Epic Fails and Unintended Meanings: Domain Names Gone Wild
In the quirky world of the English language, we sometimes string words together that form unexpected meanings, especially when it comes to domain names. Imagine the surprise when what was meant to be a simple, catchy web address takes on a whole new, unintended interpretation.
When it comes to naming a business and choosing a domain name, one would think that you could avoid unfortunate naming conventions by spending a few extra minutes to think through the brand touch points for the business. But, not surprisingly, there are a number of businesses and domain names that don’t really mean what was intended. In some cases though, people use word-play to their advantage.
Let’s dig deeper into a few of these epic fail URLS:
PenIsland – penisland.net
Imagine owning the domain name penisland.net? So many possibilities. Unfortunately, in the most vanilla way possible, Pen Island…just sells pens. But, can you imagine what Penis Land would look like if it was a real place? What would you (and could you) do with it?
Doubtlessly, if you owned penisland.net, you could create quite the... experience.
GoTahoe – gotahoe.com
Sometimes a person just needs a break to escape into nature and, when that’s the case, there’s no better place to go than Tahoe. In the typical fashion for many tourist destinations, “go <PLACE>.com” has become the norm for domains.
But, in the case of Tahoe, it doesn’t read as well as one would hope – or would they? Got A Hoe sure has a nice ring to it – especially if you’re a Ludacris fan.
Who needs to stand on a street corner, when you own the domain gotahoe.com.
MasterBaitAndTackle – masterbaitandtackle.com
And then there’s Master Bait And Tackle. The actual business is a bit of a letdown, only selling fishing charters. And, with their missed opportunity, there’s so much more that they could do.
If they were smart, they would partner with Penis Land to improve the experience.
WintersExpress – wintersexpress.com
Finally, there’s WintersExpress. The business is actually a newspaper publisher for the tiny town of Winters, California. Less than 10,000 people live in Winters, but they could attract a lot more tourists if they played their cards right.
What does Winter Sex Press mean? Is it some sort of tantric push-up competition? An awkward way to print newspapers? Who knows... but clearly they could have picked a better name. 😀
The lesson here? There isn’t really one.
When it comes to naming your business or selecting a domain name, it’s worth taking the time to consider all possible interpretations.
Go forth and domain responsibly, everyone.
