The Ford Motor Company

Founded by Henry Ford in 1903, the Ford Motor Company is one of the largest car makers in the world. Ford opened the first assembly line warehouse in Detroit, MI – Ford became famous for its innovative assembly line manufacturing, which allowed the company to produce cars exponentially faster than before.

Currently, the American car company manufacturers its automobiles in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, China, Germany, Turkey, and South Africa. Ford also manufactures cars under the brand names Lincoln and Mercury. The company also holds shares in car brands Aston Martin and Mazda.

AT&T

AT&T Inc. was originally the Southwestern Bell Corporation. Headquartered in St. Louis, Southwestern Bell was one of the seven original Regional Bell Operating Companies – “Baby Bells.” In 1993, The Southwestern Bell Corporation moved its headquarters to San Antonio, TX, and in 1995 changed its name to SBC Communications, Inc.

SBC Communications, Inc. proceeded to acquire many of the Baby Bell companies and finally stopped marketing the individual companies under different names.

In 2005, SBC Communications, Inc. Purchased AT&T for over $16 Billion and changed its name to AT&T.

IKEA

Founded in 1943, IKEA sells furniture and home accessories at affordable prices. Ingvar Kamprad started IKEA in Sweden when he was 17 years old. IKEA is an acronym for Ingvar, Kamprad, Elmtaryd (the farm Kamprad grew up on), Agunnaryd (Kamprad’s home County).

In the beginning, IKEA sold table runners, wallets, picture frames, jewelry, pens, and nylon stockings. Products were sold by mail order and out of Kamprad’s home until the first IKEA store opened in 1958 in Sweden. Furniture was not sold until 1948, and in 1955 IKEA began designing its own furniture.

Oracle Corporation

Prior to forming Oracle, founders Lawrence Ellison and Robert Miner had worked together at Ampex Corporation on a CIA project code-named “Oracle.” While working on the CIA project, Ellison came across a research paper published by IBM describing work being done to develop a relational database management system (RDBMS) that would allow computer users to retrieve corporate data from almost any form using Structured Query Language (SQL). Finding that no company had committed to commercializing the technology, the pair teamed up with coworkers Ed Oates and Bruce Scott in August 1977 to form Software Development Laboratories (SDL).

TIME Magazine

First published in 1923, the weekly American magazine TIME is an international news magazine. TIME Magazine is similar to U.S. News & World Report and Newsweek magazines. Started by Henry Luce and Briton Hadden, TIME’s first issue was printed on March 3, 1923. The first edition featured Joseph G. Cannon (a retired speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives) on the cover.
On the magazines 15th anniversary a reprint of the first edition was sent out with the current issue.
TIME Magazine is distributed in the U.S. and Canada. The Canadian version has the same copy, but different advertisements. TIME has a South Pacific edition that reaches Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. The South Pacific magazine is headquartered in Sydney, Australia. TIME Asia is based in Hong Kong, while TIME Europe reaches Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. A European edition of TIME is based in London and distributed by the title TIME Atlantic.

The History of Apple

Established as Apple Computer, Inc., on April 1, 1976, The company kept its longer title until 2007, when it changed to Apple, Inc. Started in Cupertino, California, the American corporation was incorporated on January 3, 1977.

Founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, Apple, Inc., designs and manufactures consumer electronics and software for the electronics. Apple products include laptops, desktops, numerous iPods, and the iPhone; while software includes the Mac OS X Operating System, Final Cut Pro, iLife, and iTunes.

Apple, Inc., has 20,000 employees and 200 retail stores in 5 countries as of 2007. The company also boasts $24 Billion in annual sales.  Apple, Inc., also has an online store as well as iTunes which sells music, movies, audio books, pod casts, TV shows, and iPod games.

Happy Jetting, Jet Blue Advertising

Founded in 1999 by then CEO David Neelman under the name New Air, Jet Blue reached the title of second largest low-fare airline in the nation by 2006. New Air replaced the desired name “Taxi,” because the company’s board decided that the negative connotations surrounding the word Taxi were too great to use for an airline. Neelman is now the Chairman of Jet Blue, but the airline is no longer a low-fare company.

Unbreakable, Zoo York Since 1993

Zoo York is an American company that manufactures Skateboards, Footwear and Apparel. Zoo York is targeted at the upper youth market. The company is said to have been the East Coast’s first true skateboarding inspired lifestyle brand. The product designs reflect old Zoo York Graffiti Style, and are sold in the US, UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic.

M&Ms, Melts In Your Mouth, Not In Your Hand

First introduced to American soldiers during World War II in 1941, M&Ms are produced by the candy mogul Mars, Incorporated. The candy coated chocolate morsels come in numerous flavors and sizes including Milk Chocolate, Peanut (1954), White Chocolate, White Chocolate With Peanuts, Dark Chocolate (2005), Mint, Peanut Butter (1990), Almond (1988), Crispy (discontinued), Toffee, Dulce De Leche, and Cherry Cordial. M&M candies come in three sizes – Regular, Mini (1996), and Mega (2005).

The Most Magical Place on Earth

The Walt Disney Company was founded in 1923 by brothers Walt and Roy Disney as The Disney Brothers Company. Walt and Roy changed the name relatively quickly to make the name more inviting to consumers. The company was founded as an animation studio, however today is the owner of 11 theme parks and numerous television, radio and recording studios.

