'Borrowed' brand names

[JR8]

It can be amusing when a shop or manufacturer picks up a pre-existing brand name, and uses it to suggest an unmerited high status of their own product.

Can anyone think of any such in Singapore?

Royce' chocolate.
This one is Japanese, from Hokkaido
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royce'

p.s. Why the name Royce' ends with an apostrophe is lost on me.

[WanWanWan]

Another Japanese (sorry, not Singaporean) example:

I knew a well-off woman who ran a Japanese company called "Comfort Industries". For years I tried to work out what her company did; it sounded high class and fancy, like posh home decor or something. It turned out that "Comfort Industries" made road signs.

[Strong Eagle]

The tailor in Far East Plaza, who actually makes very good suits and shirts, has the dodgy name of "Christian Armani".

[JR8]

'TWG Tea
The finest teas of the world
Since 1837
Grand cru prestige'

A name so like Twinings, a high-end and historic UK tea blender and manufacturer. Coincidence, I thought?

What of this name and claim of 'since 1837'?

'TWG Tea, which stands for The Wellness Group....

[Oh so not very historic at all then, more neo US-marketing-speak, which just purely coincidentally conjures up the brand Twinings.]

... The tea trade was made official in Singapore with the creation of the Chamber of Commerce in 1837, a date which TWG Tea honours'.


So a bit of baseless (at best) 'spray-on' branding then...

http://www.twgtea.com/AboutTWG-Story.php

edit: for clarity.

[QRM]

'TWG Tea
The finest teas of the world
Since 1837
Grand cru prestige'

A name so like Twinings, a high-end and historic UK tea blender and manufacturer. Coincidence, I thought?

What of this name and claim of 'since 1837'?

'TWG Tea, which stands for The Wellness Group. Oh so not very historic at all then, more neo US-marketing-speak, which just purely coincidentally conjures up the brand Twinings.

... The tea trade was made official in Singapore with the creation of the Chamber of Commerce in 1837, a date which TWG Tea honours'.


So a bit of baseless (at best) 'spray-on' branding then...

http://www.twgtea.com/AboutTWG-Story.php

Funny I asked them in the shop about the 1837 saying it was a scam and the staff said it was because they had 1837 types of tea?!

Another classic rip of name:

Pensonic Electrical Goods.
Bofi Kitchens, the famous one is Boffi.
Stereo Biscuits (which look just like oreo biscuits)

[JR8]

Funny I asked them in the shop about the 1837 saying it was a scam and the staff said it was because they had 1837 types of tea?!

Another classic rip of name:

Pensonic Electrical Goods.
Bofi Kitchens, the famous one is Boffi.
Stereo Biscuits (which look just like oreo biscuits)

'Since 1837' means they have 1837 blends. How on earth did he/she figure that one out?

Good ones above too, I hadn't heard of Stereo Biscuits

[JR8]

The surprising thing to me though was my wife, who has lived in London (and other countries), and is an all around sharp-cookie, including of branding/marketing, who drinks English tea every morning, and has had this can of TWG tea on her desk for a week or more...

... had just taken it as a given that it was Twinings tea, until I mentioned posting about her tea in this topic !

That really took me aback. It is perhaps a good example of why companies have to defend abuse of their trade-marks. Twinings is up amongst the best tea blenders in the world (IMO), and who knows this 'The Wellness Group' tea could be gutter swill.

I expect we'll find out on Sunday if we have our usual lazy tea-fuelled brunch...

p.s. Perhaps this topic might be of interest to Twinings... hmm.

[rajagainstthemachine]

^

this phenomenon has a term "camouflage marketing"

[nakatago]

Reminds me of the Burberry discussion here a few years back.

[taxico]

TWG started some years back by two FTs. definitely not "since" 18xx... the year is part of their company name.

i can't remember but i think they are both indians. quite well spoken and very... jovial. a bit too friendly, IMO.

taxico 1702

[nutnut]

THE TWG TEA STORY
TWG Tea was established in Singapore in celebration of the island’s great history as a trading post for teas, spices and fine epicurean products. TWG Tea, which stands for The Wellness Group, is a luxury concept that incorporates an international distribution network to professionals, unique and original retail outlets and exquisite tea rooms. A veritable tea institution, TWG Tea is passionate about sharing their expertise and has become a point of reference for tea lovers thirsty for knowledge.

TWG Tea tasters travel thousands of miles across the globe every year, sampling hundreds of teas in search of the most desirable harvests direct from source gardens. Offering over 800 single estate fine harvest teas and exclusive blends, as well as tea patisseries and other tea infused delicacies, TWG Tea is internationally recognized as a veritable innovator with the creation every season of new varieties of tea in collaboration with the world’s most renowned estates.

The TWG Tea team shapes the aesthetic image underpinning all the brand’s products, constantly updating the notion of TWG Tea even as they respect the Asian and European traditions of elegance and beauty on which it is based, now spiced with a touch of sensuality and originality.

The History of Tea in Singapore

When Sir Stamford Raffles founded Singapore, the island quickly developed into a flourishing free port, an emporium, a veritable crossroads along the Eastern sea routes, where fine teas, coffees, cotton, sugar, pepper, nutmeg, cloves and even gold, were exchanged in the utmost liberty. Fleets of junks from China, Siam and the Celebes would arrive with their rudders up, looking like shops, bringing chests of tea that were soon to grace tea tables across Europe. Singapore had established itself as a gateway of world-wide trade.

The tea trade was made official in Singapore with the creation of the Chamber of Commerce in 1837, a date which TWG Tea honours as the commencement of Singapore’s domination as the Far East’s most illustrious trading post, a haven for celebrated tea clippers loaded with the most precious of elixirs.

http://www.twgtea.com/AboutTWG-Story.php Source

1837 is a year, just f-all to do with TWG! hahaha

[JR8]

1837 is a year, just f-all to do with TWG! hahaha

Pathetic and deceitful isn't it.

Anyway, Twinings are aware of this discussion.

[nutnut]

Huh, what do you mean this discussion? Have you emailed them?

Twinnings tea is rubbish anyway, never have liked it, part of the reason I won't go to TWG! hahaha

[Mi Amigo]

Give me PG Tips or Tetley's any day guv'nor. Proper strong 'English' tea that'll dissolve the spoon if you leave it in the cup long enough. You can keep your namby-pamby 'infusions'.

[JR8]

I don't shop in Selfridges or Harvey Nichols often, but it doesn't preclude me from holding them in the highest regard.

My regular poison is M&S 1-cup* breakfast tea. You could resurface a road with that brew.



* In fact it is so strong, that I've found you can use each tea-bag twice, which given I have about 4 mugs at brekko, and there are no M&S's in continental Europe, is a bit of a bonus