Helpful words
New name for PSYOPS messes with your head
- About: Renaming
By Jeff Racheff America’s mind warriors are facing a brain-bending name change. The U.S. Department of Defense announced last month it is considering swapping PSYOPS, the name for the military branch in charge of psychological warfare, for MISO (Military Intelligence Services and Operation) after concerns the former name carries negative connotations. Senior officials in the…
America Has a Vowel Movement
- About: Naming
Rock ‘n’ roll takes no prisoners. Especially with those who have terrible names. Etiam semper vestibulum erat, in elementum eros facilisis sit amet. Fusce ac accumsan urna? Curabitur elementum ante vel nibh mattis vel blandit enim dignissim. Aliquam in ligula libero. Curabitur mattis commodo risus; ac sagittis enim vehicula sed. Aenean sed ante tortor? Aliquam…
Pork: formerly known as the other white meat
- About: Branding, Naming, Positioning, Renaming
by Jeffery Racheff Get ready for a whole new shade of lipstick on your honey baked ham. The National Pork Board (yes, it really exists) announced this week that it will be dropping the iconic slogan “Pork. The Other White Meat” as part of a new effort to revamp the meat’s image. Known officially as…
Cougar Town: so much more than just sex-crazed women
by Jeffery Racheff Cougar Town is on the prowl for a new name. After a dramatic 180-degree turn midway through its first season, producers of the hit ABC sitcom starring Courteney Cox are looking to change the show’s title because the old one doesn’t quite represent it anymore. The show follows a recent divorcee named…
Budweiser brews beer fear at 2010 World Cup
- About: Branding, Positioning
by Jeffery Racheff The World Cup is coming to South Africa this summer, and that can only mean one thing — lots and lots of beer. Okay, two things — lots and lots of beer and soccer. Yet while there is sure to be enough soccer, an ominous possibility has been brewing in the hearts…
Word wars: the Scrabble scramble
- About: Branding, Positioning
by Jeffery Racheff If the word “tile” makes you think of vowels or consonants and not your bathroom floor, you might be a Scrabble junkie. If you know a two-letter word that begins with Q, you might be a Scrabble junkie. And if you are a Scrabble junkie, your world was nearly flipped upside down…
A tale of two Vancouvers
- About: Branding, Naming, Positioning, Renaming
by Jeffery Racheff As far as most of the world is concerned, there is only one Vancouver. It’s in British Columbia, it hosted this year’s Winter Olympics, and it’s Canada’s third largest city. But hold on to your maps — another Vancouver exists. Just 300 miles to the south, making up the second half of…
How to name a startup
You don’t have to be a high tech guru to understand the importance of building something right the first time. The same thing applies to finding a name for your company. If you’re running a startup, chances are you have a lot on your mind. You need to hire smart people. You need investors to…
The shame of living with a storm name
- About: Naming
The only thing worse than a storm that wants to destroy humanity, is a storm that wants to destroy humanity that’s named after you. Call up any random Katrina in the phone book and you’ll know what I’m talking about. Before you can say “FEMA,” they’ll regale you with stories of how they run into…
Trek Bicycles blows lawsuit against tiny winery
- About: Naming
I love David and Goliath stories, and they’re even better when the little guy comes out on top. Trek Bicycles filed a trademark infringement suit against a tiny California winery in the U.S. District Court in Madison, Wisconsin. The suit alleged that Trek Wines willfully infringed Trek Bicycle’s trademark. They of course demanded that (little)…