# Unfortunate/worst branding ever? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 18, 2008, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-worst-branding-ever/473383 "2008-11-18T23:27:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-worst-branding-ever/473383/1 "2008-11-18T23:27:19Z")
What are your favourite ill-conceived ad slogans, brand names, logos, etc? [This](http://tbn0.google.com/hosted/images/c?q=5aea351291dbf440_large)wasn’t ill-conceived to begin with but because of later events it never became the most marketable of brands. This company existed in Dublin until the 1960s. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-worst-branding-ever/473383/2 "2008-11-18T23:30:37Z")
[http://www.batterychargerpowergen.it/indexinglese.html](http://www.batterychargerpowergen.it/indexinglese.html) Check the logo on the left-hand side. I believe this is genuine (although unaffiliated with the larger Powergen company [now E.ON]). ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-worst-branding-ever/473383/3 "2008-11-18T23:36:59Z")
[Ayds](http://www.spscriptorium.com/Season6/ayds.jpg) Not really ill conceived but unfortunate. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-worst-branding-ever/473383/4 "2008-11-18T23:39:08Z")
> [@Crusoe](#): > > [batterychargerpowergen.it](http://www.batterychargerpowergen.it/indexinglese.html) > > Check the logo on the left-hand side. I believe this is genuine (although unaffiliated with the larger Powergen company [now E.ON]). I’d love to have a tee shirt with that logo! Subtle. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-worst-branding-ever/473383/5 "2008-11-18T23:40:01Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > [Ayds](http://www.spscriptorium.com/Season6/ayds.jpg) > > Not really ill conceived but unfortunate. Exactly what I came in to mention. [The commercial](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfOQ3O4kD3I) is either horrifying or hilarious, depending on your perspective. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-worst-branding-ever/473383/6 "2008-11-19T00:02:27Z")
Enron was formerly named Enteron. They changed/shortened the name when someone pointed out that [enteron](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enteron) is a Greek word meaning “intestine,” although that seemed appropriate as it was primarily a natural gas distribution company at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Shawn1767](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shawn1767](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shawn1767)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-worst-branding-ever/473383/7 "2008-11-19T00:12:38Z")
Whenever my brother in law leaves to go to the bathroom he says “Now let’s see what Brown can do for me…” And when I first heard him say it, I had to admit that it was not the first time that I associated UPS’s slogan “What can brown do for you?” with crap. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-worst-branding-ever/473383/8 "2008-11-19T00:30:30Z")
> [@Crusoe](#): > > [batterychargerpowergen.it](http://www.batterychargerpowergen.it/indexinglese.html) > > Check the logo on the left-hand side. I believe this is genuine (although unaffiliated with the larger Powergen company [now E.ON]). OK, I must be dense today. What is wrong with that logo? ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-worst-branding-ever/473383/9 "2008-11-19T00:34:07Z")
> [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](#): > > OK, I must be dense today. What is wrong with that logo? Don’t split the words where intended. Keep it as two words, but the first isn’t ‘Powergen’… If you still can’t figure it out… Power Genitalia ---
**Author:** ![twit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twit)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-worst-branding-ever/473383/10 "2008-11-19T00:35:01Z")
> [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](#): > > OK, I must be dense today. What is wrong with that logo? Kinda looks like the AT&T logo. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-worst-branding-ever/473383/11 "2008-11-19T00:41:56Z")
There’s some cat litter company that boasts that its litter odor suppression is so good, your cat won’t be able to find the litter box. They have a commercial where a cat enlists the aid of a bloodhound to help him find the litter box. I don’t think they stopped to think about whether that’s a good thing. A cat that can’t find his litter box will likely have no choice but to shit on the floor somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-worst-branding-ever/473383/12 "2008-11-19T01:29:50Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > What are your favourite ill-conceived ad slogans, brand names, logos, etc? > > [This](http://tbn0.google.com/hosted/images/c?q=5aea351291dbf440_large)wasn’t ill-conceived to begin with but because of later events it never became the most marketable of brands. This company existed in Dublin until the 1960s. Heeheeheeheehee — “Ballsbridge” ---- heeheehee:D ---
**Author:** ![superwombat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superwombat/32/16616_2.png) [@superwombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/superwombat)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-worst-branding-ever/473383/13 "2008-11-19T01:33:27Z")
Ford - Powered By You because you’re pushing it to the shop… ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-worst-branding-ever/473383/14 "2008-11-19T01:39:47Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > Heeheeheeheehee — “Ballsbridge” ---- heeheehee:D Someone more infantile than me? The SDMB always impresses! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-worst-branding-ever/473383/15 "2008-11-19T01:40:53Z")
[Sambo’s](http://www.cnn.com/US/9801/28/sambo.revival/) Wasn’t a great idea to start with, but trying to revive it was even worse. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-worst-branding-ever/473383/16 "2008-11-19T01:53:35Z")
Not a branding, but a slogan: for some years U-Haul was using “Adventures in Moving.” I always thought that was a bad choice. I’ve moved thirty times in my life, and the last thing I want is for it to be an adventure. More recently they’ve been using “Moving Made Easy”. That’s the ticket. Unrealistic, but a lovely idea. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-worst-branding-ever/473383/17 "2008-11-19T01:54:43Z")
[Some really unfortunate logos.](http://www.oddee.com/item_86090.aspx) ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-worst-branding-ever/473383/18 "2008-11-19T04:34:24Z")
What about when Ben & Jerry’s brought out their Black and Tan ice cream for St. Patrick’s Day. Not only is it a delightful drink that is associated with Ireland, but also the nickname of the Royal Irish Constabulary Reserve Force who terrorized many Irish civilians during the 1920’s. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-worst-branding-ever/473383/19 "2008-11-19T05:05:49Z")
Another vote for Ayds diet candies. I remember the TV commercials from 1979 in the UK. I have a photo of an outdoor ad for a food called a “faggot”. It’s evidently some kind of meatball. The company was “Brains”. In big letters it says: “It takes Brains to make faggots so full of pork!” ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-worst-branding-ever/473383/20 "2008-11-19T05:17:04Z")
> [@Crusoe](#): > > [batterychargerpowergen.it](http://www.batterychargerpowergen.it/indexinglese.html) > > Check the logo on the left-hand side. I believe this is genuine (although unaffiliated with the larger Powergen company [now E.ON]). It’s genuine. You can go onto the Internet Wayback Machine and find archived copies of the site back when it was called [powergenitalia.com](http://powergenitalia.com). And, according to the archived copies, it was selling battery chargers, etc back in 2004. They eventually changed their name and [powergenitalia.com](http://powergenitalia.com) now says “Under construction” but looking up the domain’s owner shows it’s still the same company. The “myth” is that the UK Powergen company was too dumb to realize they shouldn’t name their Italian division website [powergenitalia.com](http://powergenitalia.com). They didn’t – some other (legitimate) people did. I only know this because a similar topic came up on another forum I visit recently. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-worst-branding-ever/473383.md?page=2)