The 11 theme parks are divided within the Disneyland Resort, the Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Paris, the Tokyo Disney Resort, the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, and the Disney Cruise Line. The subsidiaries of the Walt Disney Company include ABC, ABC Family, ABC OTV, ABC News, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, Disney Online, Disney Channel, Disney Family, Family Fun, IParenting, Go, Radio Disney, Soapnet, and Walt Disney Records.

Cotton, Incorporated

Founded in 1970, Cotton, Incorporated is overseen by the United States Department of Agriculture. The company is funded by US growers of upland cotton and importers of cotton and cotton textile products.

Cotton, Incorporated’s board consists of cotton producers who represent more than 30,000 producers in 18 states. The company had $72.6 million in sales in 2007, and has a white on brown “Seal of Cotton” logo recognized by 75% of the American population. Company competitors include DuPont, Celanese and International Cotton Market.

The Quick History of Nike, Nike Advertising and Nike Brands

Nike, the number one manufacturer of footwear and apparel, has become a household name on the same level as mogul companies McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Budweiser. Nike was founded in 1964 by track coach and runner duo Bill Bowerman and Phillip Knight as Blue Ribbons Sports, later becoming Nike, Inc. in 1978. The name Nike was chosen in reference to the Greek Goddess of victory.

Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, the sportswear and equipment supplier made $16 billion in revenue in 2007, up from 9.2 billion in 1997. Nike currently employs 30,000 people worldwide.

Six Flags History

Founded in 1961, Six Flags is the world’s largest regional theme park company. The parks are located in, or near, 35 of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States. The park mogul currently has partnerships with Coca-Cola, Papa John’s Pizza, Starburst, Henkel’s Hair Gels, Schwarzkopf 8, Johnny Rockets, Nintendo, Tyson Foods, Coldstone Creamery, and Toyota. Six Flags also has licensing deals with Warner Bros., Superman, Batman, and the characters from the Justice League.

The only pizza sold in the parks is Papa Johns, and the Six Flags Summer Concert Series is sponsored by Starburst – when you buy 2 bags of Starburst’s you gain VIP access to the shows.
Six Flags also has virtual theme parks both at SixFlags.com and in the game Roller Coaster Tycoon 2.

Sharpie, Write Out Loud

Created by the Sanford Company in 1946, the Sharpie was the first pen-style permanent marker. In 2002, the Neilsen Ratings Company estimated that Sharpie held 50% of the permanent marker market share due in large part to the $5 billion memorabilia industry – which includes people signing autographs as well as autograph seekers. Sharpie is sold in the US, Canada, Europe, the UK, Australia, and Latin America.

With 7 varieties of markers and 39 colors, Sharpie’s have a multitude of uses including signing autographs, labeling, wig coloring, coloring glass, poster design, and cartooning. Sharpie’s can write on glass, wood, stone, metal, plastic, cloth, and paper without problem.

Boston Red Sox Marketing

The Green Monster became a focal point for advertising from its construction at the same time as Fenway Park in 1912. Despites its name, the Green Monster was actually plastered in advertisements until 1947 when it was painted green. Advertising appeared back on the wall in 1999.

In 1997, Coca-Cola placed 3D bottles on the left light tower for power hitters, but replaced in 2008 with an LED sign that sports the brand name. The sign sits high above the left-filled upper deck seats.

Chuck Taylors Converse All Stars

Chuck Taylors Converse All Stars have been around for generations. Created in 1917, the rubber sole and canvas top combination has had more action on basketball courts around the world than Nike Air Jordans and Reebok Pumps combined.

The All Stars advertise themselves on each high top shoe through the brands signature logo – a star with the product name and creators signature, which was added in 1923.

From the beginning, Chuck Taylor used gimmicks to sell his shoes. He worked with small-town basketball coaches to hold team workshops and sell sneakers out of the trunk of his car.

The History of Sears

Sears was started in 1886 by Richard Sears. Just two years later the company released its first ad, The Sears Catalogue. Printed by the W.B. Conkey Company in Indiana, the Sears Catalogue ran each year until 1993 when the company chose to focus on multiple specialty catalogues instead. These specialty catalogues promote product categories such as auto accessories, tools, clothing and home improvement.

From the beginning, Sears has had an understanding of the importance of keeping customers happy, and has had a knack for including copy in each of its catalogues and advertisements that appeals to the target consumer. Sears has also always understood the helpfulness of hands-on interaction.

Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream

After completing an ice cream making course at Penn State, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield opened the first Ben and Jerry’s in 1978. The company did not begin packing their ice cream in pint-sized retail containers until 1980.

The retail packages are just one form of advertising. Each of the pint cartons is similarly branded to all the other flavors’ cartons so that no matter what the flavor, consumers can identify a Ben and Jerry’s container all the way at the end of the isle. In 1988, the entire packaging line was revamped with a new look to ensure consistency across the entire line.

Anheuser-Busch’s Budweiser

The Budweiser brand accounts for one out of every three beers served in the United States. First produced in Budweis, Czech Republic in 1895, Anheuser-Busch’s Budweiser is a globally-sold pale lager. The St. Louise-based Anheuser-Busch owns 50.9% of the beer market share.

Huggies Diapers Advertising

Huggies Makes Happy Babies Since 1978

After ten years of market testing, Huggies were introduced to the mothers of the United States. The name Huggies is synonymous with Diapers, just as the brand name Kleenex is often used to replace the product name, Tissue. Interestingly, both Kleenex and Huggies are owned by the Kimberly-Clark Corporation.

Huggies has many diaper products, including: Supreme Gentle Care, Natural Fit, Snug & Dry, OverNites, Pull-ups, Little Swimmers and GoodNites.