http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/candlepwr/?utm_source=rss Ad and marketing creatives Copyright 2012, Thinkmap Inc. All Rights Reserved. en Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:00:00 UTC http://www.visualthesaurus.com/images/common/logo_on_white.gif http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/candlepwr/?utm_source=rss Candlepower http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/candlepwr/3104?utm_source=rss Of all the orthographic garnishes to be found among American brands, the most popular by far is the umlaut, the double dot that's common in German, Turkish, Swedish, and Finnish — and nonexistent in English. We can't help wondering: What's üp with that? Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:00:00 UTC http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/candlepwr/3104 Candlepower http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/candlepwr/3055?utm_source=rss It's high season for X-of-the-year lists, especially words of the year. I'll leave it to my fellow language observers to decide whether volatility, occupy, squeezed middle, tergiversate, or some other word best sums up the year's prevailing mood. For my part, I'm focusing on a different corner of the linguaverse: brand names of the year. Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 UTC http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/candlepwr/3055 Candlepower http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/candlepwr/3036?utm_source=rss If untraditional grammar drives you around the bend, I suggest you steer clear of automobile ads this season. In particular, you'll want to take a detour to avoid Mercedes-Benz's tagline for the 2012 C-class coupe: "More power. More style. More technology. Less doors." And for your own safety, please pull over to the shoulder if you chance upon an ad for the 2012 Honda Civic that proclaims "To each their own." You don't want to risk the road rage. Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:00:00 UTC http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/candlepwr/3036 Candlepower http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/candlepwr/3012?utm_source=rss In September, Domino's Pizza -- the second-largest pizza chain in the United States, with annual revenue approaching $1.5 billion -- introduced "Artisan Pizzas" to its 5,000 stores nationwide. Are you picturing skilled workers up to their elbows in whole-grain flour and locally sourced tomatoes, lovingly patting each pie into a charmingly irregular shape? Well, forget about it. Wed, 26 Oct 2011 04:00:00 UTC http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/candlepwr/3012 Candlepower http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/candlepwr/3007?utm_source=rss "Lets Go!!" That's what appeared on the recently unveiled Old Navy SuperFan Nation college-football T-shirts. Yes, the second exclamation point is wholly unnecessary, but it's the missing apostrophe that really chaps my hide. And not just mine! Wed, 19 Oct 2011 04:00:00 UTC http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/candlepwr/3007 Candlepower http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/candlepwr/2991?utm_source=rss If you want to stir up interest in your blog post or online article, start a discussion about "corporate jargon we all hate" or "buzzwords to be banished." Your readers will oblige with a flood of submissions: "best practices," "value proposition," "change agent," "metrics," and so on. Eventually, and inevitably, someone will offer up a verb phrase that, to innocent ears, sounds like ordinary English: reach out. And the yelps of outraged affirmation will commence. Tue, 04 Oct 2011 04:00:00 UTC http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/candlepwr/2991 Candlepower http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/candlepwr/2953?utm_source=rss What's for dinner tonight? How about Cheez-It crackers topped with Cheez Whiz, followed by a salad of Imitation Krab and Vegetable Skallops sprinkled with Bac'n Bites? For your main course, we have a tempting selection of Chik'n Cutlets, Chick'n Scallopini, Turk'y, Stakelets, and Wyngz. And be sure to leave room for dessert: we're serving Kandy Kakes and Froots smoothies! Thu, 25 Aug 2011 04:00:00 UTC http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/candlepwr/2953 Candlepower http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/candlepwr/2941?utm_source=rss Earlier this week, we featured an excerpt from Microstyle: The Art of Writing Little by Christopher Johnson, a branding expert who runs the website The Name Inspector. Here we continue Johnson's discussion of how "the crowded space of names might create a need for more complex ways to create names." Thu, 11 Aug 2011 04:00:00 UTC http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/candlepwr/2941 Candlepower http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/candlepwr/2938?utm_source=rss Christopher Johnson, a branding expert who runs the website The Name Inspector, has a new book out called Microstyle: The Art of Writing Little about how contemporary message-makers need to become "verbal miniaturists." In this excerpt, Johnson explains how "neologisms can be among the most powerful of micromessages." Tue, 09 Aug 2011 04:00:00 UTC http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/candlepwr/2938 Candlepower http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/candlepwr/2917?utm_source=rss Here's a little quiz to test your knowledge of color names. Can you identify where on the spectrum these colors — all of them well documented, some of them brand-specific — are located? 1. Inch Worm, 2. Dead Spaniard, 3. Isabella, 4. I'm Not Really a Waitress, 5. Synergy. Mon, 18 Jul 2011 04:00:00 UTC http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/candlepwr/2917