Helpful words

Rhode Island threatens to change its name.

by Danny Altman, on location in New England There are very few people outside of the state commonly known as Rhode Island who know that the state’s real name for the last 372 years has been Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. For the past few years, there has been a movement afoot in Rhode Island…

Light beer is selling itself short

As far as I can tell, there are two reasons why Americans drink light beer: Either you’re trying to cut down on calories, or you’re planning on getting plastered and don’t want to get full before you’ve had your fill. Both of these reasons have made light beer the de-facto sponsor of the college experience….

Update: Porsche Panamera–Welcome to the cockpit

We just came across some pictures of the Porsche Panamera interior. Can someone tell us when you would need to go from “sport” to “sport plus”? High speed getaway? Avalanche on a mountain road? Late to a PTA meeting?

Tip of the Hat: VitaminWater

Today I want to give a Tip of the Hat to VitaminWater. Since the first flavors were introduced by Glacéau in 2000, VitaminWater has built a strong and clear brand that continues to grow year after year. Here are a few things that they have done particularly well: Functions not flavors: VitaminWater was one of…

10 ways to name your company or product

Do it yourself You know your business better than anyone else and chances are you’re more prone to like a name that you came up with. But, sometimes it can be difficult to name something that you’re too close to. We all seem to be great at giving relationship advice to our friends, but somehow…

Can Athleta make waves? Gap introduces a new brand.

We would like to extend a warm welcome to Gap’s newest brand: Athleta— a yoga/surf/adventure line of women’s clothing that Gap is throwing into the mix. Before we get ahead of ourselves, I’m not sure how to pronounce it. Is it athlete-a, or ath-let-a? Either way, this is not a good first question for people…

Mommy, where does bubble gum come from?

By Alex Altman, Senior Health Correspondent Bubble gum ain’t what it used to be.  When I was younger Bubblicious, Chiclets, and Bazooka Joe used to be top-shelf stuff.  Sure, the flavor in a piece of Bazooka Joe only lasted ten minutes, but it was a good ten minutes brought to you by real sugar.  Today…

Let’s not rush into this: Planned Parenthood Express

Some things should never be express. For example, haircuts, NASA launches and adoptions all seem to be things where rushing might be a bad idea.  I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Planned Parenthood belongs in this category too. The group started opening ‘express’ locations in 2003. They describe them as…

Top 10 things to look for in a naming company

f you’re looking for help naming a company or product, here are 10 simple things to look for in a naming company: 1. A pulse. Why do naming companies strap themselves into a straitjacket with terminally boring names like Namestormers and Nametrade and Namix? If they can’t name themselves, how can you expect them to…

Tip of the hat: Trader Joe’s

The idea of Trader Joe’s is an island market where some wily trader scours the world for tasty bargains and passes the savings along to you. Shopping there was supposed to feel like a treasure hunt, and amazingly enough, after all these years, it still does. Like Costco, it’s a crossover experience: a store where…

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