Good branding and marketing weren’t invented yesterday. Consider the story of John K. Hogg of Frederick, Maryland, a manufacturer of soap. Mr. Hogg had a concept for a special soap, so he applied for a trademark for the name Star Soap and a star symbol to be “printed, stamped or impressed upon the outside of each piece of soap,” as he wrote in his application. Yes, Mr. Hogg exhibited sophisticated 21st century branding and marketing skills more than 100 years ago:
A simple, one-syllable nameA name to convey both his aspirations and the quality of his productA striking physical symbol built
