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Buy.com is now Rakuten.com? Talk about choosing the wrong domain name to consolidate under!

binarymax 14y ago
Indeed. Having recently sat in an Executive style naming competition meeting, I can confirm the state of multinational corporate decisions involving brands and names is so intensely bureaucratic and complex that the rational behind the decision is far removed from common sense. I imagine the process involved dozens of executives and at least two outsourced firms, marketing managers, and brand evangelists. Charts were produced and powerpoints created, showing naming relevance and cultural sensitivities. SEO experts formulated brand uniqueness prospects for virality and search, self declared linguists gauged locality based pronunciation effectiveness. Translators estimated ease of use and consistencies globally. In the end its obvious to them that they made the correct decision.
- willis77 14y ago
  "We need to ditch this short, easily typed, prescriptive domain name into something that sounds like a combo move in Street Fighter."
  - minikomi 14y ago
    More like 'Rakuten means “positive spirit.” The name Rakuten Ichiba literally means a “market of positive spirit,” where shopping is entertainment. You see?'
hkmurakami 14y ago
Of course he made the right decision! The CEO is Harvard Business School educated, "fluent" in English [1], and has mandated that all company meetings shall be conducted in English (even in Japan) [2]. Out of touch you say? Nonsense!</sarcasm> [1] The reality is far from this, of course. [2]http://asiajin.com/blog/2010/05/21/english-please-rakuten-bans-japanese-as-corporate-language-from-internal-meetings/ http://asiajin.com/blog/2010/05/21/english-please-rakuten-ba...
- w1ntermute 14y ago
  I think part of the problem is that most 日本人 are 恥ずかしい about their 英語能力. So when someone isn't, they don't stop to think that it might simply be braggadocio.
  - minikomi 14y ago
    I love the way they list out each member's Educational history http://www.rakuten.com/ct/aboutus.aspx?omadtrack=campaignintro2RAK_mobile2#htab-5 http://www.rakuten.com/ct/aboutus.aspx?omadtrack=campaignint... A very strict translation with no adaptation or nuance for the market they're entering.

Indeed. Having recently sat in an Executive style naming competition meeting, I can confirm the state of multinational corporate decisions involving brands and names is so intensely bureaucratic and complex that the rational behind the decision is far removed from common sense. I imagine the process involved dozens of executives and at least two outsourced firms, marketing managers, and brand evangelists. Charts were produced and powerpoints created, showing naming relevance and cultural sensitivities. SEO experts formulated brand uniqueness prospects for virality and search, self declared linguists gauged locality based pronunciation effectiveness. Translators estimated ease of use and consistencies globally. In the end its obvious to them that they made the correct decision.

willis77 14y ago
"We need to ditch this short, easily typed, prescriptive domain name into something that sounds like a combo move in Street Fighter."
- minikomi 14y ago
  More like 'Rakuten means “positive spirit.” The name Rakuten Ichiba literally means a “market of positive spirit,” where shopping is entertainment. You see?'

hkmurakami 14y ago

Of course he made the right decision! The CEO is Harvard Business School educated, "fluent" in English [1], and has mandated that all company meetings shall be conducted in English (even in Japan) [2]. Out of touch you say? Nonsense!</sarcasm> [1] The reality is far from this, of course. [2]http://asiajin.com/blog/2010/05/21/english-please-rakuten-bans-japanese-as-corporate-language-from-internal-meetings/ http://asiajin.com/blog/2010/05/21/english-please-rakuten-ba...

w1ntermute 14y ago
I think part of the problem is that most 日本人 are 恥ずかしい about their 英語能力. So when someone isn't, they don't stop to think that it might simply be braggadocio.
- minikomi 14y ago
  I love the way they list out each member's Educational history http://www.rakuten.com/ct/aboutus.aspx?omadtrack=campaignintro2RAK_mobile2#htab-5 http://www.rakuten.com/ct/aboutus.aspx?omadtrack=campaignint... A very strict translation with no adaptation or nuance for the market they're entering.