Let it B

No, this isn't a Beatles post.

It's about this brand that caught my eye.

"Nissin" is the leading brand in wafers. They wanted to go up agains "Nissin." So, they thought of a name that's can confuse people and one that will rub off some of the category leader's equity on to their brand.

You have to be clever to come up with something like that.

Let loose!

I’m interested in this series that’s currently streaming on Prime.

It’s because of several reasons:

1. It’s set in HKG

2. It has Nicole Kidman

3. The director’s name is Lulu Wang

LULU. WANG.

We should all just let loose and watch this.

What's in a name? The Ugly Edition

 I've always seen this signage at the Parc Chateau building which is just behind our office building.

Is the owner a Pinoy? If he or she is, does he or she not know the meaning of "Chaka." And if he or she does, is this a cheeky way of thumbing up their nose on this Pinoy slang word? 

And more importantly, what do they sell?

One day, I'll go and visit this place to see whether it's "chaka" or not.

Baby Talk

At the King Sejong Museum, there was an interactive activity where you type in your birthday and they’ll give you your personality.

For my birthday, here’s what came out:

Yes, my personality is like a “Quiet and Leisurely Sleeping Baby.”

Strange as it may sound, but it’s actually quite accurate. Harhar!

Nationalistic Name

This guy’s parents are definitely big patriots and show their love for our country through their son’s name.

This goes up there with other nationalistic names such as my college classmates “Rebo” and “Kala,” (FYI: those are short for “Rebolusyon” and “Kalayaan.”)

What's in a name? Part Dua

Yes, JKT is like a gift that keeps on giving.

If you like funny product names as "gifts. "

Here's another sighting from a local supermarket.

And yes, they still can't import this in the Philippines.

What's in a name?

When we were in JKT, a particular brand of snacks - potato chips to be exact - caught my eye.

Nay, it grabbed me eye and made sure I paid attention.

I actually get the idea behind the name. It's something I teach in SSC, that you can sometimes create a "Compound Name" out of 2 or more important qualities of the product. This is a "Japanese" "Potato Chip," and I'm assuming that's how they got to the name.

Valid. But I don't think they can sell this in the Philippines.

Crabby

There are folks with interesting names.

And there are folks like these:

At least, you won’t forget her name.

Blame the name

Oh look! There's a candy named after a head scar!

Really?

Someone should sit in my class on making name studies.

Try saying it several times...

Yes, it does sound like a good name, especially if it's in a native English speaking country.

But say it several times, and with a Tagalog accent, and you'll see.

Harhar.

Name-calling

Too bad I didn't see this product before our "name studies" lecture in copywriting. It would've been a perfect example:

I guess a product made of corn makes it, uhm, corny.

Imagine all the people... and lemons!

Today was definitely well-spent.

Had lunch with Mark and Patrick's family, including the uber adorable Baby Jesse. He's such an effervescent kid, and his smile is so infectious. Just like when he and Mark rode the carousel - he was smiling from ear to ear, and I couldn't help but smile as well.

And he's a friendly kid, too. He was giving me high-fives, flying kisses while we were together, and a hug as we went our separate ways.

As I was making my way out of ATC, I saw a stall that made me stop and buy their product. I'm a huge fan of pun names, and this one was hard to resist.

After seeing this, all I can think of was:

Imagine all the lemons,
living for today, yoohoo
You might say I'm a drinker
But I'm not the only one
All those lemons, you can squeeze them,
And lemonades for everyone.

What's in a name?

Some advertising and production folks know for a fact that I'm related to the Garcia siblings of showbusiness. 

I guess that's why they assumed that this is my family name.

Doesn't really have a celebrity ring to it, unlike Cheska or Patrick. Hahaha.

Itch funny!

Pinoy business establishments love to have fun with puns. That's why we have stores like "Anita Bakery," "Victor Woodworks," "Cut and Face," "Adobo Putoshop," and "Merci Buko Pie."

