Metaphorically Speaking

One of Pollywog's big differentiators is that unlike other naming agencies, we don't create meaningless, nonsensical names, even though they would be easy to sell. Meaningless names are usually available for trademark and often sail through onerous corporate approval...

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The Improbable Histories of Famous Brands

Today's New York Times features an expose of brands with fictional or highly embellished histories--what Yale linguist Laurence R. Horn aptly calls "etymythologies." Among the culprits: Keds' "sneakers," Hershey's Kisses and Cracker Jack. Missing from the story is one...

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Apple Goes with the Flow

Much has been written about Apple's clumsy introduction of the iPad. But the hook to this story is not that a big company made a naming mistake. This happens, sometimes in large, visible cases. Nor is the story about alleged sexism at Apple. While it may be true that...

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Typecasting on “Madmen”

If you're a fan of the AMC series "Madmen," as I am--and especially if you enjoy wallowing in the retro branding, advertising and design details, as I do--you'll want to check out Madmen Props, an analysis of the show's (sometimes anachronistic) typefaces, on the Mark...

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Stunt or Stupidity?

Kraft's most embarrassing and painful new product introduction is now complete. In what has been dubbed an epic Vegefail, its new Vegemite + cheese spread will henceforth be known as "Vegemite Cheesybite." More than 30,000 people voted for a winning name by way of...

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The Barbecue Summer that Wasn’t

When can a powerful name work against you? When you don't deliver on its promise. Take this example: Back in April, Britain's official weather forecasting service predicted beautiful weather for the upcoming summer season. But instead of using typical language and...

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An Open Letter to General Motors

Dear General Motors: I read in The Wall Street Journal that you want to attract a younger audience to your Buick brand. As an American taxpayer, I own 62% of your corporation, so it pains me to say that this strategy is doomed. The Buick brand is imprinted as a car...

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Saturn’s New Orbit

GM has announced that it is selling its Saturn division to racing icon Roger Penske. The $1.3 billion Penske Automotive Group has a number of auto-related businesses, including exclusive distribution of the Smart Car in the U.S. and a collection of dealerships...

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Bing: Equally Meaningless in Every Language

Looks like I was giving Microsoft too much credit when I wondered if "Bing" was a shortened form of "bada-bing" and might refer to the ease of finding what you want with its new search engine. Cnet reports that in addition to branding the search engine, Microsoft is...

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Branders with Blinders

Communication is a two-way street. What's sent isn't always what's received. So when you find out that what you're sending is being horribly misinterpreted--to the point of angering people and potentially damaging your business--you'd change what you're communicating,...

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Rolls-Royce Ain’t Afraid of No Ghost

Yesterday's announcement by Rolls-Royce that it will call its newest model the "Ghost" reminds us of the power of names that have both positive and negative connotations. The name "Ghost" is a slimmed-down version of "Silver Ghost," the legendary model that...

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Pollywog is a naming company. We create story-rich names that draw people to brands. 612.326.4207