HUNGARY VAGY MAGYARORSZÁG? AZ ORSZÁGNEVEK JELENTŐSÉGE MÁRKÁZÁSI SZEMPONTBÓL

Abstract

“What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet,” writes Shakespeare.
But he is wrong: a rose by any other name would not be as fragrant.
Marketers (and, in many cases, consumers) are well aware of this from the world of branded
products: a cleverly chosen brand name can significantly increase the value of a lesser quality product, while
a poor brand name may hinder the sales of a quality product.
It might be strange, but this analogy is also valid for countries. In many cases, we judge a country or
nation by its name if we do not know anything about it. Therefore it is an important dilemma to decide
which name Hungary shall use in each country. The adjective “hun” of the country name “Hungary” refers
to Huns and their ruler, Attila. This can be imply that Hungary is a strong nation, but Huns were considered
barbarians who ravaged Europe, therefore their presumed successors may also be regarded as barbarians. Is
it possible that the name Magyarország (or its combination with the name Hungary) should be used in
certain cases? The article attempts to resolve this dilemma and make suggestions, while also discussing
other countries (and their names). The main purpose of including so many brand name and country name
examples is to provide a practical analysis, and the style and genre of the study can be classified as
”edutainment” – trusting that it will further increase interest in the topic and induce empirical research.