While some of the puns are downright funny, there are certain pun-based name studies that are just plain wrong.

Exhibit A: This tea shop along Vito Cruz. I pass by this shop everytime I go to school.

Gosh! I wonder who would be itching to drink tea from a place like this.

Well, apparently, not a lot. A few months after they opened, the store is now closed.

Crappy name

In my copywriting class, one of the modules I teach is how to write name studies for products and services.

One of the lessons I tell my students is that when you come up with a name, make sure that it doesn't have any negative meanings or connotations. Not just in the English language, but in other languages as well. The example I always gave was a phone company in Europe who called itself "Phony."

I should've passed on this lesson to the folks in the US who gave this name to their TV station!

Good thing they don't air in the Philippines. I can hear the laughter each time their station ID comes on.

What does my name mean?

LESTEREDGARDMORALES
L	is for	Loud
E	is for	Energetic
S	is for	Slippery
T	is for	Twisted
E	is for	Energetic
R	is for	Radical
E	is for	Energetic
D	is for	Dainty
G	is for	Glorious
A	is for	Alert
R	is for	Revolutionary
D	is for	Distinguished
M	is for	Mysterious
O	is for	Organic
R	is for	Revolutionary
A	is for	Arty
L	is for	Luxurious
E	is for	Exquisite
S	is for	Spectacular

What Does Your Name Mean?

I got a kick out of this blogthings test. And it's pretty much accurate. Though i don't know how a bumbling mess like me can be classified as "Exquisite." Harharhar

Plaza Sesamo

Having been to different parts of the world, I realized that there are some characters the transcend the borders of culture and continents. Anywhere in the world, Barbie is Barbie and McDonald's is McDonald's.

Being a child of Sesame Street, i've always believed that our friendly Sesame Street muppets were global citizens. That no matter what part of the globe we visit, people know and recognize who Ernie is. And that oversized canary would always be Big Bird.

Then I went to Mexico...



In Monterrey, one of the most popular theme parks is Plaza Sesamo. It's their version of Disneyland, but patterned after Sesame Street. Excitedly, we went outside the park (it was closed when we visited, so that was as far as we could go). While peering outside the gate, I noticed familiar faces, but unfamiliar names.

Enrique?

Conde Contar?

Yes, Virginia, the Sesame Street characters had Mexican names. I'm not sure what the logic behind the idea is. Maybe its designed to bring the characters closer to the hearts and minds of the Mexicans. Or maybe it's to make them sound familiar. Or maybe they don't want to be recognized. Or maybe these are just doppelgangers who chose to cross the border and migrate in E.U.M.

In any case, it was amusing to discover what our favorite characters are called in Spanish:

Ernie = Enrique
Bert = Beto
Count = Conde Contar
Cookie Monster = Lucas (!!!)
Prarie Dawn = Aurora
Big Bird = Abelardo (although this wasn't exactly him. It's Big Bird, but blue)
Grover = Archibaldo (!!!!!!)




The only character who kept his name was Elmo. Both in Mexico and the USA, Elmo is Elmo.

This got me a-thinkin'. I wonder what their names would be if they were Filipino. Since we have a penchant for long, complicated names, my guess is that their names would be something like these:

Elmo - Anselmo D. Saberon
Ernie - Ernesto Jose C. Macapinlac
Bert - Roberto Antonio S. dela Cruz
Cookie Monster - Constantino Kieran O. Misericordia
Count - Vladimir N. Conde
Big Bird - Bardagol C. Famorcan
Guy Smiley - Dindo Pablo A. Guyoche
Prarie Dawn - Maria Liwayway M. Calleja
Oscar the Grouch - Oscar Mario J. Angas

This sounds fun. Maybe we should open a Sesame Street theme park in the Philippines, too. With all due respect to Pong Pagong, Kiko Matsing, and all the cool folks over at Batibot, of course.