Why The Lorax/Mazda Ads Are So Insulting
This post originally appeared in Fast Company. McDonald’s gives away toys based on movie figures. Characters in TV shows use products with the brands prominently displayed. Athletes wear clothing emblazoned …
No Jokes Allowed: Starbucks Blonde Name Review
This post originally appeared at Catch This. Is your coffee female or male? You’ve probably never thought about it, but Starbucks has now forced your hand. Their new, lighter coffee …
“Lumia” Means “Prostitute”? For Product Names, Sometimes Other Meanings Don’t Matter
This post originally appeared in Fast Company. What do you think of when you hear the word “lumia”? Does it make you think of related words like luminous (“shining, bright”), luminescent …
This Name Lacks an Object: Google+ Name Review
This post originally appeared at Catch This. Like all techies great and small, I was all over the news of Google’s answer to Twitter/Facebook: Google+. Even though I have an …
It’s Not Natural, It’s Just Simple: Food Branding Co-Opts Another Meaningless Word
This post originally appeared in Fast Company. An American musician by the name of Charles Mingus was talking about tunes, but what he said applies easily to the recent emergence …
Salad Makes You Fat: It’s Not What It’s Called, It’s What It’s Made Of
This post originally appeared at Fast Company. What’s the go-to item on the restaurant menu when you want to eat healthy, or for post-holiday-feast atonement? It’s the humble salad, designed …
Going Really Green: The Nissan Leaf Hybrid And Other Electric Cars
This post originally appeared in Fast Company. Even though it was unveiled back in 2009, the Nissan Leaf is only now appearing in commercials and on billboards near you. It seats …
Catchword in the NY Times: The Fight Over AppStore
This post originally appeared at Catch This. The lovely and talented Ben Zimmer wrote a wonderful Week in Review column this weekend about the ridiculous battle between Apple and Amazon …
The Brand Name Auction: Bargain or bust?
This post originally appeared at the Duets Blog. Back in December, Racebrook Marketing Concepts held a Brand Name Auction during which “150 Timeless Trademarks and Domains” were offered for sale. …
Ometers and Scopes: Serious Lab Device Names in Psychic Research
This post originally appeared at Catch This. I’ve been reading Mary Roach’s Spook – great book, highly recommend, would do business again A++! – and I just came across this …