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Comment by jfaucett | Hacker News Reader

Personally, I don't think "rakuten" is any wierder than Toyota or Nissan. It might take some time getting used to but rakuten is a name that has branding potential, what is "buy"? For a similar analogy, try imagining a company that sells computers calling itself computer. I think we'd all agree a rebranding would probably be in order.

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You are absolutely correct. I still have no idea what buy.com is because its generic. In general rebranding is a bad idea because once someone has a perception of the brand its hard to change their mind. Using a brandable term in this case will at least let them start over...but with all the traffic from buy.com

Personally, I don't think "rakuten" is any wierder than Toyota or Nissan.

Perhaps, but it's worth noting that Toyota and Nissan took something like 20-30 years of persistence to gain respect and success in the American marketplace.

what is "buy"?

noun a bargain: The couch was a real buy.

I think "buy.com" wasn't a particularly good name, but even without ever having any dealings with buy.com, I could guess that it was a discounter of some sort.

It's doubtful I'll remember the name "Rakuten" or the way its spelled.

Toyota and Nissan took so long because of anti-Japanese racism left over from the war, shortly followed by anti-Japanese racism over American insecurity about Japan's growing economic power. Since that stopped being a thing, there's been zero resistance to East Asian brands.

Anti-Asian racism is still pervasive in the US. Toyota and Nissan continue to succeed despite their names.

Just like Samsung, Honda, Hyundai, Sony, Mitsubishi, Hitachi.... It doesn't appear that Asian brands really suffer at all.

I find "Rakuten" to be memorable precisely because it can individuate itself and "be" a brand. "Buy" is overfamiliar to the point of being invisible.

I strongly disagree. Rakuten is foreign and strange to most customers, while Buy's commonality as a term brings with it a sense of trust and familiarity.

>Perhaps, but it's worth noting that Toyota and Nissan took something like 20-30 years of persistence to gain respect and success in the American marketplace.

I had a great uncle who used to get drunk rant about how (this is probably in the early 60s) "Teeyota" was the way of the future. Everybody laughed.

I second this, when you are ambitious to build a global brand this makes totally sense. A generic domain can be a liability, because it's almost impossible to make advertising for "buy". Isn't there Best Buy?

Brand strategy is very interesting and complicated, Quickster was a bold attempt to boost the streaming platform.

I totally agree. We sell jewelry on Buy.com (among other places), and I saw the CEO speak at a conference we were invited to. He's a pretty visionary guy and I wouldnt bet against him.

Rakuten is not weirder than "Amazon," either.

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