A well known publication ran a true/false quiz on the name brands below. We decided that the 50/50 odds were too easy so we changed it to multiple choice –just like my history teacher in high school used to do.
So go ahead and test your marketing history knowledge.
The answers are posted in the first comment.
1. What inspired the name Starbucks?
A. a character from Moby Dick
B. the idea that “shooting for the stars” would bring success
C. a line uttered in a Star Wars Movie
D. a village in Columbia where Juan Valdez was born
2. Who or what was Chunky Monkey named after?
A. a character from a comic strip
B. a mashed food concoction made during summer camp by mischievous kids
C. Jerry’s favorite animal at the zoo, the gorilla
D. Ben’s nickname in grammar school
3. The word Pez comes from
A. a street in Hungary where the product was first made
B. the initials of the creator of the product
C. the German word for peppermint
D. anacronym for the Party of European Socialists
4. Laughing Cow cheese brand was inspired by
A. an emblem of a red grinning cow seen on French trucks during WW I
B. a circus sideshow poster
C. a Polish expression for a pregnant cow
D. Nothing. It was completely made up.
5. Aunt Jemima was
A. a real person, former slave Nancy Green, who used ground wheat to make flat cakes enjoyed by one the principals of the company as a child
B. a made up person inspired by the song “Old Aunt Jemima” of the 1890’s
C. a made up name for a real person, a relative of Chris Rutt, one of the first promoters. He put her in blackface.
D. Uncle Jim after the operation
6. Which statement about Gatorade is totally true?
A. it was created by doctors trying to keep Univ. of Florida football “Gators” hydrated during games and has been scientifically proven to work
B. originally created by the Univ. of Florida team trainer but enhanced by school doctors who added electrolytes (among other ingredients) to the concoction
C. it was originally made from fresh oranges, spring water and salt
D. a non-profit organization which finds loving homes for orphaned alligators
7. Pop Tarts are named after
A. Pin-up girls of the 1950’s
B. Pop Art of the 1960’s
C. the tart apples used in the original flavor of the toasted pastries
D. practitioners of the two oldest professions, strumpets and farmers
8. Quaker Oats was
A. founded by a member of the Quakers, a religious group from Pennsylvania
B. named after Cornelius Quake, the “Oatmeal King” of Akron, Ohio
C. named to conjure thoughts of honesty & integrity associated with the Quakers
D. named by Craig Newmark in honor of San Francisco
9. Land o’Lakes butter was
A. named after Minnesota, the “Land of Lakes” where the company is based
B. the winning entry in a contest run by the company
C. so successful a brand name that the company changed its name to it
D. only A&C are true
E. All are true
F. None are true (didn’t you hate this kind of question?)
10. Snickers candy bar was named after
A. Ethel Mars, the wife of co-founder Fred Mars, who had a penchant for snickering when she laughed
B. Ethel & Fred Mars’ favorite horse
C. Ethel & Fred’s family cat
D. the reaction Fred got from his partners when he suggested “Nutz Bar”
