You know how people often go to the store to buy good old-fashioned dairy milk, and then buy this stuff called “soy milk” figuring it’s the same thing? Milk is milk, right? Yeah, I’d never heard of that happening either. But that’s exactly what the National Milk Producer’s Federation is alleging in their new campaign.

The NMPF has petitioned the FDA to crack down on the use of the term “milk” for anything that does not come from a cow or farm animal. “The FDA has allowed the meaning of “milk” to be watered down [haha!] to the point where many products that use the term have never seen the inside of a barn,” the group’s president and CEO Jerry Kozak said.

Side note: Ummm…. Is that irony, or do they not know that most milk cows have never actually seen the inside of a traditional barn? Most dairy cows are raised on massive dairy farms where they are hooked up to machines that suck their udders dry. Or perhaps the next step is redefine the term “barn.”

The NMPF petition aims to prevent the use of the term “milk” for products made from hemp, rice, almonds, and other plants. And let’s not overlook their additional crusading goal: to prevent the non-dairy confusion surrounding yogurts made from soybeans and rice; and cheeses made from soy, rice, and nuts.

Are you kidding me? Most of the middle- to upper-middle class folks who chug soy milk and nosh on soy cheese buy those products specifically because they aren’t dairy-based! And, a huge additional portion of that market buys these substitutes because of that annoying lactose-gremlin found within dairy milk.

I can’t imagine that the FDA, especially under Obama’s watch, will concede this point. Shouldn’t the NMPF be required to submit some actual data about consumer activity and confusion besides simply submitting a petition that cites decreased dairy sales and the made-up allegation of purchase confusion in stores? Not to mention the consumers. They should get a say in what gets called “milk” too.

If the FDA somehow gets their heads stuck up a dairy cow’s butt and acts on this petition, just how far will it go? We already know that Nestlé sued Muscle Milk, the popular workout protein supplement drink, to prevent them from using the term “milk” for a drink that has no dairy in it. If the FDA approves this petition, will Nestlé have precedent on its side and be able to send Muscle Milk to the glue factory?

And what about a mother’s breast milk? That’s not technically “dairy.” Will the FDA regulate the use of the term “milk” such that mothers can no longer refer to feeding their babies breast milk? Perhaps mommies can just say they breast feed their babies with mommy juice. But then, I suppose the American Juice Association will probably just object to that one.

Tags: dairy naming, dairy terms, FDA, food naming, food nomenclature, food terms, milk names, milk naming, soy milk names, soy milk naming
Posted in Language use, Product Naming, Trademark | 1 Comment

By now you’ve likely heard all about KFC’s newest monstrosity masquerading as a sandwich. The Double Down is composed of two chicken breasts as the outer “bread,” and bacon, cheese, and sauce as the middle filling. There are plenty of reviews of the actual sandwich and its insane composition. But, as your friendly naming experts, we wanted to review the product name itself, Double Down.

“Double down” is a blackjack term. The use of a gambling term had us a bit perplexed. What is the customer – or KFC – gambling on? Given that this is a highly unusual product, does KFC want to underscore the notion that their customers are taking a risk by trying something so new and different? On the other hand, in blackjack you typically double down when you’re confident that you have a good hand. So, there is something bold about the sandwich that works with the confident betting message.

Of course, the customer is also gambling with their heart health. The Double Down has 60% of your recommended daily intake of sodium, 50% RDI of fat, and is 25% of a day’s caloric intake (on a normal 2,000 calorie-a-day diet). Why wouldn’t you just slurp on a lard slushie instead? Maybe an appropriate tagline for the sandwich should be: Double Down on a Triple Bypass!

While the gambling metaphor is a mixed bag, the use of “double” was a wise choice. It quickly describes the form factor (two chicken breasts). What we don’t understand is why they chose to use “down” instead of “up.” While “down” typically has negative connotations, “up” has positive, uplifting meanings. And, because of the negative gambling meaning of double down, we wonder whether they considered using the more upbeat “Double Up” instead. Of course, perhaps they didn’t want to underscore the massive quantities of calories, fat, and sodium in the sandwich. (Given that their landing page lists these nutritional values front and center, I doubt this was too much of a concern.)

Another feather in Double Down’s cap is the alliteration of the two initial “d+vowel” sounds. Alliteration is always a good tool to use in a name. PayPal is a classic example of fantastic alliteration in a name. Creative and smart use of alliteration makes a product name or company name more fun to say, easier to remember, and more likely to be passed on to friends through word of mouth.

