Branding experts are saying Apple may be in the same boat with the iPad. The product has come to represent the epitome of the tablet PC. So much so, that people may refer to any similar product as an iPad from here on out.

Brands fight for this kind of recognition all the time, and it comes with both good and bad consequences. Brand recognition is the obvious plus. Most brands would kill to become a household name like Apple, or the iPad. But the drawback is brand deterioration. With the name iPad being used for every tablet computer, customers can develop negative connotations about it, simply by the name being associated with a less quality product.

It’s a Catch-22 (Ironically, most people use that term without thinking of the book by Joseph Heller). Brands want to be a household name, but they don’t want to become so popular that the name loses all association to the company. How often do you ask someone for a Band-Aid and immediately think of Johnson & Johnson? Or ask someone for a Kleenex and think of Kimberly-Clark? Both of these names are trademarked, but rarely do they carry any significance for the company they represent when spoken about in daily life.

And there is really no way of stopping it. Once a term catches on, you cannot control its growth. You can’t make people stop using iPad to describe other tablets.

The biggest problem for these companies, Apple included, is if the name becomes so commonly used that they legally lose the trademark. At that point, any company can use the name as they please, on packaging, advertising, anything.

Bayer lost the name for aspirin in the 20′s. B.F. Goodrich sued, and lost, to protect its trademark “zipper” around the same time. Otis Elevator Co. lost “escalator in 1950. Thermos LLC lost “thermos” in 1963. Imagine that, losing the branding of your company in the process.

Some companies love the attention this kind of generic name use brings about. Experts say Google has greatly benefitted from people saying they are going to “Google something” when referring to conducting a web search. And it is uncommon for someone to say they are going to Google something, and then get on Yahoo or Bing.

For good or bad, it seems that Apple is going to have to deal with this kind of recognition. So far they have done so without losing their brand. iPod is commonly used when referring to an MP3 player of another origin, and most people readily associate iPod with Apple. The company has yet to encounter legal troubles over the iPad name (in America anyway) and the case in China does not involve the generic use of the word. So far they have continued to dominate the tablet market, accounting for 73% of the estimated 64 billion sold worldwide, and with new and more popular versions coming out each year, it doesn’t like like that’s going to change.

TMZ is now reporting Brand has been charged with a felony. In Louisiana, damage to property in excess of $500 dollars is considered a felony. Police are saying the damage caused by Brand totalled $700.

Prosecutors must decide to go forward with felony charges or bump them down to a misdemeanor. In the meantime, Brand has hired high profile New Orleans lawyer Robert Glass in defense.

According to sources at TMZ, Brand will claim he was provoked by the paparazzi. He will also claim that the damages were not $700, since he paid $240 to fix the window, and damage to the iPhone was minor.

If guilty, the felony charge carries a penalty of a maximum of 2 years in prison. Brand was released last Thursday on $5,000 bond.

Brand, famously, had this to say about the incident:

Brand has since had a warrant issued for his arrest on suspicion of simple criminal damages. The offense carries a fine of $700 dollars, probably not much to Brand, given the satisfaction of sticking it to the paparazzi.

So far, no word from Brand or his spokesman about the warrant. According to TMZ, Brand’s spokesman has contacted the law firm, offering to pay for the window damage.

Russell is still in New Orleans filming a movie, so we could see an arrest, or Brand may later be called in on a summons if they determine he is not a flight risk. We will post again as news becomes available.

Neither Brand nor a spokesperson have said anything about it, until just an hour ago on Twitter, when Brand had this to say:

This is not the first time Brand has had problems with the paparazzi. In 2010 he was arrested at LAX airport following an altercation with a paparazzo.

At the time, then wife Katy Perry tweeted her frustration on the incident, saying,”If you cross the line & try an put a lens up my dress, my fiancé will do his job & protect me.”

The Timeline only going back to 1800 was a bit of a problem from brands that predated that period, namely the U.S. Army and Navy, Princeton University, and the Church of Ireland, to cite a handful of examples.

Here is the beginning of the timeline for the U.S. Army:

Here is the Church or Ireland’s page:

Now, when an older brand seeks to establish a history, the timeline can be rolled back 1012 years:

Here is a page testing this out.

This wasn’t really an issue until the branding features were rolled out, with no living Facebook users individually being born before the year 1800. Alas, what would brands like St. Peter Restaurant of Austria, est. 803, or The Hoshi Hotel in Japan, opened in 717, do if they’d wanted to build a Timeline?

Apple has asserted its position as the leading consumer tech brand with the launches of iPad2, iPhone 4S, Mountain Lion operating system and today’s eagerly awaited and anticipated launch of the iPad3. Apple just announced its 25th billion mobile download which demolishes any of its competitors in this rapidly evolving market.

