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Bad brand names

Bad brand names

Bad brand names

(OP)
I swear, I am not making this up.

There is actually

Amelia Earhart brand luggage

RE: Bad brand names

This is probably very good. But I am totally lost. I know nothing about Amelia Earhart or why his/her name would be fun/shocking/terribly awful in conjunction with luggage.

I guess that it is obvious to most of you, but not to me. Enlighten me, please.

RE: Bad brand names

   I'm Italian and I didn't know about that name... but after a quick research on the internet, I found that she was a famous American Aviatrix of the first decades of 1900: see, for example, http://www.ameliaearhart.com/home.php .

   May be MintJulep finds it not much "tactful" for the memory of the Aviatrix to use her name for a commercial brand...?

Bye,     'NGL

RE: Bad brand names

Two old favourites of mine, from China in the 1980s. (They didn't always think about the full implications when giving their products English names):

"Thumbs Up" toilet paper

"Great Leap Forward" floor polish

In another true story, an Asian company was shamelessly ripping off a range of bathroom accessories manufactured by Australian company "Caroma", who took them to court to get them to desist. They were successful - but only up to a point. To minimise re-tooling costs, the pirate manufacturer simply eliminated the initial "C" from their branding. They came up with the ideal product name you want to see on your toilet seat and cistern: "Aroma"!

RE: Bad brand names

Thanks for that link, anegri.

I still do not understand. A famous pilot's name seems to be OK on luggage. Or is it the fact that she somehow got lost that makes it a "bad brand name"? Probably.

Another classic "bad name" is when Roll-Royce decided to start producing a model that they named "Silver Mist". A nice poetic name, the Brits thought. At least until the German market protested. The word "mist" is "dung" or "shit" in German. That model is now konown as "Silver Cloud" and seems to have sold well - even in Germany.

RE: Bad brand names

"Or is it the fact that she somehow got lost that makes it a "bad brand name"? Probably."

Undoubtedly it's the fact that the exact circumstances of her disappearence and her current whereabouts remain a mystery--not attributes one would find desireable in luggage.

RE: Bad brand names

Chevy Nova in the Mexican market went with a flop... It was then learned that the roads "no va" means "doesn't go" in Spanish....
(Not really a product name, but a funny story.) Gerber babyfood in Africa had a tough market.  They stuck with the baby face on the jar label, not realizing that in Africa most labels show the substance inside the jar, because many Africans cannot read the label.  So, understandably, people didn't want the jars with babies inside.

ChemE, M.E. EIT
"The only constant in life is change." -Bruce Lee

RE: Bad brand names

(OP)
Ms. Earhart's most famous accomplishment is disappearing without a trace.  People are still looking for evidence of where she may have vanished.

Not ideal properties for your luggage.

RE: Bad brand names

Thanks digger and Julep. I understand now.

RE: Bad brand names

Going along skogsgurra's line on "mist", there is an Irish whisky liquor called "Irish Mist". It sells well in Germany even though the name means "Irish dung/shit" in German.

Another one is names : Take for instance the Hollywood movie actor Johnny Depp. The word "Depp" is a German slang expression for "imbecile".

RE: Bad brand names

Actually, the Chevy Nova sold quite well in Mexico.  Still, the humor of the name was not lost.

RE: Bad brand names

What about the Mitsubishi Pajero 4 wheel drive. Sales never really took off in Latin America, which surprised the Mitsubishi executives, since "Pajero" was supposed to be the name of a type of South American wildcat.

Unfortunately, it was also a local derogatory slang expression for a homosexual male, so it didn't quite have the macho image they were looking for.

RE: Bad brand names

Car companies have learned enough lessons to brand differently according to the country, sometimes for no discernable reason.

This question only works well in the US since elsewhere the maker applied a different brand name:

What car could have a personalised number plate: "IML8 IML8" and what colour is it?

JMW
www.viscoanalyser.com
Eng-Tips: Pro bono publico, by engineers, for engineers.

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

RE: Bad brand names

The white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland?  White?

David

RE: Bad brand names

zdas04 you almost win first prize.... an Eng-Tips mug from Dave (I'd like to see you try and collect!), you just need the manufacturer.

JMW
www.viscoanalyser.com
Eng-Tips: Pro bono publico, by engineers, for engineers.

