I recently decided to spend my weekend in a class on complex stock trades. Although this is a bit off-task for a marketer like me, I found it interesting that there are a few companies so enamored with their brands that they use brand symbols or creative abbreviations for their stock ticker.
Recognized for HOG by bikers and investors alike
For example, if you were going to invest in HOG, who might that be? No, it’s not a pig farm–it’s Harley Davidson, natch! MOO, however, is a cattle-related agribusiness concern. CAT is not cattle-related, but instead is the stock ticker for Caterpillar, manufacturer of tractors and heavy equipment.
Who owns the LUV brand symbol? Not a perfumery or jewelry company. It’s Southwest Airlines, a cost-efficient airline.
How about a little “LUV” in the heart?
The LUV term originated with their home airport of Dallas LOVE Field, and then was co-opted by corporate branding to apply to the airlines LUV of customers and reasonable fares.
Other interesting tickers for brand symbols include:
- BID, Sotheby’s auction house
- CAKE, The Cheesecake Factory
- BTU, Peabody Energy Company (coal)
- WOOF, VCA Anatech, a pet healthcare company
- BOOM, provider of explosives and mining/construction equipment
Do these cutesy stock tickers have any impact on the performance of the company or the stock? Interestingly, some academics from Pomona College compared company performance of companies with clever stock symbols with the market as a whole, and found they performed better by a factor of 23.5%. Who knew?
If you’re looking to promote your brand on Wall Street or Main Street, try decorated apparel or logo embroidery. Ask WikiThreads about Plano embroidery or Plano t-shirts.
