What Is In A Name?

There is a store here in Texas called Specs that was recommended to me as a good place to find higher end liquor and groceries. So being a lad with a curious nature I figured it was worth paying a visit.

I spent some time wandering up and down the aisles and came across a number of different items that caught my eye. Had I thought about it more carefully I would have made a point to have snapped a few more photos than the one above, but alas I got distracted and didn’t think to shoot any more.

No matter, the photo above works just fine.

I like Scotch and while I wouldn’t claim to be an expert I have had the occasion to try more than a few brands, but I can’t remember ever seeing this particular brand.  Maybe I was unfamiliar because it is new or maybe not.

Ultimately I snapped the photo because I thought it was an odd sort of name for a Scotch and wondered how the name impacted the brand and consumer impressions.

Monkey Shoulder History

I conducted a brief search and came across this:

The name ‘Monkey Shoulder’ comes from an injury that the malt men used to suffer – in years gone by – and the story is told on the back-label of every bottle. The challenge for Mystery was to develop the launch collaterol in a way that balances the irreverence of the name with the heritage and quality of the product. The danger was that by creating an unusual name that attracts the target audience, it could risk being perceived as a novelty item

Stories like this this attract and intrigue me.

Remember I am a guy who is curious by nature and I am also someone who loves history and will read dictionaries/encyclopedias for fun. I am not sure how many others do that.

There have to be a bunch, but we’ll save that discussion for a different day.

Instead let’s go back to the name and a couple of quick thoughts/comments.

We live during a time when it seems that Hollywood is more interested in remaking movies than coming up with new ideas. Part of me feels like the business world is filled with similar ideas and that many are more interested in taking a conservative approach than to adapt a position in which they stand out.

As a writer/marketer who likes to turn things upside down I appreciate their willingness to take a chance and do something different.

Does It Work?

It is after midnight on Saturday night and I am not in the mood to conduct heavy research so I am going to respond to the question based upon a sample of one.

No.

It didn’t work. I didn’t buy it. I didn’t even take the bottle off of the shelf to look at it.

I glanced at it and decided to snap a shot of it.

Once I researched the name and learned about the history I saw the connection and figured that maybe I might try it one day, but that is not a sale. You can’t pay bills off of a maybe.

So the question I ask is whether the name helped or hurt it. This is/was as unscientific a survey as you can have so bear that in mind. But it does raise the question of whether it is sometimes smarter not to be irreverent or to do so in a different way than they did with the old Monkey Shoulder.

What do you think?

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By Joshua Wilner

Hi, I am Josh Wilner and I am happy that you have decided to visit my corner of cyberspace. I am a writer/marketer/friend and family man. My professional background includes more than twenty years in working with businesses to help them do a better job of connecting with their existing and prospective customers. More specifically I have worked with companies of all sizes from the Fortune 500 to the new start up to help them build, develop and grow their social media and marketing plans. I love spending time with my family and friends. I enjoy music, reading, writing, playing sports and laughing.

4 comments

  1. kaarinadillabough – Business coach, mentor, muse: lover of life & livin' it to the max! Former Olympic broadcaster/coach. Single malt fan. Passionate about helping others succeed.
    Kaarina Dillabough says:

    As they say in advertising/marketing…if you have to explain it, it didn’t work. Cheers! Kaarina P.S. I think it’s hilarious that monkey shoulder is stacked beside what looks like pig butt.

    Reply
    1. TheJackB – Someone complained that this page doesn’t tell you what to expect to find here in this blog so I aim to rectify this with the next line. I am a father who writes about life, parenting, business, politics and fiction. I don’t use an editorial calendar because I don’t map out what I am going to write that far in advance. The primary focus will be on things that relate to children and parenting. But the nifty thing about that is that encompasses a wide range of things. Sometimes I work with companies on their PR/Marketing efforts. If they provide products or services I will disclose it. Here is an incomplete list of companies that I am currently or have recently worked with: Nintendo, Philips Norelco, Subway, Frigidaire and Mattel. Want to know more about me, keep reading. If I wanted to provide a professional description it would looks similar to this: Jack has a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from California State University Northridge. He has been writing for print and web publications for more than twenty years, covering a wide range of topics including: business, technology, parenting, politics, education, sports and religion. That is far too serious so I prefer to use something like: The Jack B. is a writer and author of 39 unpublished books and three screenplays. A former athlete and would be superhero he still fights for truth, justice and the American Way. Though he may look like a grown man, don’t fool yourself he is still a boy at heart. When he is not engaged in Walter Mitty like fantasies he is a husband, father and friend and blogs at TheJackB. Hmm…obviously I have since moved from Random Thoughts over to this place, but that is ok. This page is a work in progress which is a good description for me. I’ll probably tweak this on a regular basis so feel free to keep checking back in because you never know what might show up. I am a prolific writer and update frequently so don’t forget to scroll down the page to see what nugget of wisdom you just might have missed. Here is a short selection of posts to get you started. A Father Describes Parenting A Father’s Burden How Sister’s Helped to Train A Father of “Daddy’s Girl” Inside the Blogger’s Studio- A Dream, Er Nightmare The GermoPhobe What I Dream About I am In Love Becoming a Dad Dad’s Most Important Job A Decade of Dad Grandpa Donuts Why Your Post Sucks and Everyone Hates Your Blog A Letter To My Children- Things That Matter A Letter To My Children-2011 Dad Balances Fear Versus Reality Q&A With Daddy Blogger JackB Save The Last Dance For Me- 75 Years of Marriage An Uncertain Certainty Four Generations & A Wedding The Best Thing My Father Ever Said To Me 1 Foolproof Way To Become a Better Writer The Story Of A House- The Final Days He Died A Hero Twenty-Five Links That Will Make You A Better Writer/Blogger Thanks for coming by, I hope you like it. If you want to reach me use the contact form or try talk-to-jacknow-at-gmail-dotcom You can also find more information by clicking About Me and reading my profile there. Also, I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter using the form on the top right hand side of the page.
      Josh says:

