4 ms·
Personally, I don't think "rakuten" is any wierder than Toyota or Nissan. Perhaps, but it's worth noting that Toyota and Nissan took something like 20-30 years
by Lagged2Death 14y ago
Personally, I don't think "rakuten" is any wierder than Toyota or Nissan.
Perhaps, but it's worth noting that Toyota and Nissan took something like 20-30 years of persistence to gain respect and success in the American marketplace.
what is "buy"?
noun a bargain: The couch was a real buy.
I think "buy.com" wasn't a particularly good name, but even without ever having any dealings with buy.com, I could guess that it was a discounter of some sort.
It's doubtful I'll remember the name "Rakuten" or the way its spelled.
- glenstein 14y agoI find "Rakuten" to be memorable precisely because it can individuate itself and "be" a brand. "Buy" is overfamiliar to the point of being invisible.
- vor_ 14y agoI strongly disagree. Rakuten is foreign and strange to most customers, while Buy's commonality as a term brings with it a sense of trust and familiarity.
- philwelch 14y agoToyota and Nissan took so long because of anti-Japanese racism left over from the war, shortly followed by anti-Japanese racism over American insecurity about Japan's growing economic power. Since that stopped being a thing, there's been zero resistance to East Asian brands.
- w1ntermute 14y agoAnti-Asian racism is still pervasive in the US. Toyota and Nissan continue to succeed despite their names.
- philwelch 14y agoJust like Samsung, Honda, Hyundai, Sony, Mitsubishi, Hitachi.... It doesn't appear that Asian brands really suffer at all.
- slurry 14y ago>Perhaps, but it's worth noting that Toyota and Nissan took something like 20-30 years of persistence to gain respect and success in the American marketplace. I had a great uncle who used to get drunk rant about how (this is probably in the early 60s) "Teeyota" was the way of the future. Everybody laughed.