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

RE: Bad brand names

(OP)
VW

What was the Golf in much of the world was the Rabbit in the US.

RE: Bad brand names

Used to be a diet pill advertised called aids or ayds. Haven't seen it advertised lately, but remember being impressed on how long they hung in there with that name. No language problem or bad research, just bad luck that another more effective weight loss method with a similar name came along.

RE: Bad brand names

We had the Golf here in the U.S.  It was larger than the Rabbit.

RE: Bad brand names

The next step down from the Golf is the Polo.

Polo = Rabbit?

RE: Bad brand names

I was once offered some "Lucky" brand 11kV fuses from China.

Bung
Life is non-linear...

RE: Bad brand names

Is it true that Mitsubishi intended the next size car from a Colt to be a stallion, but finished up with a Starion?

Jeff

RE: Bad brand names

At least they didn't go from the Colt to the Gelding  That would have been quite anti-macho.  (For the most part, horses are pretty sexy - quite a few "breeds" of automobiles have horse names.)

I've got an old (very old - 1984) VW Rabbit, to which I fondly refer as The Dwatted Wabbit.  It wuns like a wabbit, and is vewy weliable.  Fortunately, I also have a mechanic capable of chasing down and modifying parts as I need them.  Wouldn't trade the Dwatted Wabbit, or the mechanic, for the world!

Always got a kick out of the name of the Yugoslavian car Yugo.  If you got one, I guess you go, for a while anyway.  Now, if you have one, maybe you don't go.

RE: Bad brand names

Back in the 1960s, Nissan had some car names that could only be described as "quaint". I always wondered what exactly WAS the target market of the "Cedric"? Probably did quite well in the Chartered Accountants sector.

(Apologies to any Cedrics or Chartered Accounts who might read this.)

RE: Bad brand names

(OP)
What was the Rabbit in the US was the Golf in the rest of the world.  VW post-named this the "A1" platform.

When the car became bigger - which VW called the "A2" platform, it was marketed as the Golf world-wide.

RE: Bad brand names

Wasn't the original Yugo made from obsolete Fiat tooling?

RE: Bad brand names

(OP)
Maybe that was the problem.  They were made from the obsolete tooling, not with it.

RE: Bad brand names

Must, after all, is the worst Fiat better than any jugo?

TTFN

RE: Bad brand names

Ever wonder what FIAT means?
"Fix It Again, Tony..." ?

Actually, it stands for Fabrica Italiana di Automobili Torino... My father (an Italian-Canadian to the bone) still likes the first one...

Maybe Ford has a better acronym in Italian... "Fatto Oggi, Rotto Domani" (Made today, broken tomorrow)...

-Mark


P.S... I think the name of Pro/Engineer's last 2 releases, Wildfire, is not the best planned name... Wildfires cost people thier livelihoods in arid climates across the world. Regardless, I still think it's great software.

RE: Bad brand names

Maybe it means "hot, fast software"  I could go for that.

TTFN

RE: Bad brand names

There is a local Instrument Distributor named is Titantic Instruments.

I once had a salesmen from the Spacely Sprocket Company, (from the cartoon The Jetson). I asked him why he decided to name the company Spacely Sprockets (they sold power transmission products) and he thought customers would get a lick out of it.

As I said I saw him once.

RE: Bad brand names

Lotus, the sportscar manufacturer, was alledgedly an acronym of "Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious".

I'd still have one of their current Elise go-karts for a weekend plaything though!!

-----------------------------------

Ask a silly question and you are laughed at for a few moments.

Don't ask the question and you might be laughed at for eternity.

RE: Bad brand names

Coming back to FIAT ....

In Germany we say it stands for "Fehler In Allen Teilen" which means "Errors in all parts".

RE: Bad brand names

There are a couple of similar -- dare I say acronyms for Ford.
 - Found on Road Dead
 - Fails on Race Day
 - Fix or Repair Daily

RE: Bad brand names

BMW - Blik Met Wiele in Afrikaans.  Probably prtetty similar in Dutch or German. (translates to "tin-can on wheels")

Bung
Life is non-linear...

RE: Bad brand names

Ok guys try this one on for size.  I used to work for a engineering company that renamed a division to the Aviation and Industrial Division, or AIDS!  