While negative reviews of the product abound, we’re left feeling that the Double Down name was a wise product name choice. The risky gambling connotations fit nicely with the critical reviews KFC surely knew would accompany the launch of a fat-laden meat glob. In addition to the edginess, the alliteration and the metaphorical allusion to the form factor make Double Down a perfect product name for this attention-grabbing heart stopper.

Tags: alliterative names, bad names, Double Down, fast food names, fast food naming, food names, food naming, good names, KFC, sandwich naming
Posted in Brand Naming, Product Naming | No Comments

Have you seen Burger King’s new commercial? The one where they blatantly admit to copying McDonalds? Here, watch:

I almost didn’t believe that this was a real Burger King commercial. I thought maybe McDonald’s was lampooning BK. But no, it really is a Burger King commercial. What’s amazing is that this ad depicts their royal leader (the King) breaking and entering, stealing ideas from the market leader (McDonald’s), and then saying that BK is the same but cheaper.

Hmmm… Is this a good strategy for BK to adopt? Should they just be coming right out and admitting, “Hey, McDonald’s is the leader, the innovator, the premium choice. We’re just going to do what they do but cheaper.” I suppose that’s one way you could play the game. It seems a little incongruous for a “king” to be trying to own the “cheap” brand positioning. Not to mention that they’re relegating their brand to being simply a copycat brand. That doesn’t make me want to rush right out and place an order at Burger King.

Something to consider: McDonald’s has global annual sales of $23 billion while Burger King only squeaks out a measly $2.5 billion. Maybe in light of those statistics, it is best for BK to admit defeat and own the cheap knock-off copycat position in the market.

What do you think?

Tags: Advertising, Burger King, fast food naming, food advertisements, Food Branding, food naming, McDonald's
Posted in Advertising, Fun stuff | No Comments

A fun video about English names in China. When I was taking Japanese with the Name Inspector, I nicknamed him Tako-san. Which seemed funny at the time. My name is impossible in Japanese!

Tags: Chinese language, food naming
Posted in Fun stuff, Language use | No Comments

Once upon a time there was an energy drink named Cocaine. Highly caffeinated, it was pulled in 2007 by its maker, Redux Beverages, due to an FDA ruling that Redux was “illegally marketing their drink as an alternative to street drugs”. But it was only off the market for a short while, reappearing a year later, first under the product name “No Name”, and then back to “Cocaine”. It comes in a two flavors, Spicy Hot and Mild. Apparently the FDA doesn’t care enough to actually enforce their ruling, or maybe by adding “Energy Supplement” to the name, Redux has found a way to mellow the buzz kill.

Meanwhile , UK microbrewers BrewDog crossed the same line with their enhanced beer called, charmingly, Speedball. Speedballs, for those of you who don’t watch Law & Order, are an often-lethal combination of heroin and cocaine. This beer doesn’t contain either illegal drug, but does have a healthy does of guarana, Californian poppy, kola nut, and Scottish heather honey*. According to their website, the ingredients all balance out:

This light chestnut, slow motion roller coaster of a beer perfectly balances out a vicious cocktail of active ingredients, who said equilibrium has to be boring?
Combined in the bottle are the natural stimulants guarana and kola nuts with natural depressants Californian poppy and hops, all blurred together by the audacity of Scottish heather honey.

I don’t know – guarana is a pretty strong stimulant, as I previously discussed in relation to 7-Eleven’s Fusion coffee. High-energy drunks – just what we need!

According to the Daily Mail, Speedball, like Cocaine before it, got pulled from the shelves:

BrewDog, which makes the 7.1 per cent beer, was yesterday accused by a drinks’ industry regulator, the Portman Group, of ‘profiteering from the scourge of illegal drugs’.

‘The blurring of alcohol and illicit drugs fosters unhealthy attitudes to drinking and trivialises drug misuse,’ said the group’s chief executive, David Poley.

‘The company is seriously misguided in its claim to be educating and preventing people from misusing drugs. We are taking urgent action to protect the public from exposure to such negligent marketing.’

At BrewDog’s website, Speedball is listed as “out of stock”. Well, at least you can get their other beers, like Hop Rocker, The Physics, Punk IPA, Hardcore IPA, Rip Tide, and Paradox.

I think it’s unlikely that anyone would expect Speedball to have actual coke or heroin in it – consumers are savvy enough to know a marketing ploy when they see one, especially when this kind of shock product naming is common for energy drinks and alcohol. One wonders where they’ll go next to get the market’s attention. Catchword has always recommended that companies use code names for their products that are so off-the-wall that they’d never make it to market – like cheese, or fish, or maybe surgical procedures or infectious diseases. Could we see a new beer on the market called Dogfish, or perhaps Hepatitis?

*This sounds horrible-tasting to me.

