessible to the widest segments of the population.

Today, few people know, but Ford entered the Russian market back in 1907. The first representative office of the Ford Motor Company was located on Petrovskie Lines in the building of the Rossiya Hotel. Buyers were initially offered the "N" model, and then the "T" model.
Then, according to customs statistics, 563 cars were imported into Russia.

The logo, in a stylized font, immortalizes the surname of the company's founding father.

Dodge

One of the oldest brands in the history of the American automobile industry, Dodge was founded by two brothers from Michigan, John and Horace Dodge. (John and Horace Dodge). In 1899, the brothers, together with Detroit industrialist Fred Evans, opened a bicycle design and manufacturing company and store on Beaubien Street. Thus began the history of a brand that became a source of national pride for America.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the brothers entered into an agreement with Henry Ford to manufacture parts for the new Ford model.
On July 17, 1914, brothers John and Horace Dodge founded Dodge Brothers Incorporated, the main purpose of which was to produce their own cars rather than contract for other companies. In the same year, 1914, the first Dodge car rolled off the assembly line. It was an Old Betsy four-door convertible.

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Chevrolet

In 1905, the future founder of the company, driver Louis Chevrolet, won his first important race and set a new record, covering the mile in 52.8 seconds. From then on, with consistent wins in American racing, he became a global superstar on the race track.

In 1911, Louis decided to use his fame to create his own automobile company - and together with William Durant, owner of the General Company of New Jersey (later to become General Motors), he created the Chevrolet Motor Car Company.
November 3, 1911 became the birthday of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company.

The bow tie logo was designed by William Durant himself. Although there are several versions of how the logo was designed, Durant himself claims that he copied the logo design from wallpaper at the Paris Hotel. The founder of the brand liked the pattern so much that, tearing the wallpaper off the wall, he hurried home, soon patenting the logo we know.

Citroen

In 1912, Andre Citroen, already a quite successful entrepreneur, visited the United States, where at Henry Ford's factories he became acquainted with American methods of car production. That year, Ford was already producing 150,000 copies of the Model T.

In 1919, together with designer Jules Salomon, creator of the successful Le Zebre car, Citroen created the Citroen Joint Stock Company and began production at a former arms factory on the Quai Javel.
Unlike its European competitors, Citroen built its production according to the American principle, starting with the production of a single model. At that time, his main goal was to transform the car from an inaccessible “curiosity” into a mass product.

The company's logo, in the form of an inverted "V" ("double chevron"), denotes a gear train and appeared long before Citroën Joint Stock Company was created.
In 1905, Citroen, having invested all the inheritance received from his parents into the business, became a partner of the Esten brothers, who were engaged in the production of parts for steam locomotives. He set up the production of gears at the plant, which were much more advanced than those made by competitors. At the same time, the Citroen emblem appeared.

Honda

Founded in 1946 by the enterprising engineer Soichiro Honda as the "Honda Technical Research Institute" and initially produced small engines and mopeds based on them.

In 1948, the Institute was transformed into the Honda company, which initially focused on the production of motorcycles that quickly became famous.
In 1949, Takeo Fujisawa, rightfully considered the second founding father of the company, began his work as a member of the company’s Board of Directors. Honda devoted himself entirely to production technology, and Fujisawa to corporate management.
Having made a name for itself in the production of motorcycles, in 1962 the company began producing cars. The first to appear was a cargo van, followed by a two-seater sports car.

For a long time, Honda did not have an established logo, but with the development of exports and production at foreign branches, a simple logo was introduced into use. The stylized spelling of the first letter of the name of the company’s founder became its graphic content.

Suzuki

Suzuki was founded in 1909 in the small village of Hamamatsu on the coast of Japan. The founder of the company is Michio Suzuki.
For the first 30 years, the company was engaged in the production of weaving machines. The produced models were ahead in their characteristics of equipment produced in Holland and Britain - countries that are the undisputed leaders in this branch of mechanical engineering. Despite its great success, Michio Suzuki realized that his company had to develop in other directions.

In 1937, Suzuki began production of small cars, and already in 1939 the first prototypes of compact cars were released. Development was hindered by the Second World War, as a result of which the Japanese government came to the conclusion that civilian cars were not an essential item. Suzuki again switched to the production of looms. developed quite successfully, but the crisis in the cotton market in 1951 once again forced Michio Suzuki to think about producing vehicles.

