07.03.08
Posted in Branding, Language Fun, Rotten Names, International at 10:25 am by Athol
Quixtar is currently running a broad awareness campaign to associate themselves with their real Amway Brand. But many people (including me) thought that Amway somehow became Quixtar to get rid of some of the negative brand baggage of the old Amway name, especially when they went online. So then the question that begged to be answered was if you were going to tar yourself with a brush of a different color, why not keep it very separate and distinct?
Turns out that Quixtar actually was a separate e-initiative originally kept at arms length from Amway - presumably while they learned and saw how it affected their independent business operators and their traditional MLM marketing programs. Of course, it took off like a rocket and has now been fully embraced (if I read their official releases properly), so they want to fold it back in and next year call everything Amway Global. A strange, slow- change strategy that makes my head spin… why advertise who you are now if soon you won’t be?
Could it be that a big agency is calling the shots, and they make more money if it is dragged out to the max? Or does it take the IT guys that long to do the integration?
But in the meantime, those clever names where there is a play on the English language often backfire, especially for the foreigners, the young and the half educated. Especially when you let your graphics designer break the word so it does look like Quix Tar. Don’t blame me if some people miss the implied Star sound.
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06.14.08
Posted in Branding, Rotten Names, International at 8:57 am by Athol
After their disaster with the name Phaeton, you would think VW had learned more than to just go out to a German Auto magazine for a new name. Even though the name was supposedly submitted by a reader - and they now say it is from Tiger and Iguana. With Latin America as a key market (as well as a number of factory sites) for them, you would have thought they would pay more heed to the Latino connotations.
Oh well, I am sure the trademark lawyers like it, and with their branding dollars they can do what they like. After all, they have had Rabbits and Foxes and Beetles, why not an Iguana from Tijuana?
PS Since Tig is a friendly nickname for the diminutive of Tiger, this name may actually fit a little better than at first glance.
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11.03.07
Posted in International at 4:07 pm by Athol
The November 12th issue of Business Week has a good article titled “What’s in a Name? Fatter Profits” wherein they discuss the move to branded lines of computer and tech products for Taiwan’s old line companies now that they are under such price siege in the OEM market from mainland China. This comes as no surprise. But if they are going to use their own brands on computers, then only Acer has 
got it right, even if they re-invent their logo and positioning every few years. (I hope their switch to a lower case logo doesn’t have the same negative effect it has had on other companies like SGI).
In the article, HTC are very proud of their initials.. wonder if anyone has told them they are not as famous as IBM? Nor do they have the same marketing budget. And there is another HTC (or more). The California one is recovering from a big management scandal which makes some of us very leery of any associations with those initials - that stand for nothing we know.
But the real disaster is Asustek… this is how Business Week spells it 
(and they are of the highest editorial repute). But the trademark is actually on the name Asus and their website is at Asus.com and not at any of the Asustek domains. And they claim their company name is ASUSTek Computer Inc. All these inconsistencies do not matter much in the OEM space but are tragic in building a consumer brand. Especially when the name is unpronounceable and so awkward to start with.. looks like a typo for Aussie Tech.. now there is a name with more hop in it.
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06.16.07
Posted in International at 9:14 pm by Athol
When you hear the name Osama on English or American broadcasts, it is usually in a bad war context. So imagine being the marketing director if Osama is your brand and product line! Yes. A major Italian manufacturer of sunglasses and many other knick knacks, especially for Disney. Wow. Now I know why those magic sign boards around European football stadiums flash Osama.com at me.
Would you handle such a name any differently?
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