After ZUS Coffee, US Pizza is next on the list in Malaysia's naming controversy. In an effort to distance itself from any association with the US, US Pizza clarified that the US means ‘Kita’ in Malay (Bahasa Malaysia). This is hilarious as US Pizza is clearly named after the country United States of America (USA) as its founder, Mr Donald Duncan is an American. It is also given that name because the recipe of the pizza originates from the USA. Hence, the name, US Pizza.
The story goes that Mr Donald worked in a pizza restaurant in Kansas for 5 years. After working for 5 years, he developed his own recipe of pizza dough and tomato sauce which he calls, ‘The Duncan Sauce’. He then came to Malaysia and opened the first outlet in Penang. In 2015, US Pizza was bought by fellow Malaysian investment banker, Jeremy Hiew after he got to know Mr Duncan Donald.
In an effort to avoid getting boycotted, US Pizza states in a social media post that it will rebrand itself to Kita Pizza if its post receives 10,000 likes and comments. In a further attempt to avoid being boycotted, US Pizza also states that it will donate RM1 from every receipt to a renowned Palestinian humanitarian organization. They also left a note that they do not pay royalties to the US.
Naming controversies are nothing new: you may remember back in 2021, the Timah whisky drew flake for its name as it would “confuse Muslims” or at least that was according to PAS Syura Ulamak Council member Datuk Mahfodz Mohamad. Or the annual Bon Odori festival in Malaysia which Perlis Mufti, Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin said should be renamed into “Japanese cultural or societal festival”. He said doing so would avoid any confusion about Bon Odori's traditional origin which contained elements of syirik (idolatry) and khurafat (superstition). Needless to say, he got blasted by netizens for it.
As you can see, naming controversies are nothing new. But the question I have in mind is dear readers, have we gone too far in our attempt to scrutinize every NAME we come across? And condemn them via boycotting if we do not agree with the name? Personally, here are my thoughts on the naming controversies:
1. Creativity and freedom of expression
Founders and business owners have a right to name the company whatever they choose and if SSM approves that name, then it is okay for the company to have that name. Plus, imposing restrictions on business/company names based on cultural and geopolitical conflict can stifle creativity and limit freedom of expression. Allowing businesses to choose their names freely encourages originality and innovation.
Creativity has always been a key driver of economic growth and competitiveness. If we take away a business's creativity in naming itself then we are hindering them from expressing their uniqueness. We should never forget that freedom of expression is a fundamental right, and this extends to the naming choices of businesses as a form of artistic expression.
2. Negative impact on the local economy
Boycotting companies such as ZUS Coffee and US Pizza on the basis of their name is just plain stupid. Imagine the number of workers that have to be laid off due to you boycotting them just because of their name. How are you going to confront the hundreds of workers who got laid off due to your name witch-hunt? Are you going to provide them with jobs? Give them money to feed their families?
Plus, Zus Coffee and US Pizza are both local companies; 100% Buatan Malaysia. Are we going to stop #supportlokal just because their names are a reference to a nation or a Greek God (allegedly)?
3. Focus on core business practices instead of its name
While a company's name is important, it is just one aspect of its identity. A name is just a name or as Shakespeare eloquently puts it, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” In essence, the name of a thing does not matter as much as the quality of the thing.
Instead of focusing on its name, we should focus on the company's core business practices, ethical standards and contributions to society. A comprehensive evaluation of a company's actions provides a more meaningful assessment than its name alone. Should we ignore the fact that US Pizza has grown from 3 workers to 800 within 7 years? Or that ZUS Coffee has created 1,800 jobs? Or that both of them have shown that Malaysian homegrown brands can compete with other overseas brands (e.g. Pizza Hut, Starbucks) on an international level? On account of their names?
As consumers, we must prioritize companies that actively contribute to positive social, economic, and environmental outcomes, recognizing that a name is just one element of a broader business identity.
It is also about time we must come together to recognize and stop the madness of our naming controversies.
Aaron Colt is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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