I remember when the Japanese car company Datsun decided to upset their loyal fans and customers worldwide to change their name to Nissan, simply because of their minor difficulty explaining it always to their 250 or so major board members…
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A Virus by any other name ….
As the world’s first major pandemic in over hundred years rages on, consumers and the press have adopted two popular shorthand names for it: Corona Virus or Covid Virus. Nowadays the two names are used interchangeably, but which one is…
Tagged with: virus drug naming
Posted in Biotech Naming, Consumer Goods, International Naming, Naming Education, Naming News, Rotten Names, Strange Names
Posted in Biotech Naming, Consumer Goods, International Naming, Naming Education, Naming News, Rotten Names, Strange Names
This is not the way to create lasting branding prestige!
Hotix(TM) or Hiitox or maybe even Hotix-Pro(TM) – these product names have been flying across my screen all week. All pertaining to be the latest Swedish small wall heater plug-in the socket. All with the same photo image. Why would…
+ Names are often a -ve
Just as we happily bid farewell to a bad me too product called Google+, new video services come online called Disney + and Apple +. Walt Disney and Steve Jobs must be turning in their graves. Doesn’t management get that…
ibotta – What an awful name for a shopping app
Every so often a name comes along that actually gets some publicity or has the money to promote itself on TV. I was horrified when I first saw this name on a TV commercial. Wow. Launching a new consumer shopping…
“‘Amish’? I thought you said ‘Hamish’…”
In my previous post, I noted an example of a name that is so bad that it has a reverse psychology effect of leading people to think the product itself must be very good. My example was Hellman’s mayonnaise. Athol…
Best Western – very disappointing brand identity makeover
It has been a few months since I made my long road cross country trip so I have had time to cool off and consider my position on the logo and image makeover of the Best Western chain of lodges.…
Mooboo – The Best Bubble Tea for You
“MooBoo Bubble Tea” has been hitting the headlines lately but not as a great product name. Instead there are the controversial issues regarding alleged unpaid hours issues (thankfully now resolved legally.) I wonder whether this burst the bubble of MooBoo…
Tagged with: naming dinks
Posted in Branding, Consumer Goods, Domain Names, Food Names, Name Origins, Naming Education, Rotten Names, Trademarks
Posted in Branding, Consumer Goods, Domain Names, Food Names, Name Origins, Naming Education, Rotten Names, Trademarks
Most execs are doing naming ass backwards
If you are naming your kid or your pet, you think of the names you like and then you pick one. This method works fine because every name you come up with is available, other than a few you eliminate…
A123 Systems – Superb technology…any old name will do?
Many an executive has said (or at least thought) that any old name will do since they have such great technology or such a great solution, or even such a great sales force? But what happens when you grow up?…
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