Dunkin’ Donuts wants to leave a doughnut-sized hole in its name; Washington Post, August 4, 2017

Andrew deGrandpre, Washington Post; Dunkin’ Donuts wants to leave a doughnut-sized hole in its name

"Today, Dunkin’ Donuts is locked in a nationwide popularity contest with Starbucks and independent coffeehouses, aggressively competing for the loyalty of an increasingly calorie-conscious customer base concerned with staying fit, not just caffeinated. Doughnuts — while delicious — connote neither.

To that end, the Massachusetts-based chain is deploying a new marketing strategy. Its first vestiges appeared this week in Pasadena, Calif., where a new Dunkin’ Donuts storefront emerged bearing a new name and slogan:

Dunkin’. Coffee and more.

Eighty-six the doughnuts! (Or, rather, “Donuts.”)

The branding experiment in Pasadena marks the start of a trial period during which the company will gauge customer response and evaluate whether to take the new name nationwide. The review is expected to stretch well into next year, the company said."

McDonald's Wants to Trademark a 'Simple' New Slogan; Fortune, 3/25/16

Phil Wahba, Fortune; McDonald's Wants to Trademark a 'Simple' New Slogan:

"The hamburger chain, whose U.S. sales are recovering after years of declines, has filed to register a trademark for the slogan “The Simpler the Better,” a phrase that would echo its recent efforts to streamline its menu to speed up service—long a problem for the company—and tame its bureaucracy.

McDonald’s submitted the application to the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office earlier this month.

The filing doesn’t mean the burger chain will actually use the slogan. A company spokesperson told BurgerBusiness.com, which first reported on this filing, “We routinely file intent-to-use trademark applications as part of our regular course of business. We can’t share details at this time as to how this trademark may or may not be used.” (McDonald’s has trademarked terms such as “McBrunch” without ever using them.)

Regardless of its fate, the slogan embodies CEO Steve Easterbrook’s philosophy for the company since taking the reins in 2014 as he looks to make McDonald’s a “modern, progressive company.”"

Carnegie of Homestead broadens its offerings; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1/3/16

Joyce Gannon, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Carnegie of Homestead broadens its offerings:

"Ms. Shrieve, who joined the board in 2010 and became full-time director of administration in 2012, was among those who helped craft a strategy to generate revenues through more diverse programs and to seek outside funding sources.

By then the facility had gotten some buzz — and income — from high-profile entertainment acts it began booking at its music hall in 2007.

That venue “blossomed into a revenue generator for us and an economic driver for the community,” said Ms. Shrieve, who noted that restaurants and hotels at the nearby Waterfront retail complex in Homestead saw increased business from a steady lineup of concerts featuring well-known names such as Boz Scaggs, David Crosby and Melissa Etheridge. Paula Poundstone and Gregg Allman are among the acts booked for 2016...

Two years ago, the facility dropped the word library from its official name and rebranded as The Carnegie of Homestead.

“We are so much more than a library,” said Ms. Shrieve, who tapped her own artistic talent — she has a degree from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh — to help design the new logo that features an image of steel mill stacks and an open book."