Starting a new business is an exciting venture, and for many entrepreneurs, a catchy brand name for their company or products is the first step toward success. In recent years, companies—especially breweries, wineries, and toy manufacturers—have adopted parody trademarks to garner attention for their products. A clever and humorous parody mark can be an amusing way to stand out, but it also carries significant risks. A “parody trademark” is a mark that uses an existing brand in a satirical or humorous manner. These marks take recognizable elements from the original and change them with a humorous twist to create a new commercial impression. However, a parody must be perceived by consumers as a critique or joke, rather than as an indication of an affiliation between the businesses. If the parody mark uses a well-known brand’s recognition to sell its own products, it may be deemed infringing by the owner of the pre-existing brand, even when such use is consi

Going to the movies sounds like a fun, relaxing evening, but for Laurie Millotte, watching Jurassic World on the big screen was the spark that led to eight transformative years (and counting) building a new company. As she watched the incredible CGI technology bring dinosaurs to life, Millotte knew she could do the same thing with bottle shots, giving wineries a faster, easier way to create them.  As an accomplished wine label designer, she had long been frustrated with poor-quality bottle shots and the inconsistent imagery across winery portfolios—and even went so far as to set up her own photo booth and wrestle with photographing highly reflective glass and metallic labels herself. “It's challenging to take great pictures of wine bottles,” says Millotte. “It's like taking a selfie in a house of mirrors. But bottle shots matter—they appear on marketplaces and DTC websites, distributors send them to retailers and restaurants, they accompany ar

Enhanced Bird Deterrent Technology for Vineyards Takes Flight with New Identity When the grapes are ripe and the birds are hungry, there’s no better vineyard protection than a sharp-eyed peregrine falcon soaring above the vines. Just a glimpse of this bird of prey sends starlings and other destructive flocks fleeing. Historically, wineries have installed netting to try to protect their crops, especially their most prized grapes. While effective, netting is also expensive, and installation and removal are labor-intensive. Other safeguards, such as cannons, broadcast distress calls, streamers or stationary decoys, offer fleeting results and can be intrusive.  Ten years ago, Falcon Crop Protection developed an innovative and cost-effective solution: realistic kites that mimic the shape and predatory movements of a peregrine falcon as it soars from a tall fiberglass pole. With just a slight breeze, the kite takes flight and patrols all day, triggering birds’ natural f

Whether your brand goals are rooted in sustainability, market penetration or innovation, a key way to achieve optimal results is by engaging with your packaging partners early in the process. At MCC, our label expertise is often a competitive advantage for our customers. We have deep knowledge in critical areas of packaging from our diverse network of passionate teammates – from concept to commercialization and beyond! In this edition, we will peel back the layers on what ESG means to MCC, as well as feature one of our behind-the-scenes powerhouse teams focused on rapid prototyping.   ESG Steering Team As part of our Labeled with Care strategy, a focused effort has been put toward Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives. These policies outline our dedication to environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and sound governance practices. This serves as a framework for integrating ESG considerations into our decision-making processes and guiding our i

Tapì, a global leader in closures for premium, super-premium, and luxury spirits, and Ganau, a renowned Italian producer of high-end wine corks, are proud to announce that Ganau joins the Tapì Group. Together, they are poised to make a significant impact in the industry by offering a comprehensive range of high-end sustainable closures. The integration of Ganau into the Tapì Group creates a synergy that will enable both companies to offer a comprehensive range of closure solutions and to better serve an increasing demand for innovation, quality, and superior service across the wine and spirits sectors. Tapì will be incorporating Ganau’s high-end natural and micro-agglomerated cork stoppers into their closure offerings while Ganau will gain access to Tapì’s extensive international network, facilitating global expansion and broadening their customer reach. Ganau’s decades-long experience in cork closure production has established the

A quick update for our Makers, especially in Texas, Indiana, Louisiana, Georgia, Oklahoma and Kentucky: we have changed the name of LibDib@RNDC to RNDC On Demand. This rebranding has been a long time coming and will provide more opportunities for our Makers, especially on RNDC’s amazing ecommerce site, eRNDC.  Why the change? The reasons are outlined below. One of the great benefits of being a nimble start-up is the ability to see a challenge with an existing model, find a solution, and pivot.  Buyer Awareness: LibDib is only the technology provider for RNDC On Demand. so Having LibDib in the name  was causing confusion and Buyers were going to the LibDib platform g to sign up for the RNDC division and purchase those offerings. This makes it clear to Buyers who the distributor is in each transaction.  Maker Awareness: It is our goal to break down any confusion when it comes to distribution for our makers, especially those who are new to the business. We have a

Josetta Saffirio Presents the Rebranding Born from the Alliance Between Sara Vezza and Renzo Rosso

The new labels encapsulate the values of a wine project devoted to the environment, sustainability and well-being as the new frontier of personal luxury Castelletto di Monforte d’Alba (CN), 28th […]

We are excited to share important news regarding the continued growth of our company. Growing to serve… Since 1987, we have continued to grow in many ways in response to customer needs. As you know, we’ve expanded the number of product lines we carry to include waste water management systems, microbial defense systems, and top-of-the line detergents and disinfectants. And we’ve expanded to servicing a region that includes the Bay Area, Napa/Sonoma wine country and San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced Counties. We’re proud to be your trusted resource. It was a natural evolution to better reflect all this under a new name and are proud to announce Hotsy Pacific's new name and logo, Pacific Bay Equipment. What to expect… You will see some changes happening over the next few months. We will adopt the new company logo shown above that better represents our commitment to innovation and service. Our website, social media, emails, signage, invoicing,

Beverage industry leader BevZero has announced a new suite of services that build on its 2021 rebranding and organizational enhancements in support of the growing no- and low- alcohol space. BevZero is now offering end-to-end product services to ensure extraordinary outcomes for its clients. They provide support across their six step process flow, including product development, formulation, fulfillment, and support across the supply chain, including product sourcing and packaging. In addition to BevZero’s extensive winemaking, brewing, and food science expertise, these services provide streamlined solutions for the non-alcoholic beer, wine, and cider markets. They also support the growing functional beverage and hemp- and cannabis-infused categories. BevZero CEO Debbie Novograd says, “Our plan to focus on innovation and build on our strong history and capabilities is coming to fruition in 2022. It’s exciting to see the no- and low-alcohol trend take hold across the gl

Last week, Facebook Inc. announced that they would be undergoing a rebrand and will be renaming their business to Meta. While some may have been shocked about the move, seasoned marketers know that there’s a time and place for rebranding—whether that means refreshing your logo, updating your tagline or even renaming your company completely. Considering Facebook was founded in 2004, almost 20 years ago, it was undoubtedly time for change. What started as a single social media platform for a college turned into three widely used apps across the world—Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. If you’ve been sitting on the same exact branding for the past 20 years, it may be time. Not so fast—before you go rushing into a rebrand, check out these tips to rebrand while still maintaining your core identity. Get Feedback from Your Customers If you aren’t sure if your company needs to rebrand, start by turning to the people who know and love you best—your custo