Steve Rivkin of the Naming Newsletter posted an short piece on why FedEx and UPS may be benefitting in China simply because of their names. Here’s an excerpt:
The name FedEx has a strong association in Mandarin Chinese with fei, which is flying – a desirable name hinting at speed. The U of UPS also has a good association: it sounds like yo in Mandarin Chinese, meaning excellent.
Fed Ex’s “flying†nuance effectively expresses excellence with a picture of quickness in delivering, according to Andy Chuang, president of Good Characters in Fresno, California.