09.10
A few months back I wrote a post about a local coffee (?) joint near my house. The problem with DeSpyro Coffee, from my point of view, was that they were claiming expertise in too many categories at once (coffee, burgers, breakfast, mexican food, gelato, subs, and “grill”), which gives the impression that they’re a jack of all trades, master of none. Maybe that’s fine if you’re a diner or a Jewish deli, but for a place with “coffee” in the name, it would be nice if they’d at least mastered a good cup a’ joe.
The other day I noticed that DeSpyro is now Dukes Burgers. I called, and apparently it is just a name change, with little change to the menu or anything else. The lady I spoke with wouldn’t give me a real reason for the name change.
But here’s the kicker:
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09.03
Look! It’s unnecessary quotation mark’s ugly cousin, the unnecessary apostrophe. Usually only spotted preceding an “s,” this is a rare and exciting find.
08.07
Picked up some flowers the other night from a place called Affluent Flowers. I should first mention that the lady who helped me there was polite and helpful, and the flowers I purchased were very nice and well-priced.
That said…
While I didn’t go there specifically so that I could write this post, I was thinking about their name even before I walked into the store.
You didn’t call this place ‘Affluent Flowers’ because everything here costs a lot, did you?
No, the woman behind the counter assured me that the name “Affluent” had been chosen primarily because it starts with “A.” The owner is hoping that as a result, his store will show up near the beginning of alphabetical listings. I’m sure the question’s been asked before, but is this still a relevant concern in most industries these days? I’d argue that it’s not. I found the flower shop by using Google Maps; I just wanted something that was on my way. For flower shops—and maybe most single-location retail stores—listing yourself in map-integrated online directories is probably more critical than choosing a name that starts near the beginning of the alphabet.
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08.05
How’d you like to be the guy on that poster? Before you answer, note that the name “Putzmeister” is a good example of why naming firms check for unfortunate translations or connotations when creating names for clients with international exposure.
I stopped at a red light behind a Putzmeister truck awhile back on my way to work, and couldn’t believe what I was seeing. For those of you who don’t dabble in Yiddish, a putz is an idiot. Well…worse than an idiot, really. For a more accurate definition, check out Urban Dictionary. The Putzmeister website claims it’s German for “plaster master,” but Urban Dictionary (and anyone who speaks a little Yiddish, I would think) would translate it as master of something quite different.
07.29
I love these stories about the brand names that almost were (or, in some cases, names that were actually used for a short time). For example, The Gap was almost Pants and Discs. But I always wonder if they’re true or apocryphal. You’d be surprised—apparently the oft-told and widely believed story of the Chevy Nova’s failure in Mexico is fictional.
Here’s a quiz on some other almost-names from a reputable source: mental_floss magazine.
To find out the answers, you can buy the magazine, do some research online, or contact me (via links to the right). I’d love to see a master list of these, including stories of why the names changed. Maybe something for Wikipedia, or a naming firm’s blog. In the meantime, I’ll post any that I find here and tag them with “changing names.”
07.14
First off, thank you to the people at Lexulous for reminding me of pending moves in my non-existent ongoing games. Seems like a bit of a desperate marketing attempt reminiscent of “You’ve already won!” junk mail. Secondly, “Lexulous” is a godawful name. It replaced “Scrabulous” in September of 2008 due to legal issues with that name’s similarity to “Scrabble.”
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