At first, the company produced inexpensive motorized Power Free bicycles.
In 1953, the Suzuki Diamond Free was released - a motorcycle with a 60 cc two-stroke engine. cm, who won his class at the Mount Fuji Hill Climb. This was a turning point in the history of the company. A year later, the company was already producing 6,000 motorcycles per month. At the same time it was renamed Suzuki Motor Corporation.
The first Suzulight car was created in 1955.

The company logo is a stylized letter S.

Toyota

Toyota's history began in the last years of the 19th century, when Sakichi Toyoda invented the electric loom, which revolutionized the country's textile industry. In January 1918, Sakichi founded the Toyoda Spinning and Weaving Company and, with the help of his son Kiichiro Toyoda, realized his life's dream of building an automatic line in 1924. In 1926, he founded Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, which produced looms.

Sakichi Toyoda died on October 30, 1930. In the same year, according to Sakichi's posthumous will, Kiichiro Toyoda began studying automobile production. As a competent engineer, he understands that for speedy development he needs to take advantage of the existing successful developments in the automotive industry. It was decided to take American internal combustion engines as a basis. continued for several years and as a result, the base engine for modernization was chosen - an inline six-cylinder Chevrolet.
In 1933, an automobile department was opened at Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, headed by Kiichiro Toyoda.
In 1935, work was completed on the first passenger car, called the Model A1 (later AA) and the first Model G1 truck.
In 1937, the Toyoda Automatic Loom Works automobile division was spun off into a separate company, Toyota Motor Corporation.

The Toyota emblem was created in October 1989. It consists of three ovals: two perpendicular ovals in the center symbolize the strong relationship between the client and Toyota. The combination of these ovals forms the letter "T" - the first letter in the word "Toyota". The space that serves as the backdrop encapsulates the idea of ​​the global expansion of Toyota technology and its limitless potential in the future.

Mazda

In 1920, after several unsuccessful attempts to open a blacksmith business, Jujiro Matsuda and investors bought a bankrupt company that dealt with balsa wood building materials. The company was located in Hiroshima and upon purchase it was renamed Toyo Cork Kogyo.
In the mid-20s, production was refocused on motorcycles. In connection with this change, “kork” (cork) dropped from the name, and since 1927 the company began to bear the name Toyo Koguo Co Ltd.

In 1931, the company launched the production of three-wheeled Mazdago trucks.
In 1934, the company was renamed in honor of Ahura Mazda, the supreme Zoroastrian God of wisdom, who connects with nature and the other gods. The new name is also consonant with the surname of the company's founder.
The first passenger car will be released only in 1960 - it will be a two-door Mazda R360 Coupe.

The company's first Mazda logo appeared in 1934, shortly after the start of production of three-wheeled Mazdago trucks. It was a stylized Mazda lettering.
In 1936 it was changed to a stylization of the letter M. This logo is almost identical to the coat of arms of the city of Hiroshima in which the company was located.
In 1962, when production of the four-door Mazda Carol began, the logo underwent changes again. Now this is an almost classic outline of the letter M in a circle.

From 1975 to 1991 the company did not have an official logo.
In 1991, a logo was developed for Mazda, which, according to the plan, was supposed to symbolize the sun and the flame of sincere passion. However, soon after its implementation, many began to find that this logo was very similar to the one that Renault used and still uses. Therefore, the diamond, which was located inside the circle, was slightly rounded from the inside and outside.
In 1997, work on changing the emblem continued. The new logo, a stylized letter M, was designed by designer Rei Yoshimara. This logo is still used by the company today.

Mitsubishi

The history of Mitsubishi began in 1870, when Yataro Iwasaki created his own shipping company, Tsukumo Shokai, by renting 3 steamships from his former employer, a shipping trading company owned by the samurai Tosa clan.
During the first few years of its existence, the company changed its name several times: in 1872 Tsukumo Shokai was changed to Mitsukawa Shokai, in 1874 to Mitsubishi Shokai, and finally in 1875 to Mitsubishi Mail Steamship Company.