“The meteoric rise we have witnessed over the last twelve months is nothing short of staggering. Apple is the classic American corporation that was once the alternative quirky brand for designers and creatives. Now their products are accepted by major corporations and are used by the mainstream corporate industry. Companies like Apple are built on strong Intellectual Property and are the engine for growth in a new era. Apple is a great example of how IP can be used to leverage high profits. As Apple continues to develop it seems set to dominate the technology industry in 2012 and beyond,” said David Haigh, CEO of Brand Finance inc.

When Twitter first heard the news, fans of the late actress took to the boards with excitement.

All a girl really wants is for one guy to prove to her that they are not all the same. -Marilyn Monroe

— Megan Fox (@ReaIMeganFox) February 8, 2012

Marilyn Monroe ‘officially’ joins Twitter (CNN): Share With Friends:|| Business – Markets – Stocks Stories, … feedzil.la/w7GZyg — IH stock traders (@IHStocktweets) February 8, 2012

A Woman We Love: Marilyn Monroe picture on VisualizeUs whrt.it/AoqOjm — Cindy Dean (@cindydean92) February 8, 2012

Marilyn Monroe ‘Officially’ Joins Twitter: Add one more venue where the legend of Marilyn Monroe lives and her voice… on.wesh.com/wWEy8Z — WESH 2 News (@WESH) February 8, 2012

tweets from the beyond? RT @KITV4: Marilyn Monroe ‘Officially’ Joins Twitter: bit.ly/zrb7R6 — gina (@twnstar2) February 8, 2012

“Just because you fail once, doesn’t mean you’re gonna fail at everything.” – Marilyn Monroe. — ins0mniac. (@annikaparamore) February 8, 2012

That Marilyn Monroe hoe is an iconic hoe. Known by hoes for being a hoe. That hoe set the hoe precedent.

— Street in Manhattan (@Dull_Antsy) February 8, 2012

“Your clothes should be tight enough to show you’re a woman but loose enough to show you’re a lady” ~ Marilyn Monroe

— *Glenwood Exclusive* (@ALL_MACHO_PITS) February 8, 2012

Rank20 ” Marilyn Monroe ‘officially’ joins Twitter: Add one more venue where the legend of Marilyn Monroe lives … adf.ly/5KcEP

— Top 100Users (@top100user) February 8, 2012

View more infographic round-ups here.

Paid, Earned and Owned Media:

Conversion In a Social World:

Tech Germs:

Interestingly, corporate bloggers were least likely to blog about brands and products (lawsuit anyone?), and hobbyist bloggers were second least likely. Technorati defined hobbyist bloggers as those that blog for fun. They don’t make money (and only some of them want to, which I think is awesome). Instead of brands and products, they mostly share “personal musings” (53% of hobbyists), and 76% blog to speak their minds. 72% of bloggers fell into this category.

“Part-timers” were most likely to mention brands and products. They blog to supplement their main income. 15% of respondents, most part-timers blog to share their expertise or attract new clients.

“Self-employed” bloggers, 9% of the survey respondents, blog full time for their own company or organization. (Corporate bloggers, 4%, blog for someone else’s company/organization—including their employer.)

Despite the focus on products and brands, bloggers felt that the free goodies weren’t the most important benefits from their blogs—gaining visibility (individually or for their business) and bringing in new business were the top two benefits cited by bloggers surveyed.

What do you think? Do you blog about brands? What benefits have you seen from blogging? Which group do you fall into?

Comments

The internet is fast becoming a "cesspool" where false information thrives, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said yesterday. Speaking with an audience of magazine executives visiting the Google campus here as part of their annual industry conference, he said their brands were increasingly important signals that content can be trusted.

"Brands are the solution, not the problem," Mr. Schmidt said. "Brands are how you sort out the cesspool."

"Brand affinity is clearly hard wired," he said. "It is so fundamental to human existence that it’s not going away. It must have a genetic component."

The key to understanding the above is to appreciate that not only do the large brands have more money and more exposure, but they are less likely to be policed if they do the same thing that a smaller webmaster does. It is why a billion dollar company’s affiliate program passes PageRank and my affiliate links do not.

Simply put, big brands should spam. Smart people like you, who read the algorithms as a profession, already knew this, but a large segment of publishers think search is mostly trickery and voodoo.

Build a brand and buy links. If your brand is big enough you most likely will not get policed out of the search results. It has been that way for years. If only the AdWords support team or Matt Cutts spoke with Mr. Schmidt’s level of clarity!

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