Redundant: Arizona Leather Leather Sale
Up to 50% percent off!
It’s unfortunate when a descriptive name overstays its welcome. Companies pursue new product or service lines in an attempt to grow, technologies change, and descriptive names become irrelevant. There are plenty of examples: American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T), Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (3M), and Southwest Airlines, which no longer operates only in the Southwest. When you don’t want to stand for that one thing anymore, your options are pretty much limited to changing the name or abbreviating the name (and rendering it meaningless, a la IBM–International Business Machines).
So when I saw an ad for a leather sale at Arizona Leather, I figured the company must have grown to sell many things other than leather, and that this apparent redundancy was therefore a necessary specifier. A look at their website, however, makes it seem that they really do just sell leather furniture. So now I just think they wasted some money and space, and their Marketing Department of Marketing has ended up looking kind of foolish.
Rob Meyerson works with clients to find creative solutions that inform brand strategy, positioning, identity, and communications.
Judy | May 6th, 2009 at 3:08 pm #
If you want to see some repeat offenders in the redundancy department, check out the wedding magazines at your local supermarket. I guarantee that a few of the covers will screech, “SPECIAL BRIDAL ISSUE!” No, really?