At first, in addition to shipping, Mitsubishi was involved in shipbuilding, mining, real estate and many other industries.
In 1917, Mitsubishi produced its first assembly-line passenger car, the Model A. And in 1918, its first truck, the T1. However, passenger cars were not of much interest to Japan at that time, as a result of which the Model A was in low demand and its production ceased in 1921. Despite this, the car was very highly regarded by society, and as a result became an exhibit at the Japan Industrial Exhibition in 1922.
In 1923, Mitsubishi began producing heavy trucks, which were much more in demand than passenger cars.
Until 1960, when the economical Mitsubishi 500 sedan was released, the company limited itself to creating trucks and buses.

The company's logo is a fusion of two coats of arms: the Yataro Iwasaki clan crest (three diamonds one above the other) and the Tosa clan crest (oak leaves). Iwasaki retained warm feelings for the Tosa clan because he owed his initial achievements to this clan - without this family he would not have achieved anything.
The name Mitsubishi comes from the emblem and means three diamonds.

Nissan

The history of Nissan begins in 1911 with the opening of the Kwaishinsha Co. automobile plant, created by the pioneer of the Japanese automobile industry, Masujiro Hashimoto, in the Azabu-Hiroo district of Tokyo.

In 1914, the company released a small passenger car, which a year later debuted on the market under the name Dat Car. The name Dat is an abbreviation of the first letters of the surnames of three of Hashimoto's main patrons of the arts: Kenjiro Den, Rokuro Aoyama, and Meitaro Takeuchi. In addition, the name Dat in Japanese means “alive, agile.”
In 1919, Jitsuyo Jidosha Corporation Ltd. was founded. — another predecessor of Nissan. The company imported tools, components and production materials from the USA, and was recognized as one of the foremost in the automotive manufacturing industry. The company produced a three-wheeled car, the design of which was created by the American engineer William R. Gorham.

In 1926, Kwaishinsha Corporation and Jitsuyo Jidosha Corporation merged to form Dat Jidosha Seizo Corporation.
In 1931, Dat Jidosha Seizo Corporation became a division of the Tobata Imono company formed by Yoshisuke Aikawa.
On December 26, 1933, Tobata Imono merged with another manufacturer, Nikon Sangyo Corporation, and Jidosha Seizo Corporation Ltd. was born. This date is the official founding date of Nissan. Yoshisuke Aikawa was appointed president of the company.
1 1934 company name was changed to Nissan Motor Corporation

The Nissan emblem was a red circle, symbolizing the rising sun and sincerity, and a blue rectangle with the company name, symbolizing the sky. Later, the colors in the logo were abandoned.
The name of the company comes from the words "Nihon" - "Japan" - "Ni" and "sangio" - "industry" - "san".

Mercedes

In 1883, Karl Benz founded Benz & Co. Rheinische Gasmotorenfabrik.”
In 1885, Gottlieb Daimler developed and assembled the world's first motorcycle in his workshop. The engine of this motorcycle had a displacement of 260 cc. cm and developed a power of 0.5 hp. at 700 rpm, but this was enough to reach 12 km/h.
In 1886, Karl Benz developed a three-wheeled motorized carriage.
In the same year, Gottlieb Daimler developed a motor carriage with an engine installed on a 4-seater carriage he ordered from the Wilhelm Wimpff & Sohn carriage factory. The Daimler motor carriage was the world's first true four-wheeled vehicle with an internal combustion engine. Before him, a vehicle with an internal combustion engine had already been created and patented, but it was three-wheeled. Wilhelm Maybach also took part in the creation of this car.

In 1890, together with a businessman named Duttenhofer, Maybach and Daimler founded the company Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft. Due to disagreements with Duttenhofer, Maybach and Daimler left the company for some time, but Duttenhofer still had to convince them to come back.
The first Mercedes was built in 1901, after Emil Jellinek, a member of the company's board of directors, convinced Maybach to create a new car and name it after his daughter Mercedes Jellinek.
In 1926, the merger of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and Benz & Co. took place. Rheinische Gasmotorenfabrik.” As a result, the Daimler-Benz company was formed, headed by Ferdinand Porsche.
In 1998, Daimler-Benz merged with the Chrysler automaker. New name for DaimlerChrysler.
In 2007, after the sale of its Chrysler division to the private American investment fund Cerberus Capital Management, L.P., the company was renamed Daimler.

The company logo in the form of three rays denotes the areas in which the company conducted its activities: sky, earth and water. The company produced engines for cars, ships and aircraft. The logo appeared in 1909, even before the formation of Daimler-Benz.

