From Acentino to Villa Gusto. Italian-Sounding Brand Names in the German Food Industry.

The focus of this article is on me-too brand names under which German companies sell Italian food products. To benefit from the COO effect, these brands must maintain a distinct Italian image to which the brand name makes a particularly important contribution. Names that include Italian language material are perceived as most authentic. For naming experts this means that they can only make use of Italian elements that are considered as typically Italian in Germany. This balancing act between authenticity and the actually existing knowledge of Italian among Germans who do not have any specific knowledge of the language leads to a rather limited repertoire of formation elements and patterns for the invention of new brand names.