So, was looking at some old Decca records I have and consequently went to Wikipedia to read some Decca history, this lead me to EMI, which lead me to a fairly famous trademark that probably still resonates with some of us, a dog with his head cocked, listening to a gramophone.
The trademark you ask? His Master's Voice
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Master%27s_Voice
So! Next time you walk into HMV, don't think of ridiculous markup, think of old Nipper and a trademark that's 112 years old :D
Err... Neat!
It's one of those things I just always wondered... and found out the answer to by complete accident.