Audi

In 1899, August Horch founded the company Horch & Cie. Motorwagen Werke, where in addition to repairing vehicles, began to establish its own car production.
In 1902, due to financial difficulties, Horch moved to Saxony, first to Reichenbach, and in 1904 to Zwickau, where he transformed the company into a joint stock company.

Due to disagreements with the board of directors and supervisory board in 1909, August Horch left the company and established another automobile production. The second company was also named after Horch, which led to a lawsuit over the rights to the company name, since the name had already been patented by the first company. August Horch lost this case. For the name of the new company, Horch chose the Latin translation of his surname. So the German horch (listen) turned into the Latin audi. The idea to use the Latin verb belonged to the son of one of Horch's partners: the boy, who was studying Latin, overheard the adults discussing a new name for the company and suggested a translation.
Since the founding of the brand, its history has been connected with sporting achievements. Thanks to his impressive successes in the Austrian mountain rally races between 1911 and 1914, August Horch made the Audi brand world famous within a few years.

In 1932, 4 German companies: DKW, Audi, Horch and Wanderer merged into the joint stock company Auto Union. Each of the four brands included in the group was allocated a specific market segment: DKW - motorcycles and small cars; Wanderer - middle class cars; Audi - cars in the upper middle class segment; and Horch - luxury and executive cars.
In 1969, Auto Union merged with NSU Motorenwerke, which was also involved in automobile production. The new company was called Audi NSU Auto Union. Due to the fact that the last NSU products rolled off the assembly line back in 1977, after which the company produced exclusively Audi cars, the question arose about renaming the company. In 1985 the company was renamed Audi.

The Audi emblem is a symbol of the merger of four independent manufacturers in 1932. Initially, the logo in the form of four rings was used exclusively on racing cars produced by the concern. Each manufacturer of the concern produced ordinary, serial models under its own logo. Later, in 1985, when the union turned into a single Audi company, the four-circle emblem began to be used on all cars of the concern.

BMW

In 1913, two small aircraft engine companies were created in Munich: Rapp Motorenwerke and Otto Flugzeugwerke.
In 1917, the owners of these companies: Karl Rapp and Gustav Otto, decided to merge into one aircraft engine plant. The company is registered on July 20, 1917, under the name Bayerische Motoren Werke (Bavarian Motor Works). From this date, the BMW company's chronology is calculated.

After the end of the First World War, the company found itself on the verge of collapse, because according to the Treaty of Versailles, the Germans were prohibited from producing engines for aircraft, and engines were BMW’s only products at that time. The plant is being repurposed to produce first motorcycle engines, and then motorcycles themselves.
In 1923, the first motorcycle, the R32, came out of the BMW factory. At the 1923 motorcycle show, this device immediately gained a reputation as a fast and reliable machine, which was confirmed by absolute speed records at international motorcycle racing in the 20s-30s.
In 1928, the company acquired car factories in Eisenach (Thuringia), and with them a license to produce the Dixi small car. Its production begins in 1929. Dixi is the first BMW car.

The idea for the logo came to the creators when they noticed that the rotating propeller of an airplane, if you look at it at the right angle, looks like a circle divided into equal quarters. This is how the BMW emblem appeared. The colors of the emblem: blue and white were borrowed from the Bavarian flag.

Almost every inhabitant of the planet knows major brands, their logos, products and even slogans. Often, most people even know the names and faces of the creators of these companies, since it is difficult for such popular personalities to remain in the shadows. After all, not everyone can create a transcontinental empire.

Nevertheless, there are also creators who do not like to bask in the rays of fame and popular love. They are satisfied with the success that the business brings, and the fact that the creator’s name is not written on every billboard does not bother them. It's time to give these great people their due and tell us a little about them.

Ferrero - Michele Ferrero

The creator of Kinder Surprise, Ferrero Rocher, Rafaello and Nutella took over the family chocolate business back in 1957. His ideas helped the business grow stronger and eventually turn into a world-famous and beloved brand. Yes, Tic Tac is also Michele's idea. Unfortunately, the creator of the sweet empire died at the age of 89.

Lacoste - Rene Lacoste

And the creator of this world-famous brand was a tennis player. In the 1920s, tennis was played in long-sleeved shirts. For one of the tournaments, Rene himself sewed a polo shirt with short sleeves from light knitted fabric. In 1933, Lacoste retired from sports and founded his own company. Since during his sports career he was nicknamed Alligator, it’s clear where the logo came from.

