I just totally ACED this quiz:


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Lunchtime Quiz: Elton vs Billy Score: 100% (18 out of 18)

Wow... Some people!

I just got onto the Green line at an above ground stop, so everyone had to pay on our way in. I was waiting in the doorway to step completely into the train as the woman 3 or 4 ahead of me plunked her nickels and dimes into the fare box.... when the doors started to close on me.

Fortunately, when I pushed back, they bounced back to open, but continued to close on me repeatedly.

I loudly asked the two people ahead of me "Please step into the train and wait to pay inside, I'm being attacked by these doors!".

The person closest to the front of the line looked back at me and moved in. The operator, seeing what was happening, told everyone to just go and forget about the fare. The 2 guys immediately ahead of me, though, ignored me and the operator and stood firm.

One more time (in between slams by the doors), I shouted almost directly into one of their ears, "hey! Move in!"

Again, they ignored me, as one stepped up to the fare box to pay the fare he was already told he didn't have to pay, and the other continued to stand on the step, blocking my way.

Finally, I just crossed my arms in front of me and shoved him aside and stepped into the train.

Why couldn't he gave just stepped aside? What a jerk!

I watched a TV commercial earlier tonight that used the phrase "MasterCard card," and thought it sounded a bit awkward. I know how carefully advertising is scripted, but still considered the possibility that it was a mistake.

Just now, I was going through the mail, and saw a promotional piece from a department store that offered additional discounts when you "use your MasterCard® card."

I had never noticed this phrase in use before today, but figured that if it appeared in both ads, it was probably the preferred branding language.

Sure enough, according to the MasterCard Brand Center...

In general, the MasterCard, MasterCard Electronic, Maestro, and Cirrus brand names should be used as adjectives, as in, "Your MasterCard card". At a minimum, the brand names must be used as adjectives in their first or most prominent mention subsequent to any use in the title, headline, signature, or cover page of a communication.

I never would have guessed. I would have thought that one of the key benefits of a brand name like MasterCard is that it includes the noun, so it can be used independently of one. Maybe there are more opportunities to use it as an adjective, though, and there's some established theory that brands are more powerful when they're consistently one part of speech.

Still, I think the phrase "MasterCard card" sounds silly. Nobody says "Coca-Cola cola," do they?

I can't think of any other brand names which include the generic product noun in them... but I'm sure there are others. Can you think of any? Do they repeat the noun?

Update: I just saw one of the Priceless commercials ("For everything else, there's MasterCard"), and as it turns out, they used the phrase "When you use your MasterCard." So much for consistency!