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November 13, 2009

Taiyaki Branding and Naming Makes Japan Happy

I often look to other countries for naming inspiration and today its Japan, where the horrible economy has brought back in vogue a traditional snack called Taiyaki.

Taiyaki means, wait for it, "baked sea bream." It's a fish shaped pancake that is filled with sweet bean jam and has been around for a hundred years. The name is pretty interesting in that I doubt many westerners would want to name a snack after a fish.

Then I recalled that one of my favorite snacks is Pepperidge Farm Goldfish which just got an award for their cue ten-spot series of commercials. This commercial series follows the adventures of "Gilbert" the Goldfish who gets separated from his pals, who decide to try and find him.

According to Wikipedia, in 1975-1976 a Japanese hit single entitled "Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun" ("Swim! Taiyaki") sung by Masato Shimon was also about a fish who slips away from his pals and is finally found by a fisherman who..uh..eats him.

The name is what does it: the word "Tai", which means sea bream, also is close to "happy". Sea Bream is a part of the carp family, which the Japanese have a deep reverence for.

The treat is sold at festivals and you can pick one up for as little as a hundred yen ($1.10). That ought to make anyone happy.

Technorati Tags: Taiyaki, Japanese street food, Japanese traditional snack, Pepperidge Farm Goldfish, Goldfish crackers

Posted by William Lozito at November 13, 2009 10:06 AM
Posted to Brand Naming | Branding | Food | Linguistics | Naming | Product Naming

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