Nike - Phil Knight

In his youth, Knight was fond of running, but the quality of his sports shoes did not suit him at all. Then he founded the company Blue Ribbon Sports, which imported sneakers from Japan. Then, due to supply problems, Phil decided to start his own shoe company. Initially, it was supposed to be called “The Sixth Dimension,” but his friends dissuaded him, and today we have an easily recognizable brand.

Pandora - Vinny and Per Enivoldsen

In 1982, a small jewelry store opened in Copenhagen, selling jewelry from Thailand. It was opened by the Enivoldsen couple. Over the course of five years, the store grew into a large company and it was decided to produce jewelry of its own production. In 2000, the service of self-assembly of jewelry became available, and since then the Enivoldsens have been the richest people in Denmark.

Instagram - Kevin Systrom

The creator of the most popular photo network was a student at Stanford when he became interested in photography. Some time later, he managed to get money, and with his friend Mike Krieger, he began developing a suitable platform. To stand out from the competition, the guys came up with special filters. The brand was later bought by Facebook for a billion dollars, and the number of users is growing by leaps and bounds.

Zara - Amancio Ortega

In the 70s, Amancio and his wife sewed custom-made nightgowns in their own living room, but after a series of failures, the couple decided to start selling the goods themselves. The first store opened in 1975 in La Coruña. Since then, the company has been renamed Intitex and has opened a number of stores: Zara Home, Stradivarius, Pull and Bear, Bershka and many others. In August 2017, Ortega was even recognized as the richest man on the planet.

Starbucks - Howard Schultz

In 1971, the first Starbucks opened in Seattle, a store selling coffee beans and equipment. Only 16 years later, when it was bought by Schultz, who then owned the Il Giornale chain of coffee shops, the establishment began to transform. Taking inspiration from classic Italian coffee shops, Howard Schultz was able to build a world-famous empire.

Hard Rock Cafe - Peter Morton and Isaac Tigrett

The Doors, while recording the Morrison Hotel album, came across a small place called the Hard Rock Cafe. They thought it was a funny coincidence, because the album was also recorded in the hard rock genre, so the band members took several photos there that ended up on the album cover. A year later, Morton and Tigrett called them asking permission to open an establishment with that name. This is where the story of the huge Hard Rock Cafe chain begins.

