DWR is only good for their sales. Otherwise they fucking SUCK SHIT and I hear they're actually in super trouble as they barely turn a profit. I only HEAR this. Something to do with their marketing lead being inept.

One thing they're not in left field on is frequency. I get up to 3 emails a week form these fucks. How much furniture does someone need?

FUCK EM

@KnottyCur: I completely agree... I unsubscribed about two years ago as it got to be too damned much work to skim-delete-repeat.

as for the original question.

Room and Board - they offer no fucking food
Aquascutum - They don't sell any shields made of water
Victoria's Secret - I thought it was pastels with highly contrasting shutters?

Yeah, DWR is seriously inaccurate unless you append other words, like "of People Who Aren't You".

My favorite branding mess-up, though, is that one German mp3 player that they named the "iBeat Blaxx". Oops.

Like Volkswagon (People's Car)?

My friend just posted a photo of a sign for FREE valet parking outside of a coop grocery store that's supposed to be uber-green. Oops.

@Two-Headed Boy: omg, the iBeatBlaxx is egregious! Any company that does branding should have a fact-checker who can research names internationally.

Along the same lines, I'd heard that the Chevy Nova was hugely unpopular amongst the Spanish-speaking population when it came out.

The United States House of Representatives

Crate and Barrel - sure, they have them on display, but they're not for sale!

Best Buy - You can get the same stuff from Amazon or Newegg for half the price, and those places won't lie to you about the product.

Target - Turns out they don't like it when you shoot at them.

Sam's Club - Yeah, like Sam Walton shops at bulk discount stores.

International House of Pancakes - Apparently serving waffles makes you international. Right.

US Robotics - They don't actually make anything with moving parts, except for cooling fans.

News Corp. - Uhhh...

Research In Motion - If by "research" you mean "twitter" then yes.

what about the opposite, co's with such obvious, yet informative names that they had to jazz it up a bit, or use an acronym.

Like DSW. Designer Shoe Warehouse and KFC, Kentucky Fried Chicken.

@centropede: Excellent additions to this thread! After reading through your first one, the House of Reps, I have to also add...

Social Security. (My mom used to call it "so-so security" because of her bad accent. So perfect.)

@Jesse: Yes, feel free to add those euphemism-by-monograms. I remember when Kentucky Fried Chicken became KFC to become "cooler." To that list I'll add BevMo.

Hey, what about names that aren't pronounced differently to lend them a knowing nuance to other people who like the same brand? I'm thinking of Target, which a lot of my friends call "tar-jay."

@Retro Joe & Lady Oracle: Exactly!

@Triangles: Actually the shift to KFC was to appeal to the health-conscious crowd, because "fried" wasn't exactly cutting it. It was around the same time they started introducing roasted-chicken products. Personally, I don't think the marketing ploy worked out so well, since I still feel like I'm covered from head-to-toe in grease the second I step through the door. But I suppose we have to give it a generation or two and see.

@soulcamp: Man, I had no idea about the health-oriented slant to the abbreviation! And here I thought they were trying to sound cooler say their brand in less time so they could save money on air. :)

Silicon Graphics Inc. - They haven't manufactured any graphics products for many years. The graphics cards in their computers use silicon from Nvidia or ATI.

But don't you feel better knowing that your jeans embrace the world as well as they embrace your toned ass?

"Toned ass" sound SOOOOOOOOOOOOO good.

@Triangles: Actually, wikipedia claims KFC is switching back to Kentucky Fried Chicken, in order to emphasize its southern roots. I guess I was right about the switch to KFC being a marketing failure.

I am actually a very fast poker, so sue me.

"Cummins P2400 Onan 2000 Watt Homesite Generator"

Sold and duly mocked today on woot.com