"Old" New NASD name is a "no go."
The National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. recently fomalized the merger of its regulatory arm with that of the NYSE and changed its name to "FINRA." The original proposed name of the combined securities regulatory authority was to be "SIRA". The original choice could apparently be construed as offensive to Muslims. It seems that noone considered this when the name was first concocted.
It got me to thinking about other ill-fated names over the years. (Warning: this is going to go a little off-topic). In the securities industry, my former employer Prudential Securities, then-known as Prudential-Bache Securities, came out with a mutual fund whose stock symbol was PBARF. Ick.
Chevrolet, every now and again, resurrects the "Nova" nameplate. Unfortunately, for Spanish-speaking customers, Nova could be pronounced "No va" meaning that it "doesn't go."
Let's not forget "With a name like Smucker's it has to be good!" I still repeat the Saturday Night Live spoof "With a name like Painful Rectal Itch, it's got to be good" with a smile on my face.
And then there's Coca-Cola. Remember "Coke adds life"? Well, as I recall, there were news stories that translating that advertising slogan into certain Chinese dialects resulted in the literal translation of "Coke brings back your ancestors from the dead." Now, doesn't that sound thirst-quenching?
What does that have to do with The Law Planet? Very little other than to say that it is important to anticipate the unintended consequences of your actions -- and get a good translator.
That's the view from The Law Planet, Jupiter, Florida.