Tags: beer names, beer naming, beverage naming, drink naming, food naming, Speedball
Posted in Brand Naming, Branding, Catchword, In-the-News, Language use, Product Naming | 1 Comment

As I was browsing the Huffington Post earlier today, I came across this juicy little tidbit announcing that PETA wants to change the “name” of fish to sea kittens (after all, who would want to eat “sea kitten sticks”?). At first I thought it was a joke, but then I saw the post on the PETA site too.

Ah, to be a fly on the wall at the morning roundtable at The Onion: “How did we get scooped on this?!”

Wow. This could go down in the annals of name development. I mean, plenty of naming consultants can brag about naming a company or naming a new product, but can any of us lay claim to naming a whole animal group? Heck, I’m not sure there are even any scientists who could make that claim. If PETA can pull this name change off, they would really be in a class all by themselves. Again. Still.

A few questions come immediately to mind:

1) Are all fish sea kittens, or just the baby fish? “Sea Cats” don’t sound nearly as warm and cuddly. And I’ve already met a few sea lions — they definitely have some bite in their bark.

2) Once we rename fish, are we expected to tackle cows, pigs, and chickens? Maybe they all fall under the new moniker “Farm Kittens”. Do vegetables become “Soil Kittens”? More thought needed on this topic.

3) How do “real” kittens feel about all this? Did PETA bother to ask them about the emotional ramifications of all these new “siblings” joining the family? Talk about some strange in-laws.

4) And while we’re on the subject, don’t “land kittens” like to eat “sea kittens”? Does this renaming exercise turn all felines into cannibals?

Hats off to PETA for tackling such an enormous renaming opportunity. I know I, for one, will be checking the PETA site more often for reports on future naming initiatives. Who knows, maybe they might even have room for a pitiful “normal” naming consultant like me. I know I’ve only named a few dozen companies, but I could name a new animal group, I swear!

Tags: fish names, fish naming, food names, food naming, PETA, species names
Posted in Brand Naming, Fun stuff, In-the-News | 1 Comment

I was in a 7-Eleven over the weekend and got some coffee. The store near me has a huge self-service coffee station with all kind of cups, flavors, creamers, sweeteners, and additives like cinnamon and chocolate (they know to whom they must cater). I ignored the hazelnut-flavored coffee (ick) and the decaf, since I had a list of errands to run, and instead decided to try the new coffee with the bright yellow handle on the coffeepot (see image, courtesy of the Cruft blog).

FUSION! it practically screamed at me. OK, I figured, it’s some kind of bean blend – that sounds good. I sniffed it to make sure there was no chocolate in it (I’m allergic). I poured a big cup, added my normal pint of half and half, and was out the door. One hour later I was amped beyond belief and only then did I decided to find out what was in that coffee:

Their Exclusive Blend coffee is infused with all-natural herbs including guaraná, ginseng, and yerba maté, which they believe will boost your energy and sharpen mental alertness.

YES IT DOES ALL THOSE THINGS AND ADDITIONALLY MAKES YOUR HANDS SHAKE WHILE YOU’RE DRIVING!

I was not aware of this trend in fortified coffee. Since ephedrine became a controlled substance, it seems like the beverage industry is constantly developing new and innovative ways to deliver metabolism boosters in every kind of drink (including Stampede Beer, which we had the pleasure of naming). Cocaine is a highly caffeinated energy drink distributed by Redux Beverages. It contains three and a half times the caffeine of a more popular energy drink, Red Bull Aside from caffeine the label boasts 750 milligrams of taurine, another common ingredient found in many energy drinks, as well as guaraná (also in Fusion). Cocaine got pulled from US shelves in 2007 because the FDA decided that Redux was “illegally marketing their drink as an alternative to street drugs”. After a brief name change to “No Name”, Redux decided to go back to the Cocaine name. I’m not sure how they’re getting away with it now.

Fusion tasted OK, but not great. While looking online for a gift for my coffee-obsessed boyfriend, I came across this totally-illegal looking brand: Meth Coffee. I wonder if the FDA will have something to say about this.

It’s interesting that the same concept gets executed in such different ways. 7-Eleven chose to go with a name so abstract that despite the word “energy” on the handle, I didn’t realize it was amphetamine-flavored coffee, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. “Fusion” sounds so smooth and sophisticated, with a little bit of technology behind it. Meth, on the other hand, is in-your-face direct and practically dares you to drink some and sit still. I suppose it’s a comment on the culture that “meth” is the well-known slang for “methamphetamine”.

I also saw something called Muscle Milk when I was at 7-Eleven. I was too scared to buy any.

Tags: coffee naming, food naming
Posted in Brand Naming, Product Naming | 1 Comment

Farms can reap big dividends in profits and consumer loyalty with strategic naming.

