by Devon | Jul 2, 2019 | Branding Debacles, Naming
Kim Kardashian is abandoning the controversial name of her new line of shapewear. The New York Daily News has more on the story here. As the old saying goes, “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.” A highly visible company will get an earful about a...
by Devon | Jun 12, 2019 | Branding Debacles, Naming
An edgy name can be highly effective at getting attention and sticking in a customer’s mind. But invariably, someone is going to complain about the name. That’s the nature of edge—it’s controversial. And these days, social media gives everyone a...
by Devon | Jan 24, 2018 | Branding Debacles, Naming, Testing
After the firestorm last year following the release of beauty products with offensive brand names, you might think cosmetics makers would reel it in a tad. Instead, Wycon Cosmetics doubled-down by releasing nail polish with a name so repugnant, it has to be masked out...
by Devon | Aug 28, 2017 | Branding Debacles, Naming, Trademarks
Oh, the pains of legitimacy! Marijuana producers’ decades-long flaunting of the law has come back to haunt them now that their product is legal in some states. The industry’s under-the-table branding has historically borrowed liberally from pop culture,...
by Devon | Apr 17, 2017 | Branding Debacles, Naming
“Orgasm.” “Asphyxia.” “Underage Red.” “BleachBlack Dick Weed.” Beauty products are experiencing the “Miley Cyrus effect”—the need to get edgier every year in order to be noticed. Some of these names clearly...
by Devon Thomas Treadwell | Dec 10, 2014 | Branding, Branding Debacles, Naming
Racist brands have littered our marketplace for decades. Some, like Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben’s, have made modest attempts to appear less offensive, while others (I’m looking at you, Washington Redskins) staunchly defend their brands against mounting...
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