Brandophile

Hitler's Cross

2006-08-23T02:35:00.000-07:00

What is it: A restaurant in Mumbai.
Owned by: Punit Sablok.
Created in: 2006 as a marketing gimmick to attract attention.
What the restaurant looks like: Go here for a sneak peek.

Old Fart

2005-12-22T19:48:00.000-08:00

What is it: English beer.
Owned by: Merriman's Brewery Ltd.
Created in: 1989 in celebration of all those Cantankerous Boozers that occupy every Public House in Britain if not the world.
Originally called: Real ale.

666 Cough Syrup

2005-12-22T19:30:00.000-08:00

Owned By: A Florida company named Monticello Drug Company.
Coined in: Around the year 1909.
Logic behind the name: Monticello first made a quinine medicine for malaria in 1909. The first order was written in an order tab with the number 666. The product worked. From that time, people started refering to the medicine as 'that 666 product'.
Sneak Peek: Click here to view the product.

Mad Dogs & Englishmen

2005-11-21T03:05:00.000-08:00

What's it: A creative hot shop, once upon a time.
Founded by: Nick Cohen in 1991.
Inspiration behind name: Prolly, the Noel Coward song.
Trivia you don't know: The hot shop is no more. A spinoff from Mad Dogs is curiously named Mad Injection.

Tequila Mockingbird

2005-11-19T06:20:00.000-08:00

What's it: A tequila bar and mexican restaurant in Connecticut.
Website: Go here.
Why I like this name: It's a nice tweak of 'To Kill a Mocking Bird'.

Death Cigarettes

2005-11-19T05:54:00.000-08:00

Owned by: Enlightened Tobacco Company. Founded by maverick marketer BJ Cunningham.
USP: The Honest Smoke.
Logic behind their product: DEATH is a responsible way to market a legally available consumer product which kills people when used exactly as intended.
What they state in their pack: Smoking does not make you stylish, sexy or sophisticated. It kills you.
Their official spiel: We are not selling a pack of lies. We are selling a pack of cigarettes.
What their pack looks like: Look here.

Tsunami Chicken Burger

2005-11-19T05:36:00.000-08:00

Owned by: Mugg & Bean, a South African Chain of restaurants.
Logic behind the name: "We named it 'tsunami' because the burger is big and powerful".
Irony: They hit upon this name 3 months before the tsunami disaster.

7-Eleven

2005-11-19T05:10:00.000-08:00

Claim to fame: Largest chain of convenient stores. Over 28,000 stores located in 20 countries.
Created in: 1946.
Was originally called: Speedee-Mart.
Logic behind the name: Initially, these stores used to be open from 7 am to 11 pm.
Trademark trivia: The 'n' in the brand name is always written in lower case. As in 7 ELEVEn.
Website: www.7-eleven.com
Why I like it: It's catchy. And it's a very un-mart name.

Jesus Jeans

2005-11-19T02:58:00.000-08:00

Created in: The 1960s by Maglificio Calzificio Torinese.
Became famous in: 1973 when Olivero Toscani shot the ass ads with the line - "He who loves me follows me".
Now owned by: BasicNet, the Italian company that's renowned for its innovative logistics model.
Trademark registered in: Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemborg, Austria, France, Italy and Spain.
Trademark rejected by: Germany, China, Switzerland, Hungary, UK and Ireland.
Reason cited: Morally offensive name.
Website: www.jesusjeans.com
Why I like it: Ballsy name.