Post on 09-Feb-2017
transcript
10 Bizarre Ways Famous Brands
Got Their Names
© Alex Noudelman
1. Volkswagen
Volkswagen means “Car of the People” in German, and there’s
a good reason it has such a name. The Volkswagen came
into existence as a spearhead of the Nazis’ plans to make good on their promise to look after the average citizen. Cars were
only reserved for the social elite, so Hitler proposed an affordable
car, which allows everyone to enjoy the benefits of the rich.
2. Cadillac
Emerging from the ruins of the second failed company of Henry Ford (founder of Ford Motors),
the Cadillac luxury car brand was named after the French explorer and soldier Antoine
Laumet de La Mothe Cadillac, born in 1658. Antoine wasn’t a well-liked historical person. He often lied about who he was, and people often spoke of his
“evil mind.”
3. Adidas
The company name was derived from its founder’s first and last names: Adolf (Adi) Dassler. The first name was shortened to his nickname (ADI) and combined
with the first 3 letters of his first name.
4. ASUS
Asus may deal with modern electronics, but their name has nothing to do with it. According
to their website, the name “Asus” comes from Pegasus, the flying horse from ancient Greek
mythology. Asus claims that their business is the
embodiment of “strength, purity, and adventurous spirit,”
just like a pegasus.
5. Twitter
The name Twitter was picked out of a hat. A small group of employees
from Odeo, the San Francisco podcasting startup where Twitter
initially began, had a brainstorming session. They were trying to come
up with names that fit with the theme of a mobile phone buzzing in
your pocket. After narrowing down the options,
they wrote them down, put them in a hat, and let fate decide. Fate
decided on Twitter.
6. Nintendo
The three words “Nin" "ten" "do” is Japanese for “we do all that we can, as best as we can,
and await the results." Nintendo is sort of a motto and company name all in one. Who knew that the gaming giant was so poetic?
7. Baidu
Baidu was picked off the last line of an 800-year old classical
Chinese poem which ended with the poet finding the woman he
had been searching high and low for. Literally, it is translated
as hundreds of times, but in context, it meant a persistent
search, for the ideal.
8. Volvo
Volvo’s name translates to “I Roll’ in Latin. While this most definitely relates to cars, the name originally related to a
different product altogether: ball bearings. The Swedish business produced ball bearings as a subsidiary
of AB SKF from 1915 to 1924.
9. Skype
Originally Sky-Peer-to-Peer, it became Skyper but had to do
away with the r since the name had already been
taken.
10. Snickers
Snickers is a popular chocolate bar brand all over the world. It’s referred to as
“Marathon” in the UK. However, in the US,
Snickers was named after the Mars’ families favorite pet
horse.
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© Alex Noudelman