K Marx The Spot

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27 June 2009

Bizarre Moments in Branding

I understand that if you have dreams of a small chain of maternity stores where motherhood is considered a blessing, not a burden, then it makes sense in a lot of dimensions to have a name positively associated with motherhood. It is even better to have a name that has been associated with motherhood for several millennia.

But I wonder if it makes much sense at all to pick as the name the Egyptian goddess Isis, well-known for becoming wife of her brother Osiris.

(Somehow, I don't think that Hera Maternity would be quite as popular, perhaps because more people know she was Zeus's sister, or simply perhaps she had quite the temper if you believe that sort of thing.)

Labels: Mythology, stupid corporate tricks

Posted by Tim W at 6/27/2009 05:00:00 PM

26 June 2009

An Open Letter To Verizon

Dear Verizon Brain Trust:

Over the past 12 months, I have recieved at least 20 separate solitications in the mail for FIOS, your name for your high-speed internet service.

If I were interested at all, I might have responded to one of the first 19 offers you made, not counting the constant blurbs on my phone bill.

If this is what a Fortune 20 company uses to drum up business, then capitalism is in more trouble than even I imagined.

Sincerely,

Tim F-W

Labels: stupid advertising tricks, Verizon

Posted by Tim W at 6/26/2009 09:39:00 AM

Attention K Marx Shoppers

Our greatest hits:

Your Tax Dollars At Work: And how was a big dividend tax cut spoosed to help the economy?
Designated for Assignment: Any baseball team would know how to shake up the Boston Globe op-ed page.
A Wake-Up Call: Fahrenheit 9/11 is a wake-up call to a slumbering public.
Not Even Useful Idiocy: Jeff Jacoby can't admit that Ted Kennedy is right about torture.
Why Do Conservatives Hate Marriage?: It's the ick factor.
Khartoum Physics: Why is Sudan on the UN Human Rights Commission? Blame Bush.
Corrigan on Bush and Blair: Straight from the pages of the Financial Times.
What a Difference a Nipple Makes: Pete Coors gets a pass where Janet Jackson didn't.
Thank You, George Bush: Without him, the Democrats would be doomed.
Know Your Sources: Why my 3-year-old is like intelligence on Iraq.
The Coors for Senate Fight Song: Mighty Wingnut!
Corrigan on Bush: As seen in the Financial Times.
Politics Trumps Security: Richard Clarke's treatment speaks volumes.
Your Friends Tell Much About You: Mitt Romney had better watch his mouth if he's going to be god of his own planet.
Proof that Nobody Pays Attention to David Brooks: Cathy Young makes it official.
Toe to Toe: Bush-Kerry? Think Hearns-Hagler!
The Most Important Story: The Pakistani bomb is the most important story of the Cold War.
Blistering Barnicle: Mike can tell terrorists by the sounds of their names!
Spying for Dummies: The Spy Museum says much about America.
Error Correcting Memory: How hard can it be to remember 1972?
That Takes Guts: Wesley Clark certainly doesn't duck tough questions.
Identity Theft From the Left: Democrats should spoof Citibank ads.
President Moonbeam: Jerry Brown, not George Bush, was supposed to be wacky.
State Tax Credits: Dumb and Dumberer: Most state corporate tax breaks are illogical.
The PowerPoint Presidency: The two are made for each other.
The Old Man Knew Accounting: The accounting firm is really a testbed for Marxism.
Medicare Malpractice: The Senate's top Democrat had best start counting sponges.
Romney is a Falstaff: Mitt Romney is more comical than most realize.
Romney is a Faubus: History will look harshly on Mitt Romney.
Audio Didn't Kill the Talk Radio Stars: Why idiocy on the radio goes unpunished.
A New Theory of Relativity: Republcians forget that Fannie and Freddie are good for them.
Beware the new Republican Anti-Politicians: Mitt Romney are Arnold Schwarzenegger are much alike.
Right Wing Censorship: At FreeRepublic, Jim Robinson can't handle the truth.
Terminator 1040: We examine Arnold's tax filings, that is, the public ones.
Another Glance at Our Liberal Media: The mass media really do resemble a junior-high clique.
Reckless Dishonesty: These words best describe the Bush administration.
Commodity Fetishism, Revisited: Don't believe the hype about political stock markets.
Willfully Blind Justice: Who are the framers of Roy Moore's favorite constitution?
The Meritocracy of Nepotism: Leave it to the fortunate son to defend his lot.
Warren Buffett for President: It's not just a good idea: it could even work!
Our man in Islamabad: The concept of the friendly dictator will not die.
Sleeping With the Bishops: The Catholic hierarchy resembles The Godfather.
Good Schools for Me, Not for Thee: How quickly Jeb Bush forgot his own high school.

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