Strange Name of the Week

Most of the time, mid-price comfort brand Naturalizer sticks to predictable, even insipid, naming conventions: Christa, Bella, Enya, Kelsey. So what got into the coffee the day they decided to name this shoe style "Weirda"?

I'm trying to imagine the sales pitch:

"It's from Old English wyrd, meaning fate or destiny, and, you know, you're just destined to buy them."

"It's the feminine form of Weirdo, and that's so uncool it's cool."

"It's We plus da, with ir in the middle, which is the Spanish verb to go."

Uh-huh.

Read more about shoe names.

Comments

[Rhea]

Very, very odd. I also think Naturalizer appeals to an older audience (is that right?), so a strange name would likely be more off-putting to them than to a younger crowd.

[Nancy Friedman]

Rhea--Yes, Naturalizer positions itself to women 35+ who appreciate comfort and value over whimsy and fashion. The brand has reached out to younger, more stylish women with its Signature line, using language like "sexy," "sophisticated," and "chic" to promote it. But as of today every single style in the Signature line was marked down, in same instances from $95 to $29.99. I'm guessing the strategy isn't performing up to expectations.

[Elaine Swift]

Comfort and value over fashion? In a shoe? Surely not! Speaking of strange product names,Ikea seems to have a policy of the stranger the better. Since it took over Habitat their products have gone the same way. They must have SUCH fun in the marketing department.
Companies seem to forget sometimes that words mean different things in different countries with often hilarious results. Can be catastrophic for the product though of course.
And I once heard about the CEO of a Japanese company who insisted a new camera should be named after his dog. Although I would love that to be true, I can't be sure!