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About Naming
Cougar Town: so much more than just sex-crazed women
by Jeffery Racheff Cougar Town is on the prowl for a new name. After a dramatic 180-degree turn midway through its first season, producers of the hit ABC sitcom starring Courteney Cox are looking to change the show’s title because the old one doesn’t quite represent it anymore. The show follows a recent divorcee named…
A tale of two Vancouvers
- About: Branding, Naming, Positioning, Renaming
by Jeffery Racheff As far as most of the world is concerned, there is only one Vancouver. It’s in British Columbia, it hosted this year’s Winter Olympics, and it’s Canada’s third largest city. But hold on to your maps — another Vancouver exists. Just 300 miles to the south, making up the second half of…
How to name a startup
You don’t have to be a high tech guru to understand the importance of building something right the first time. The same thing applies to finding a name for your company. If you’re running a startup, chances are you have a lot on your mind. You need to hire smart people. You need investors to…
The shame of living with a storm name
- About: Naming
The only thing worse than a storm that wants to destroy humanity, is a storm that wants to destroy humanity that’s named after you. Call up any random Katrina in the phone book and you’ll know what I’m talking about. Before you can say “FEMA,” they’ll regale you with stories of how they run into…
Trek Bicycles blows lawsuit against tiny winery
- About: Naming
I love David and Goliath stories, and they’re even better when the little guy comes out on top. Trek Bicycles filed a trademark infringement suit against a tiny California winery in the U.S. District Court in Madison, Wisconsin. The suit alleged that Trek Wines willfully infringed Trek Bicycle’s trademark. They of course demanded that (little)…
These bimbos mean business
- About: Naming
Where were you at the end of 2008, when Mexican food giant Grupo Bimbo sealed a $2.4 billion deal with Weston Foods, acquiring Weston’s entire lineup of American brands and making Grupo Bimbo the largest bakery in the U.S.? Operating in the U.S. as Bimbo U.S.A., these stealthy Mexican blondes now sell almost every carbohydrate…
Maalox Total Relief: works so well it will make you sick
- About: Branding, Naming, Positioning, Renaming
By Jeffery Racheff If there’s one place you don’t want to confuse names, it’s probably in the world of medicine and drugs. Take Maalox Total Relief for instance. Folks looking for deliverance from diarrhea flocked to the over-the-counter medicine, assuming it would alleviate their belly pains. Instead they found themselves much worse off. What they…
Ariva tobacco candy up for FDA review
- About: Naming
I was elated to hear that tobacco now comes in candy form because I was a big fan of candy cigarettes when I was a kid. Wintergreen-flavored Ariva is already available in some drug and convenience stores, but you may not want to try it just yet. It turns out that along with the nicotine,…
I want my MTV… without the "music television"
by Jeffery Racheff Video killed the radio star, and now MTV has killed the video. After an increasing amount of programming dedicated to all things reality, the cable giant has officially struck the tag “music television” from its logo. It will now make its mark with an expanded, transparent “M” (presumably one in which the…
I’ve never seen a cardinal in Arizona
by Barry Silverstein The Super Bowl got us thinking about sports team names. Some professional sports team names really work – like the New Orleans Saints. After all, with the city’s connection to jazz and the immortal tune, “When the Saints Go Marching In,” the name is a great fit. The New England Patriots –…