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About Naming
Oregon lawmakers try to rain on the ‘Independent’ party
- About: Naming
If freedom isn’t free, then independence is downright unaffordable. A recently killed bill in Oregon tried to ban the use of “independent” in the names of political parties, arguing that the word confuses voters. Sounds like a sensible enough idea … unless your name is the Independent Party of Oregon. The IPO, Oregon’s third-largest party…
WTF WWF? WWE? Really?
- About: Naming
In 2002, The World Wrestling Federation lost its biggest fight of all – to a baby panda. When the World Wildlife Fund successfully won suit for the rights to their long-held acronym, WWF, the wrestling dynasty was left with what could have been a great opportunity – change. But they flinched. And instead of using the opportunity…
Hungary gives Elvis Presley a piece of budapest
Elvis Presley is the new king of Hungary, and I’m not talking about his royal appetite for peanut butter-banana-bacon sandwiches. Elvis is set to be honored in the Central European country, which will make the rocker with the blue suede shoes an honorary citizen and rename one of 12 super-special locations after him. Residents of…
Oscar, Tony, Emmy and Razzie: the origins of award names
- About: Branding, Naming, Positioning
People love to congratulate each other. Whether it’s for eating lots of hot dogs, writing a catchy song or being able to play make-believe for millions of dollars, awards are our way of saying you’ve done something better than anyone else. Like height, eye color or the preference of boxers over briefs, the desire to…
Battle of the animal bands
- About: Naming
From Eagles and The Monkees, to Fleet Foxes and Papa Roach, the world of music has always been teeming with bands who use animals as their aliases. Yet while your favorite band of beasts may kick ass on the pop charts, there’s a good chance it wouldn’t last a minute in the wild. With that…
“Captain America Who?” the shielded one gets a name change in Russia
- About: Branding, Naming, Positioning, Renaming
Captain America? More like Captain Planet. The comic book golden boy, the tireless defender of freedom and patriotism and cool fighting skills, can bring down the Third Reich with a twitch of his shield. Yet somehow he’s no match for an international marketing blitz. Apparently some of the Cap’s international audiences have forced him to…
New Delhi bugged about super flu name
- About: Naming
Bugs need names. Whether they’re in your bed, your bloodstream or your hard drive, giving a catchy tag to the creepy creatures that invade our lives can actually make them easier to fight. But one recently discovered creature, nicknamed NDM-1, is no ordinary bug. A hearty enzyme capable of bestowing upon bacteria marvelous drug-resistant powers,…
Our new site is what’s new.
- About: Naming
After lots of long hours and late nights, our new web site is finally live! But you already knew that because you’re currently on it. We always knew you were a smart one. A special thanks to our friends at Use All 5 who helped us make this site a reality.
Creating a Startup Identity
For any startup, a great idea is the message. A great brand is the bullhorn. For people to hear about a startup–and even more than that, to remember it when they need to–a startup’s message has to be loud and clear. That’s what we mean when we talk about identity: a loud, clear message that…
Your Business Plan Should Begin with Differentiation
- About: Naming
For your business to be truly differentiated from the competition, you have to be doing something that no one else is doing. Even if you’re offering a product or service that is similar to what other people are doing, you need to make sure that your company is offering that product or service in a…