• TEFAL
  Tefal has long believed that the main motivation for purchasing Teflon-coated pans is that cooking with these pans does not require the consumption of a single gram of oil. However, it later 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 was changed, which significantly increased its effectiveness.
• SNICKERS
  In Russia, the first Snickers chocolate bars appeared in 1992 and were positioned as a snack that replaced a full meal. For a long time, the former Soviet consumer could not get used to the fact that he could eat soup for lunch instead of soup, and bought Snickers as a “sweet for tea.” After the BBDO Moscow agency took over the creative servicing of the brand, Snickers was repositioned for teenagers, who for the most part love everything sweet and do not like .
• Alka-Seltzer
  After Alka-Seltzer advertisements in the 1960s began throwing not one, but two tablets into a glass of water, sales of the drug doubled. The Tinker&Partners agency came up with a cunning advertising move.
  There is a similar story about a brilliant marketer who was the first to indicate in the instructions for using shampoo that it should be applied to the hair and rinsed off twice, which led to a double increase in sales.
• Pepsi
  Nikita Khrushchev was the first to advertise Pepsi in Russia. In 1959, at the American National Exhibition in Moscow, Sokolniki, then-Vice Richard Nixon, skillfully playing the role of host, offered Nikita Khrushchev a drink to try. The photograph in which the Soviet leader is holding a cup with the Pepsi logo in his hands has not left the pages of newspapers and advertising magazines for a long time. That significant moment in the history of the brand is considered the “Birthday” of Pepsi in Russia.
• Timberland
  From the history of Timberland. In the early 1980s, Timberland was going through difficult times. It produced quality pumps that were priced lower than industry leader Topsiders. It seemed like a good product and low price would work for them, but things weren't going well. Timberland then made a very simple decision: they raised their prices until they were much higher than Topsiders' prices. Sales increased sharply. Which confirms the validity of David Ogilvy's statement: “The higher the price, the more desirable the product becomes in the eyes of the buyer.”
• Parliament
  At one time, the Parliament tobacco brand followed the same path. Initially, its prices were lower than its main competitor Marlboro, and sales were quite modest, since they faced a lot of competitors in the low price category in which no one appreciated the feature of their exclusive filter. Then the brand left the market for a year and re-entered at a price higher than Marlboro, immediately falling into the “premium” niche where a filter that was different from all others came at just the right time.
• Woolworth
  The founder of the largest chain of Woolworth stores and the inventor of grocery price tags and supermarkets found the right insight that allowed him to make millions by fainting from fear. A shy and stuttering young man from the village at the age of 21 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 invite customers, praise the goods, and bargain. I was so afraid that one day I even fainted while working. As punishment, the store owner punished him by leaving him alone to sell for the whole day, threatening that if the earnings were less than the usual daily income, he would fire him.
  Before opening the store, Frank attached a piece of paper with the lowest possible price to all goods (a prototype of a modern price tag). He laid out all the stale goods dumped in the warehouse on a huge table, attaching a sign to it that said “Everything for five cents.” He placed the table near the window so that both the product and the sign could be seen from the street. And shaking with fear, he began to wait for customers, hiding behind the counter.
  All the goods were sold out in a few hours, and the day's revenue was equal to a week's revenue. Buyers, holding the product in their hands and seeing the price written on it, gave up their money without haggling.
  Frank left his owner, borrowed money and opened his own store. In 1919, the Woolworth empire consisted of a thousand stores, and Frank's personal fortune was approximately 65 million.
• "Guinness Book of Records"
  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 brewing company, Sir Hugh Beaver. In 1954, at a dinner given by the Wexford company for hunters, Hugh Beaver got into an argument with one of the guests about who could fly faster - a plover or a partridge. It was then that it dawned on Beaver that all over the globe, during such small gatherings, real disputes about “the very best” were unfolding. He decided that it was worth creating a book that would contain officially confirmed records in all sorts of fields.
  A year was spent on research work, and on August 27, 1955, the first 198-page book was ready. The success was stunning: even before Christmas it became a bestseller in the UK, bringing good income to the beer brand.
• Dewar's
  In London at the end of the 19th century, brandy, rum and gin were very popular. Therefore, it was not easy to promote. The cunning Thomas Dewar, one of the founders of the family brand, chose an unexpected strategy. He hired straw customers to visit various pubs and demand Dewar's whiskey. Naturally, it was out of stock and they left. After several such visits, Dewar himself appeared at the bar and offered to conclude a contract for the supply of whiskey.
  In 1892, Thomas Dewar set off on a trip around the world. In two years, he visited 26 countries, and 32 agents began working for the company and several Dewar’s export companies appeared. The company's turnover during this time increased 10 times. And Tommy Dewar wrote his famous book “A Walk Around the World.”
• Camel
  The tobacco brand Camel was one of the first in America to try teaser advertising in 1913. Having decided that a camel is not only a memorable, bright picture, but also an excellent reason for advertising innovations, specialists from the tobacco company RJR, a few days before the first batch of cigarettes went on sale, published mysterious advertisements in the newspapers of almost ninety American cities. “Camels,” read the first one. A few minutes 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 are here!” read the final announcement.
• IKEA
