July 21, 2008
Saw a report in this morning’s news about a guy who plans to name his kid after a radio talk show host in return for a $100 gas card (see “Sex, Blood, and Baby Names”). So wrong, in so many ways. First, any of you who are regular readers know how I feel about baby […]
June 12, 2008
I saw a recent ad in the New York Times announcing the name change of the management consulting group of Booz Allen Hamilton to just Booz & Company. At first I thought it was a joke – maybe something management consultants do to one another instead of putting cellophane on the toilet on April Fool’s […]
February 4, 2008
From the “What Were They Thinking” file, BBC News brings us word of yet another naming fiasco. Here’s what happens when folks decide to try naming on their own instead of working with a trusted naming consultant. The product is a bed for young girls. In either a desperate ploy for free (but negative) publicity […]
November 4, 2007
According to my bio I’m a magazine junkie with a predilection for high fashion. It’s true – I love magazines, especially my wife’s fashion mags (yeah, I’ll admit it). Flipping through her recent edition of People Style Watch I noticed this curious new brand name for a lip moisturizer: Chicken Poop. That’s right – CHICKEN […]
October 30, 2007
The business across the street from my office goes by the name “Drastic Changes”. I’m torn. On the one hand, the naming consultant in me sees the name and says, “Ouch.” It’s a hair salon, not a psychotherapy office. Naming companies are supposed to help folks avoid mistakes like that. Of course, most hair salons […]
September 26, 2007
Need I say more? Ok, maybe just a few quick remarks since I rarely blog. And perhaps now my brand name development colleagues, my naming specialist friends, also in the business of naming products and services and developing taglines for companies, will cut me some slack. Spotted Dick. Mmmm. Spotted Dick. Can’t remember the last […]
October 24, 2005
I’ve never been a big fan of initialisms that replace names, but TIAA-CREF really pushes me to the edge. A part of me can understand why they made the move to the initials. Alphabet soup is one thing, but “Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association College Retirement Equities Fund” is a whole dinner seating. However, if […]
October 17, 2005
Podutopia. This is the cover of the latest MacMall catalog, which I just got today, and I’m mystified by the name. “Podutopia” sounds like an island nation or a disease. Why not something coined and a little more natural, like “Podtopia”, or “Poditopia” (keeping in the lowercase “i” in a different position)? Anyway, I think […]
September 11, 2005
Sony announced last week that it was introducing a new portable music player to compete with Apple’s dominant iPod. The brand name they chose for this dramatic entry into the monstrous digital music category? Something edgy? Something hip? Something exciting? Nope. It’s just another Walkman. While I can understand Sony’s logic here, I can’t endorse […]
January 13, 2005
The recent news that Toyota is dropping the “Tsunami” brand from its Canadian markets (“Toyota drops Tsunami name”) adds further fuel to the fire of the debate on whether companies can or should use names that recall tragic events. The Chevy Avalanche may sound cool (excuse the pun) while the marketing team is sitting around […]