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Anthony Shore

@operativewords.com

I name things. https://www.operativewords.com

1845 Posts197 Follower470 Folgt
alex roberts @lexlanham.bsky.social · 5mo ago

ready to roll out that new protein ice cream? yeah boss, good to go! & what are we calling it again? we’re going with SMEARCASE excuse me what now? that’s right, SMEARCASE! like, smear it on your case! that…can’t be… and the product category is FROCO! I give up

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Anthony Shore@operativewords.com · 6mo ago

Contrived pronunciations and spellings of brand names are annoying. Glad to have The New York Times ask me and esteemed colleagues @fritinancy.bsky.social and @lexlanham.bsky.social about them.

Nancy Friedman@fritinancy.bsky.social · 6mo ago

"If we’re meant to hear 'watermelon water,' why are we reading WTRMLN WTR?" @samcorbin.bsky.social quotes me and @operativewords.com in her new @nytimes.com piece, "The SYRN Call of Oddly Spelled Brand Names." Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/23/c...

Anthony Shore@operativewords.com · 8mo ago

As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect. He was laying on his hard, as it were armor-plated, back. His numerous legs, which were pitifully thin compared to the rest of his bulk, waved helplessly before his eyes.

A Cybertruck, overturned. Caption read: “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect. He was laying on his hard, as it were armor-plated, back. His numerous legs, which were pitifully thin compared to the rest of his bulk, waved helplessly before his eyes.”
Anthony Shore@operativewords.com · 2y ago

Announcement just now at SeaTac airport, calling out boarding group letters with joyful alternatives to the NATO alphabet: B as in “beautiful”, D as in “delightful”. Beautiful and delightful, indeed! Thanks, Alaska Airlines gate agent, for those little bits of joy! 🤩 #naming

Anthony Shore@operativewords.com · 2y ago

This, dear readers, is why you don’t name your company BeyondTrust. Firstly, including Trust in your name invites suspicion. If you want to be perceived as trustworthy, be trustworthy. Second, if you are “beyond trust”, you are past trust: untrusted and untrustworthy. #naming

WIRED@wired.com · 2y ago

Treasury says hackers accessed “certain unclassified documents” in a “major” breach, but experts believe the attack’s impacts could prove to be more significant as new details emerge.

Anthony Shore@operativewords.com · 2y ago

These bang-on and bonkers color names: Stygian blue, self-luminous red, hyperbolic orange. A masterclass in descriptive #naming! 🙌🏼

Mike Sowden@mikeachim.bsky.social · 2y ago

But here's one we should all be able to do: a) Stare unblinkingly at box on the left for a while... b) ...shift gaze to box to its right... c) ...and see either a colour that's blacker than total black, brighter than total white or oranger than totally orange. Absolutely barmy, 'tis. 2/

A chimerical colour test which tricks the eye into seeing so-called impossible colours: Stygian Blue (a hue blacker than total black), Self-Luminous Red (a shade that's brighter than total white) and Hyperbolic Orange (more than 100%-saturated orange).
David Schargel@schargel.com · 2y ago

As marketers, how do we create slogans that not only capture attention but also leave a lasting impression? Well...it depends...

Anthony Shore@operativewords.com · 2y ago

Do you want your slogan to be liked or remembered? You can only pick one. My latest blog post is about the findings of ingenious experiments, in which researchers uncovered how specific linguistic properties of slogans and taglines govern their ability to be remembered or liked. Read and enjoy!