12 Really Surprising Facts About Successful Brands

Leon Lazarus

Marketing Guy, Author, Designer, and Illustrator

Published Jun 15, 2017

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Chanel, best know for perfume and couture, started as a hat shop in 1910.
Sephora calls the sales floor “the stage”. Everywhere else is “backstage”.
Despite the original idea for the Volkswagen (People’s car), coming from Adolf Hitler, and international setbacks including a major emissions scandal, VW still showed record sales in 2016.
Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin considered calling Google the “What Box.” Brin felt that it sounded like “wet box,” which sounded “like some kind of porn.”
The iPhone was almost named something else. Apple considered names such as Mobi, Telepod, and Tripod. The name “iPad” was also under consideration for the smartphone.
Serial killer Gary Gilmore’s last words prior to his execution were “let’s do it”. This inspired the Nike slogan “Just Do It”.
Diageo, the makers of Smirnoff, Johnny Walker and a host of other well-known alcoholic beverages, has created three exclusive ‘bespoke’ clubs (called embassies) for its premium brands. They are located in Shanghai, Beijing and Seoul, Korea. Only VIP guests get to drink, purchase the most premium brands of Scotch, or enjoy whisky-inspired dinners. A curated whiskey collection will set you back almost $4,000.
The Series I Land Rover was introduced in April 1948, 30 years before the Land Rover company was founded. Originally the vehicle was manufactured by Rover.
Pepsi got it's name from pepsin ... a digestive enzyme.
During World War II General Eisenhower introduced Coke to Russian General Zhukov who had led the resistance to the Nazi invasion. Zhukov enjoyed Coke, but feared Stalin would send him to a gulag for succumbing to a capitalist product. He requested colorless Coke be produced in a plain bottle so it better resembled vodka: Coke agreed. The Classic version of Coke only arrived in Russia in 1985.
Amazon.com employees spend two days every year working in customer service. That includes the CEO. The goal is to help every employee understand the customer service process.
Burger King was originally called Insta-Burger King prior to its failure in 1959. Two Florida franchisees purchased the company, removed the 'Insta' prefix and made a fortune.