Sierra Schlesinger smiles easily while selling two pounds of shelling beans at the farmers’ market in Berkeley, California. “People know us as the dirty girls – even Joe (the farmer) gets tagged as one although he bristles a little at that….They remember us,” she says. The farm gets its name from the original owners, two women who tried to call it Fan Tan Farm in 1995. Local farmers nicknamed them the “dirty girls” and the name stuck. Today Dirty Girl Produce and its Early Girl dry-farmed tomatoes have become legendary in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. “Sometimes people don’t even bother to look at the signs,” says Dirty Girl worker Steve Wright, “but they know what they’re looking for and ask you: ‘Are these the Dirty Girl tomatoes?’”

The recent movement to eat local and organic has people thinking a lot more about where their food is coming from and how it’s grown. And distinct, creative farm names help smaller farms differentiate their produce from that of their industrial agribusiness competitors (whose produce usually isn’t labeled in the supermarket). Agricultural brand naming also makes it easier for consumers to feel connected on a personal level with the people who grow their food, “putting a face” on what’s often seen merely as a commodity.

Bay Area farmers’ markets are a heaven of fruits and vegetables in summer, showcasing a kaleidoscope of luscious produce from farms along the state’s central coast. A walk down the line reveals some of the farms’ intriguing brand names: Ella Bella (named after the owner’s daughter, Ella), Full Belly (need we say more?), Blossom Bluff, Gospel Flat. And while the names may be branding products that are worlds away from commercialized big business, they follow principles of brand name creation that are familiar to those of us from professional naming firms. Unique company names like Frog Hollow Farm, (whose yellow peaches are indescribably delicious) and Flying Disc Ranch (where the fresh, soft dates are more delectable than fine caramel) suggest superior produce, grown with great care. They draw you in for a taste and make it easy to remember the brand later.

Such company names also pique your curiosity and make you want to know more about the farms themselves. And the farms are enthusiastic about sharing. The family that owns Gospel Flat Farm-named after the four churches that once stood on the property-regularly invites students from the nearby middle school to see sustainable agriculture in action. (Here the farm looks more like an enormous garden than an actual commercial farm, with organic crops thriving next to rows of flowers.)

Bottom line? People remember engaging names and when the produce is consistently good, they develop a fervent loyalty to those farm brands.

Tags: food naming, green naming, organic naming
Posted in Brand Naming, Branding, Product Naming | No Comments

On the drive home from backpacking near Yosemite the other weekend, my friends and I had the good luck to catch a glimpse of this creative example of brand name creation. Unfortunately, we weren’t quite hungry enough to be convinced.

Pizza joints (and coffee shops for that matter) fall into this sort of naming with remarkable ease and seemingly endlesss variation. In that respect, U-Kneada Pizza’s got it all – a pun and a play on an exaggerated Italian accent in the tagline.

Tags: food naming, Fun stuff, pizza naming
Posted in Fun stuff | No Comments

This is the way the founders of Café Gratitude (a SF Bay area restaurant which offers raw, vegan, organic fare) might hope your interaction with the server goes:
Server: How are you feeling today?
You: I am Sensational and Beautiful!

What could happen:
Server: We’re all out of Sensational, could I offer you Dazzling instead? Perhaps some Heroic on the side?
You: Well, how about I am Eternally Blessed.

Here in the world of brand naming we are constantly looking for names that evoke a certain feeling and that are fun to say. Café Gratitude has taken this ideal to the extreme form – where ordering lunch becomes an exercise in self-affirmations. What’s more, mantras for personal manifestation are offered by the wait staff. An excerpt from their menu includes:
I am insightful (spring rolls $10)
I am elated (enchilada special $15)
I am bright-eyed (pecan porridge $8.50)

It can be a struggle to keep a straight face when ordering. The idea is that ordering something like, ”I am lusciously awake” will manifest itself as a more awake state of mind simply through your verbalization and consumption of food product. Yet this sort of strategic brand naming is not unheard of – or even uncommon. We buy a lot of things based on the appeal of their associations, and for the promise of how they might change us. I know I’m hoping to be little more like J.Lo when I buy her fashion and who’s to say there’s not the promise of greater sex appeal when you pick up a copy of Allure?

There is a lot of messaging going on in Café Gratitude, but what the restaurant doesn’t exude is its skillful product and food branding. The pivotal gimmick, although shrouded in New Age-speak, comes down to the marketing and a well-executed naming architecture – “I am insightful” indeed.

Tags: Brand Naming, Branding, Food Branding, food naming
Posted in Brand Naming, Branding, Fun stuff, Product Naming | No Comments