  When the first IKEA stores were opened in the United States, having already gained recognition in Europe, furniture sales did not meet any expectations. After doing the research, it turned out that while Americans liked the simplicity of the design, they wanted furniture to fit the larger size of their homes. All that needed to be done was to increase the size of the furniture.
• Procter & Gamble
  Leading chemist-technologist at Procter & Gamble, Victor Mills, who helped his daughter care for her children, had to repeatedly pull out wet diapers from under his own grandchildren, wash and dry them. Of course, he didn’t like the process and wanted to somehow make his life easier. Then the idea of ​​a disposable “diaper” came to mind - a folded pad with high absorbency, which was planned to be placed in a specially shaped panty. After several experiments with different materials, Mills developed a new product for P&G, which they began to produce under the Pampers brand, which became a household name.
• Chupa Chups
  Usually, after they eat caramel, all children's hands become sticky, and without hesitation they wipe them on their clothes. A lollipop (originally wooden), which could be sucked as if 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 dirtying clothes and hands. At the same time, the first slogan of Chupa Chups appeared - “It’s round and long-lasting” (~ It’s round and long). The innovative stick was appreciated by consumers in all countries of the world, who continue to suck the fruit candy for the 54th year.
• Nestlé
  The original logo of Nestlé, founded in the 60s of the 19th century, looked like this: a nest with three chicks and their mother. Henri Nestlé used the family coat of arms as a trademark for his first products. At that time, a traditional family was considered to be parents and three children. 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.
• Marlboro
  The Marlboro brand first appeared in 1924 and was positioned as the first women's cigarettes. A purely feminine slogan was chosen: “Mild as May” - “Tender as May.” Hollywood star Mae West was invited as the face of the brand. The packaging was also aimed at the female audience: a filter with a red stripe solved a dual task: to hide sloppy lipstick marks and protect women’s white teeth from yellowing. But no matter how hard advertising specialists tried, the product was not attractive to women: cigarettes spoiled their breath, turned yellow and caused a painful dry cough. Therefore, in order to survive in the market after two decades, the brand had to change gender.
  In order to change the idea of ​​filter cigarettes as a product “for girls,” Philip Morris invited one of the best American advertising specialists, Leo Burnett, who came up with the image of the “Cowboy Tamer of the Prairie.” The cowboy, the embodiment of the American spirit, struck a chord with consumers. The posters reminded us of the real heroes of America - brutal guys conquering the wild steppes. They conquered everyone - men and women, blacks and Latinos. Marlboro sales grew so much in just one year that they began to occupy fourth position in the sales ranking of all tobacco products.
  In addition, Malrboro began to be produced in the “Flip-top” packaging that later became standard - a hard cardboard case with a hinged lid. Such packaging was both purely practical (the cigarettes did not wrinkle) and of enormous marketing significance - now the smoker had to demonstrate the pack to others every time he was going to smoke, because opening the “flip-top” in his pocket was inconvenient.
• De Beers
  It is known that the consumer does not buy a product, but a solution to his problem. Thus, the South African diamond company De Beers offered men a solution to all their problems with the opposite sex, building an ingenious advertising campaign on this insight.
  In 1948, Harry Oppenheimer, the head of De Beers, traveled to Germany to meet with representatives of the advertising agency N.W. Ayers. He went there with the firm intention of changing people's ideas about diamonds: we must make sure that this stone ceases to be a trinket for moneybags, and becomes an everyday commodity that ordinary people could not do without. Advertising posters depicting glamorous actresses with rings on their fingers and earrings in their ears were replaced by black and white posters with images of diamonds and the inscriptions “Relieves headaches since 1888”, “Think about it. Divorce is more expensive”, “No, your wife didn’t pay for this advertising (But she told us what newspapers you read)” and so on. So De Beers proved that it was possible to sell luxury to women through their men.
• Red Bull
  When the drink was introduced to a wide market (Europe, USA), the main competitors were Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Molson, Labatt, and Anheuser-Busch. All of them had a similar concept - they toned and stimulated, and the Jolt Cola energy drink contained, among other things, a double dose of caffeine compared to Red Bull.
  Then Dietrich Mateschitz took a risky step: he artificially increased the price by half compared to competitors, reduced the volume of containers shaped like a battery, and began placing cans in stores not in the beverage departments, but in any other (note when the next Once you go to the store, you can find cans of Red Bull along with other energy drinks almost in the sausage department, including the alcoholic one).
  In addition, cases of Red Bull were distributed free of charge to students on university campuses. At student parties, Red Bull went off with a bang, because by a random and happy coincidence it was quickly discovered that it fits perfectly with vodka. Thus, a new cocktail, Vodka Red Bull, was born, which became very popular.
• ARIEL
  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 your formal suit to casual clothes, were 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. Then the company conducted a study and assessed the clothing care market. In percentage terms, it turned out that powder is used in 65% of cases, and dry cleaning in 35%. The company further found that 70% of laundry detergent consumers are employed and wear suits 5 out of 7 days a week, which they dry clean.
  Further, joint research by P&G and Levi Strauss Jeans showed that employees in casual clothing are more creative and work much more efficiently than those who wear suits. And what did they do? P&G internally introduces the right to wear casual clothes on Friday. This news, thanks to the efforts of both companies, received huge coverage in the press, and many corporations followed suit. The washing powder market grew by 20%.