RE: Bad brand names

Airlines:
TWA (defunct): Try Walking Across
BOAC (now, ultimately British Airaways): Better On A Camel.

JMW
www.viscoanalyser.com
Eng-Tips: Pro bono publico, by engineers, for engineers.

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

RE: Bad brand names

In German, BMW also stands for "B**** Mal Wieder".

No, I'm not going to spell it out. What I can tell you, though, it that it is a slang expression of an encouragement or invitation to practice sexual intercourse.

RE: Bad brand names

One of my colleagues from the Operations team invented for himself the job title Dayshift Operations Process Engineer, had the nameplate engraved for his door and everything. Laugh? We could have cried.

------------------------------

If we learn from our mistakes,
I'm getting a great education!

RE: Bad brand names

Know of an engineering firm (may have members in this forum) named "Haff Associates".  Now, do some abbreviations, and see what comes out.  Think those guys have a favorite euphomism for their company.

My late brother worked for a US company in Saudia Arabia named National Medical Enterprises, NME.  He always talked about working for the enemy.

rmw

RE: Bad brand names

     When I worked in the ERP business as a "SAP R/3" Consultant, once a Colleague of mine revealed me the actual meaning of the acronym SAP: not "Systems, Applications and Products" (as the German Founders thought - see http://www.sap.com), but... "Sex And Pleasure"    even if I'm afraid it was not true!!

     In any case, ideas are needed to explain "R/3"...

Bye,   'NGL

RE: Bad brand names

This is sort of a "bad brand name" story, more of a cheesy promo, though.

In the recent NBA playoffs, one of the sponsors of the radio broadcast was Immodium AD.

That's not bad, of course. The bad part was when Dr. Jack Ramsey, a great analyst and former coach, would finish breaking down the game, he would sign off with "And that's the pre-game poop, brought to you by Immodium AD."

NBC (or whoever) must've been desperate for sponsors 'cuz that's just not a great image to leave right before a game (though an appropriate, if off-color, description of how the Pistons made the Lakers look).

RE: Bad brand names

MintJulep

They found Amelia  Earhart on episode 20 of  Star Trek: Voyager.  She was abducted by aliens of course.
She did license the luggage before she got lost, along with a lot of other products.


http://startrek.epguides.info/?ID=455

RE: Bad brand names

   Good old Star TrekTM is always a priceless source!!!  

Live Long and Prosper - Qapla',          'NGL

RE: Bad brand names


...and there where the offerings (mostly from Applephiles, and UNIX types) for what "NT", as in Windows-NT stood for:

No Technology
Nice Try
Not Today
Next Time

there are others I've forgotten

RE: Bad brand names

Dont forget that when using Windows XP, you can eXpect Problems....
-Mark

RE: Bad brand names

I thought the NT was missing an apostrophe, as in:
wouldN'T
couldN'T
didN'T
shouldN'T

RE: Bad brand names

how about the xB (Toyota Scion)?  Xtra Boxy?

RE: Bad brand names

and I thought Toyota had more panache than that.

TTFN

RE: Bad brand names

This weekend I saw a health & beauty store called "Eben Ezer".  I never would have associated Mr. Scrooge with having such soft skin.

Ray Reynolds
"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons."
Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: Bad brand names

For you f1 fans, the BAR website on their cars is posted as

barf1.com

A hypen would have been a nice addition.

Steve

http://www.sprdesign.com

RE: Bad brand names

We use a very good structural/boielrmaker contractor named "Superior Erection."  Their gimme hats are very popular......

Larry

RE: Bad brand names

After shopping a bit with my wife today, I have to wonder...

Why would a women's clothing manufacturer call one of their lines...

Sag Harbor.

Hmmm

-Dan

RE: Bad brand names

Another airline acronym:

AUA - Almost Unknown Airline

(Actually Austrian Airways)

RE: Bad brand names

Floaties

Toddlers swimming nappies.

Least said about that the better....

Tom

RE: Bad brand names

One of the first working names for the Palm Pilot was Hand Job.

Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng

Construction Project Management
From conception to completion
www.kitsonengineering.com

RE: Bad brand names

A professional actor friend of mine says that in the film industry, a commercial using only close-ups of someone's hands performing various tasks is called a hand job.

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