Helpful words
Does this Nutrient Density Index make me look fat?
- About: Branding, Positioning
Any recent trip into Whole Foods Market would have introduced you to the newest in food rating systems: The ANDI (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index) and its meat-minded sibling, the 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating. The basic premise of the ANDI system is this: Nutrients divided by calories = how good it is for you. And while…
Bye Bye Birdie: golf’s Bob Hope Classic is no more
For Bob Hope, golf was always a funny game. The comedian himself once said that he could easily give it up … if only he didn’t have so many sweaters. Now, eight years after his death, Hope’s eponymous tournament is at last changing its wardrobe — the Bob Hope Golf Classic will now be known…
How to find a name you can grow into
- About: Naming
In some Native American communities, a name is something that is developed, not given. Children come into life with their own innate set of skills and talents, and live without a name until the community has had a chance to see those proficiencies unfold. The individual’s name is chosen to reflect who that person is…
Parlez-Vous Facebook? Not anymore
- About: Branding, Positioning
Facebook and France just unfriended each other. The land of liberté has officially banned radio and television broadcasters from mentioning Facebook and Twitter on air, dooming newscasters to henceforth describe the popular social media sites in the most cliched way possible — as “popular social media sites.” So what does France have against les tweets?…
Mozzarella: This is a test
- About: Branding, Naming, Positioning
When I was a kid, we used to eat at this great Italian place where our favorite dish was the Four-cheese Pizza. The menu didn’t say which cheeses, and no one asked, we just trusted the good folks of Casa de Pasta to pick the four good ones. Times have changed, and to be sure,…
DirecTV shows you how to be your own scapegoat
- About: Branding, Positioning
So I was watching the NBA Finals at a bar last night because I refuse to pay Comcast for cable. I had a good seat, the Mavs were winning–all was well. That is, until the signal cut out in the middle of the 3rd quarter. What happens as soon as the signal cuts out? A…
Post symphonic viking core and the rise of the music micro-genre
- About: Naming
I like me some metal. The trouble is, metal isn’t just metal anymore. And the more I look for new bands through which to nostalgically revisit my adolescent angst, the more I am reminded that liking music is just way harder than it used to be. There are too many names jockeying for my attention….
Winnipeg wins a hockey team. But do fans want the Jets back?
The Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks may be the ones battling it out for the Stanley Cup this week, but Winnipeg is stealing the spotlight. The city’s legions of hoser hockey fans are celebrating after the Atlanta Thrashers announced they will be headed for the Great White North. So what will they be called? From…
Anthropologie’s naming scheme to make you wear paisley and take your money.
- About: Branding, Naming, Positioning, Renaming
Anthropologie is a great store. Nothing makes me want to spend 300 bucks on a tank top like seeing them nestled in the mouth of some giant papier-mâché narwhal suspended from the ceiling by human hair crochet. And usually I end up buying some getup that could really only be worn well while canoeing in…
Top 5 ideas for Disney’s ‘Seal Team 6’ trademark
- About: Branding, Naming, Positioning, TM/URL
With only a hand grenade, a prayer, and a single round left in the chamber, lone Navy Seal Lt. Mickey Mouse is outnumbered and outgunned. Yet he is still Osama Bin Laden’s worst nightmare. Hey, it could happen. The Walt Disney Co. has applied for a trademark on Seal Team 6, the name of the…