August 15, 2013
Brand names are part of the language. As such, they are living, growing, evolving things. Language changes over time, with new words arising and meanings shifting. Brand names, as part of the language, follow many of the same patterns. This interplay of linguistics and marketing creates both challenges and opportunities. “Os” Means Breakfast If I […]
March 1, 2012
In a bit of weird and wonderful marketing news, Kellogg’s has created a limited-edition cereal called “Totes Amazeballs” — after seeing a tweet from Tim Burgess, frontman of the Britpop band The Charlatans. “I heard someone use the expression ‘totes amazeballs’ [slang for ‘totally amazing’],” Burgess explained to Adweek. “I sent a cheeky tweet saying […]
January 27, 2011
Yesterday on Twitter someone started a meme called #AwfulCereal. The point was not, as many people mistakenly thought, to post the name of the cereal you happen to dislike – because honestly, no one cares about that. Really. They don’t. No, #AwfulCereal was a JOKE meme: you make up the name of a really horrible […]
July 30, 2008
I don’t know about yours, but my neighborhood is suddenly covered in ads for Grape-Nuts. The marketing slant is one of bold refusals of common euphemisms and descriptions that have found their way into our vernacular. A billboard near my house reads, “I hope we can still be friends,” which is crossed out with red […]
July 23, 2008
In the fifties America was launching satellites into space and racing the Russians to the moon. High technology had come to the dinner table as well, and food branding took a cue from NASA. New food preservation technology inspired processed food products that were all about convenience and Swanson’s TV dinners were born. The sixties […]