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Every day, at varying times with varying degrees of friendliness, someone in a blue uniform comes into our office to deliver a stack of papers, which we invariably put directly into the recycling bin. When I’m trying to forget how wasteful this whole system is, I pretend like I am feeding a hungry recycling bin…

We’re all driving the same car. Sort of.

  It takes a great deal of effort to design and build a car. The Japanese get it done in about three years and the Americans in seven. So one way manufacturers reduce the amount of labor is by selling the same car twice, albeit slightly altered. This practice is called “badge engineering” and no,…

The death of the artisan

If the labels on the goods at your shop of choice are any indication, overnight we have become a country teeming with artisans, handcrafting all kinds of wares just for you. Not because we’re trying to make a quick buck, but because we have a passion for honing our skills. Skeptical? Me too — because…

Sara Lee wants more meat

Sara Lee is trading in her bag of flour for a bottle of barbecue sauce. The company — once known for its homely breads and microwaveable cheesecakes — announced today that it is changing its name to Hillshire Brands Co., part of a larger move toward its Hillshire Farms brand of hotdogs, sausages and packaged…

IKEA gets tongue-tied in Thailand

Do you speak Thai? What about Swedish? If you answered yes to both, IKEA could really use your help. The ready-to-assemble furniture and meatball maker, famous as much for its snap-together chairs and bookshelves as it is for its unique naming strategy, has its hands full translating its bizarre product names into foreign languages without…

Corn syrup tries to get sweet with the FDA

The FDA’s mighty gavel has swung, and manufacturers of corn-based sweeteners are left with a bitter taste in their mouths. The health agency has officially denied a petition by the Corn Refiner’s Association that sought to change the name of high fructose corn syrup — that controversial sweet stuff used in everything from soda and…

What Haitian bus drivers can teach us about branding

Buying stuff just ain’t what it used to be. More than ever, personality and genuineness feel like secondary values, and that influences the quality of the things we have to buy. Whatever is left of a beautiful idea once it emerges from the mass-marketing wringer is often a mere shell of its original self. Real art,…

Name dropping leaves Google in hot water with Iran

Somewhere along the way, Google isn’t sure exactly when, the Persian Gulf became the world’s most important body of water without a name. A Google spokesman says it dropped “Persian Gulf” because, you know, in the world of geography things are always changing. Iran is not taking kindly to this disappearing act, calling it a…

Pedicures and PUNishment

There’s a scourge coursing through our nation’s beauty parlors. Like an infectious Jehri curl, the trend has spread its tackiness to the windows and neon signs of salons everywhere, trying to sell us cheap nail care with a cheeky attitude: Curl Up & Dye. Hairchitecture. Shear Hostility. Bangs For The Memories. Hand Job. Yes, the…

Naming the High-end Watch

As you learn how to start a business, the importance of naming your company well is quickly apparent. A company’s name is its first and most significant point of customer contact, communicating a brand’s personality and philosophy before potential customers know anything else about you. Investigating the way that brand names have developed in a…

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