      Hi Kaarina,

      It is indeed stacked next to a pig’s butt and it definitely didn’t work, at least not with me.

      Reply

  2. My husband is a scotch drinker so I turned the screen to him and he wasn’t interested, either.

    The psychology of marketing is one long studied I suppose. All I know is it has to grab me in just the right way. If I’m looking for a liquor I might have a different outlook that if I’m looking for pantyhose. Ooops, they don’t make pantyhose anymore – and it was a strange day when I walked into Bloomingdales and the entire department had simply disappeared while I was off having babies. So sometimes the name doesn’t even matter 🙂

    Reply
    1. TheJackB – Someone complained that this page doesn’t tell you what to expect to find here in this blog so I aim to rectify this with the next line. I am a father who writes about life, parenting, business, politics and fiction. I don’t use an editorial calendar because I don’t map out what I am going to write that far in advance. The primary focus will be on things that relate to children and parenting. But the nifty thing about that is that encompasses a wide range of things. Sometimes I work with companies on their PR/Marketing efforts. If they provide products or services I will disclose it. Here is an incomplete list of companies that I am currently or have recently worked with: Nintendo, Philips Norelco, Subway, Frigidaire and Mattel. Want to know more about me, keep reading. If I wanted to provide a professional description it would looks similar to this: Jack has a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from California State University Northridge. He has been writing for print and web publications for more than twenty years, covering a wide range of topics including: business, technology, parenting, politics, education, sports and religion. That is far too serious so I prefer to use something like: The Jack B. is a writer and author of 39 unpublished books and three screenplays. A former athlete and would be superhero he still fights for truth, justice and the American Way. Though he may look like a grown man, don’t fool yourself he is still a boy at heart. When he is not engaged in Walter Mitty like fantasies he is a husband, father and friend and blogs at TheJackB. Hmm…obviously I have since moved from Random Thoughts over to this place, but that is ok. This page is a work in progress which is a good description for me. I’ll probably tweak this on a regular basis so feel free to keep checking back in because you never know what might show up. I am a prolific writer and update frequently so don’t forget to scroll down the page to see what nugget of wisdom you just might have missed. Here is a short selection of posts to get you started. A Father Describes Parenting A Father’s Burden How Sister’s Helped to Train A Father of “Daddy’s Girl” Inside the Blogger’s Studio- A Dream, Er Nightmare The GermoPhobe What I Dream About I am In Love Becoming a Dad Dad’s Most Important Job A Decade of Dad Grandpa Donuts Why Your Post Sucks and Everyone Hates Your Blog A Letter To My Children- Things That Matter A Letter To My Children-2011 Dad Balances Fear Versus Reality Q&A With Daddy Blogger JackB Save The Last Dance For Me- 75 Years of Marriage An Uncertain Certainty Four Generations & A Wedding The Best Thing My Father Ever Said To Me 1 Foolproof Way To Become a Better Writer The Story Of A House- The Final Days He Died A Hero Twenty-Five Links That Will Make You A Better Writer/Blogger Thanks for coming by, I hope you like it. If you want to reach me use the contact form or try talk-to-jacknow-at-gmail-dotcom You can also find more information by clicking About Me and reading my profile there. Also, I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter using the form on the top right hand side of the page.
      Josh says:

      They don’t make pantyhose anymore? Hell, I had no clue. Good thing I am not interested in robbing banks.

      I do find some of the psychology behind it all to be interesting and not just because of a professional interest either.

      Names, packaging, logos– there is a lot involved here.

      Reply

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