When Mitsubishi launched a new car with the name "Pajero" on the Spanish market, it became obvious very soon that the name chosen was not optimal because it immediately was the subject of jokes due to its homophony with a Spanish expression related to masturbation.
The same happened to Ford's model "Pinto" (Portuguese for male genital) in Brazil where it was quickly renamed into "Corcel"(horse).
There is quite a long list of product names that give food to the dirty mind be they chosen accidentaly or deliberately. Obviously there seems to be a kind of tradition for this in the history of naming which originally started with place names.
Some of our ancestors obviously were too innocent to realize what burden they place on their offspring when naming places like Pratts Bottom (Kent), Brown Willy (Cornwall), Lickey End (near Birmingham), Booby Dingle (Powys), Great Cockup (Cumbria). Even places such as Thong (Kent) seem to have revealed far too much for not being the victim of lewd remarks.
The European continent, however, is also challenging the innocent mind of the English speaking travellers. In Southern Bavaria they will come across a village with the name of "Petting" and about eleven miles from there, in neighbouring Upper Austria, the shock might be inevitable when they enter the village of "Fucking". Inspite of the fact that the inhabitants of Fucking have had enough with English-speaking tourists swiping their sign, they refuse to change their name. It goes back to the ancient Bavarian settlement and although this area was christianized by Irish and Scottish monks in the 9th and 10th century, an amendment of the name has never been deemed necessary.
No wonder that in many countries there are restrictions regarding the choice of a place name as a trademark for goods and services. One way around these restrictions is to distort the name so that it becomes indisputable but on a subliminal level takes advantage of the fact that sex sells. A recent example of successful distortion are the products of a British based fashion retailer called French Connection Group plc with the trademark FCUK. Linguists tell us that the power of a word depends on its context, and clearly the English word "fuck" falls into that category. To make it even more explicit, two new fragrances were launched named "FCUK Him" and "FCUK Her".
On its website, FCUK demonstrates a clear picture of its marketing strategy. Whereas the linguistic allusions are close to Shakespeare's bawdiness, the images remain subdued and innocent, which on the one hand is rather cynical but on the other hand tries to bridge the generation gap because most parents finance the quite conventional fashion attire that their children obtain from FCUK. Thus FCUK's clients in each major market display a range of attitudes when confronted with the provocatively distorted four-letter mark. The American Family Association (AFA) promotes initiatives against FCUK such as prefabricated emails protesting against the exploitation of youngsters in such a manner.
Sex in marketing is bound to raise demand along with a few eyebrows which in addition either secure the necessary publicity or ban the product from the market. Branding an almost swear word in order to create a cash cow is, however, not restricted to fashion clothing and related products. On a recent visit to New Orleans I was surprised by the abundance of labels for their traditional hot pepper sauces. Besides the well known Tobasco, there are more spicy brand names such as "Burning rectum" or "Hot shit".
It shows that name design must be ready to apply wit to anything that makes the blood boil and the label sell. Obviously this does not really work with other economic fields, for instance with tourism, because the places mentioned above are not among the hot spots that travel agents propagate in their catalogues.
About The Author
Wolfgang Nedobity is terminologist and CEO of NameDesigner. More info at www.namedesigner.at
That cross-trainer you're wearing -- one look at the distinctive... Read More
The name of your business is important--it's one of the... Read More
Many CEOs and marketing directors find their time wasted evaluating... Read More
Ever had one of those conversations where you wondered what... Read More
Measuring brand equity allows a company to establish a baseline... Read More
People often come to me to assist them with developing... Read More
...my senses. I know, you were thinking 'Texas'. Well, if... Read More
Did you grow up in the '70s and '80s? If... Read More
There are a lot of things that contribute towards the... Read More
You wouldn't skip letterhead when sending out a sales letter... Read More
Starting Business Secrets will help you to start your own... Read More
Building your brand into a brand leader isn't easy. There... Read More
One of the critical drivers of business success is having... Read More
If you had a choice, which one would you choose,... Read More
Recently, I was reviewing our website statistics. One of the... Read More
I love Pepsi. It's that slightly sweeter taste and the... Read More
There are three basic types of logos: text, symbol, and... Read More
Marketing potential of any product is based on recognition and... Read More
Branding Services is a tactic that marketing executives and managers... Read More
Successful Realtors know the importance of branding their identities into... Read More
How would you like to sell as much in one... Read More
Branding is very important to a business, whether it is... Read More
Colour is essential to building a strong brand.Many of you... Read More
Now that everyone has conformed to Living Your Brand on... Read More
After more than a decade since the last attempt to... Read More
All You Need is Branded Email Or Always Branded Email... Read More
Pressure washing companies often miss what we call 'super niche'... Read More
Like it or not it's who you are. Your corporate... Read More
Everyone wants his company logo to be the best but... Read More
Naming a business is like laying the cornerstone of a... Read More
My business logo and color scheme started one lovely spring... Read More
Branding TodayHave you ever had a good brand experience? How... Read More
7 Qualities Of A Strong Brand:1. Commands premium pricing while... Read More
The elements and functionality of the basic stationery system is... Read More
Well not everyone is aware that McDonalds also owns several... Read More
Visual elements are a major part of your business's brand... Read More
The absolute foundation of your small business is your image.... Read More
Make A Bold Promise Then Back It Up With An... Read More
Do you want to attract new customers while building greater... Read More
There are three basic types of logos: text, symbol, and... Read More
"Make no little plans, they have no magic to stir... Read More
Ask any marketing executive and they will tell you that... Read More
McDonald's buys its potatoes from corporate farmers in Idaho not... Read More
An artist's statement is a statement of ideas and thoughts... Read More
Back to the era of the Hawaiian monarchy, the origin... Read More
What size is your Hummer? Hummers Come in All Sizes;... Read More
Where is your brand positioned in the marketplace? How is... Read More
A corporate logo design should be highly instrumental in building... Read More
Your Value Proposition, or as I usually call it, your... Read More
Building your brand into a brand leader isn't easy. There... Read More
Naming a business is like laying the cornerstone of a... Read More
One of the critical drivers of business success is having... Read More
The name of your business is important--it's one of the... Read More
"You had me at hello," those famous words from the... Read More
Measuring brand equity allows a company to establish a baseline... Read More
Today, in many organizations around the world, branding is treated... Read More
Make A Bold Promise Then Back It Up With An... Read More
I am sick and tired of marketing geeks touting the... Read More
Sometimes, new entrepreneurs are in such a rush to get... Read More
IntroductionGlobalisation is referred to as a set of profound material... Read More
Develop an effective benefit message and you're well on your... Read More
Successful Realtors know the importance of branding their identities into... Read More
Companies have been branding their collateral materials such as letterhead,... Read More
What about me? Are you asking yourself this question? If... Read More
Branding is one hot topic, although it is wildly misunderstood.... Read More
The Federal Trade Commission has an obligation to the general... Read More
Branding |