How many times have you wandered through your local shopping mall, noticed some of the crazy store names, and wondered where they came from, if they had any real meaning or if there was an interesting story behind their origins?
I’m certain the same thing has happened when it comes to products, city and state location, landmarks and a number of other things we so often take for granted.
Well, we’re going to start researching all of the areas and see if we can find some interesting facts to share with you from time to time.
Let’s start with some easily recognizable names which we’re all familiar with!
- 7-Eleven is an 83-year-old international convenience store chain with 32,000 stores in 18 countries. Originally known as Southland Ice Company, it was renamed U-Tote’m and finally 7-Eleven to reflect its newly extended hours, 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. Today, of course, it’s open 24/7. Think 7-Eleven will change its name again?
- Adidas is an 85-year-old German-based sports apparel manufacturer including Reebok sportswear, TaylorMade-adidas Golf company, and Rockport shoes. The Adidas name evolved from the founder’s name: Adolf (Adi) Dassler.
- Caterpillar is an 84-year-old U.S.-based corporation known as “the world’s largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, and industrial gas turbines” commonly referred to simply as CAT. Originally, Holt Tractor Co. merged with Best Tractor Co. in 1925. A company photographer exclaimed aloud that the tracks’ movement of its product resembled a caterpillar moving along the ground. The name stuck.
- Pepsi is the 119-year-old soft drink which includes many Pepsi varieties, Dr. Pepper, Lay’s products and Gatorade. Originally known as “Brad’s Drink,” the company changed its name to Pepsi after the digestive enzyme “pepsin.”
- Skype is a 6-year-old software application that allows users to make voice calls over the Internet. The original concept for the name was Sky-Peer-to-Peer, which morphed into Skyper, then Skype.
About Harry K. Jones
Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.