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1 language as argumentWilliam Lozito, “On the menu: Offering the complete restaurant experience,” from BrandChannel.com , Sept. 2004. Interbrand Corporation. “The restaurant emotional brand experience starts creating a bond from the minute the patron sees an ad, a name, a logo, and doesn’t end until the music, lights, and aroma are only a recent memory. Every touch point in between is an opportunity to differentiate and to reinforce the brand promise.” A business advice article that argues that restaurant owners should pay more attention to the non-food features of customers’ experience, and that language plays a large role in the total package of what a restaurant sells. William Lozito is a name development specialist and has worked with large corporations in the food industry.
For Response1. Who is the audience for Lozito’s article? Would you be surprised to find this article in your local daily newspaper? Why or why not? 2. Lozito discusses the “emotional benefits” that restaurant owners should strive for in establishing their brand. Do you have a favorite (or despised) “brand name” restaurant? What are the emotional benefits (or deficits) that you notice for yourself when you go to or think about this restaurant? 3. What role does language play in your opinions of restaurants? Do you notice the names of menu items or the words on the signs? If so, how are you influenced by the names or signs? If not, to what extent do you think you might be influenced unconsciously? Why? Write an essay that addresses these questions; choose two local restaurants to use as evidence for your ideas. Timothy Noah, “Why you can’t call them ‘the Christian right,’” from Slate. Nov. 8, 2004. “It turns out that the Christian right has been renaming itself with a frequency that would make Jesse Jackson blush.” An article that explores a particular type of terministic screen—names used to refer to specific population groups—and the ways that news media select which terms to use. In this case, ‘‘the Christian right’’ is pushing for a name change. Author Timothy Noah writes the “Chatterbox” column for Slate and is a contributing editor for the Washington Monthly.
For Response1. At a few points, author Timothy Noah comments on his process of information gathering for the article; for instance, his difficulties in getting through to ABC's Peter Jennings and noting that he was in a doctor’s office with a bad cell phone connection when he and Jennings finally talked. Why might Noah have felt that this information was important for readers to know? Do you agree that the information added important content to the article? Why or why not? 2. Are you a member of any group (ethnic, national, religious, political, age- or gender-based, community, etc.) whose name has been a subject of controversy or debate? How have you responded to hearing or reading a name that is different from the name that you and your fellow members use? Discuss your experiences with one or two classmates. 3. Select a group mentioned in Noah’s article or another group known by more than one name. Use Google, LexisNexis, or another search engine to find out which name is used more often, by whom, in what types of sources, and/or whether there is noticeable change over time. Write an essay describing the research and your findings. |
