Picking a memorable”high concept” name in business can cement a product’s brand name in customers’ minds. In India, a men’s clothing store has chosen a name that people won’t forget: “Hitler” clothing. And Jewish groups are not pleased:
A men’s clothing store in India is being asked to change its name after the chosen ‘Hitler’ unsurprisingly upset the local community.
Proprietor Rajesh Shah claims he was unaware that the name may cause offence as it derives from a nickname given to his business partner’s grandfather.
The ‘Hitler’-store has provoked outrage among residents and the small Jewish community in Achmedabad in the Gujarat province.
Mr Shah says no harm was intended when they named the shop.
‘Frankly, until the time we applied for the trademark permission, I had only heard that Hitler was a strict man, he told the Times of India. ‘It was only recently that we read about Hitler on the internet.’
This suggests he might have a bit of catch-up reading to do. MORE:
He says Hitler was a nickname given to his business partner Manish Chandani’s grandfather due to the man’s strict nature and has nothing to do with the German dictator.
But local Jews disagree and say the owners knew exactly what the name meant
.
And, the Daily Mail’s article goes on, it turns out a change may indeed occur:
After a visit by Jews from the local synagogue expressing their concern, Mr Shah has said he is willing to change the name but only if he is compensated as he and his business partner has run out of money.
Mr Shah claims all their funding of 40,000 rupee ( £454) had been spent on signs, business cards and advertising for ‘Hitler’ and that someone would have to pay for the re-branding of the clothes shop.
It sounds like it might be sorted out.
But if he keeps the name, he might be able to come up with some memorable advertising slogans such as:
*Hitler clothing: our clothes are a gas.
*Hitler clothing: specialist in sizes for very very VERY thin people.
*Hitler clothing: it’s the bomb.
Suggested logo: a little mustache on every clothing label.
To be sure, since most people know who Hitler really was, no matter what, sales could suffer.
But the business might be a huge hit if it markets to Neo-Nazis websites worldwide, using the Hitler clothing label.
Here’s a suggested slogan:
*Hitler clothing: Put a smile in your heil.
But the name Hitler on clothing isn’t the toughest sell.
The toughest sell would be a business called “Sandusky Childrens’ Overnight Camp.”
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.