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On the warpath with Native American mascots

by Jeffery Racheff Neon headdresses. Gleaming tomahawk axes. Half-naked men covered in war paint – these are not the sights of a Native American war dance. No, they’re staples of American sporting events. Indian images, mascots and logos are ubiquitous at football and baseball games, and there are countless teams throughout the country that use…

Oasis of the Seas: the Titanic times five

In many ways, a cruise is the ultimate vacation. You get to travel, relax in the sun, watch live shows, dance and drink, all within a few steps of your own room. It’s like Vegas on the high seas. And if cruise ships are like hotel-casinos with rudders, then the MS Oasis of the Seas…

Naming and Branding in Downtown, South America

  • About: Naming

I’ve taken a year-long sabbatical from naming to pursue scholarly interests in Quito, Ecuador. Even though I’m here on non-naming related business, I can’t help myself from noticing the peculiar way in which things are named. I’d be remiss if I didn’t report on some initial findings. And so, I welcome you to the world…

Windows 7: what a name!

  • About: Naming

by Eli Altman I’ve been meaning to write about this for a while, but I’ve been tied up. Let’s get down to it. Why is the new Microsoft OS called Windows 7? If you look at the number of operating systems they’ve released, it should be Windows 12 or so. Maybe it’s named for the…

The only good bug is a dead bug

They scurry in your walls and lurk between your sheets. They bite, sting, hiss and squeak, carving holes and grossing out guests. They’re pests. But more importantly, they’re intruders — and for that they deserve to be annihilated. So how do you go about ridding yourself of these vermin? Do you attack with your own…

Wines That Rock: Keith Richards in a bottle

  • About: Naming

by Jeffery Racheff We all know how rock ‘n’ roll sounds, but have you ever wondered what it tastes like? If so, raise your glasses to Wines That Rock, a new company that wants to officially merge the two staples of reckless abandon – music and liquor – into one spectacular bottle. Your tongue will never…

Home Business Ideas: How Branding Gets them Off the Ground

Whether you’re a Fortune 500 company or a home business, branding is extremely important to creating and maintaining success. But while a Fortune 500 company already has an established corporate identity, home business ideas depend on initial brand building to get off the ground. No company is too small to build an effective brand (although…

Hollister finds adventure in fiction

If someone told you they were born in 1922, how would you respond? Would you offer to play backgammon, maybe ask them if they have any World War II stories? Or would you ask to see their ID because they look a little too young for Seniors Eat Free Brunch? That’s what the British government…

Best Western, Worst Western

by Mars Riley       Best Western has an identity problem that has been 60 years in the making. Simply put, each of their hotels is an independently owned and operated franchise—each one unique. Considering they have 4,000 hotels in 80 countries, that may be too much uniqueness. It is impossible to predict what…

Why You Should Keep Investors out of the Branding Process

  • About: Naming

The first worry of most business start ups is getting the capital they need to turn a great idea into a marketable product or service. The problem, of course, is that money often comes with strings attached. Once you’ve found investors, you want to keep them, and a lot of investors have strong opinions about…

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