Meaning of the name Burgman

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Thu Apr 3, 2008 10:07 am
david chapman wrote:
I too couldn't find an email address to Suzuki in Japan so I sent my email to the CEO of Marketing European operations of Suzuki the question Where does the name Burgman come from and if he didn't know would he ask in Japan on my behalf.

I gave my email address and my telephone number and at 12 midday they rang me. It was the CEOs office of marketing and she told me the following. The name Skywave had been registered in Japan and the US but they had received objections to using the name in Europe as another manufacturer had already registered the name.

They had little time to research an alternative as the bike was about to be launched so they commissioned a German Marketing Agency to develop a name that gave a feeling or subliminal connection to Aristocracy or people of achievement without it being the top ie King or Monarch but somewhere below. They received names relating to Bergers, Burgerman, and buildings that were constructed on high levels and they all fell into a closer feeling for the name they would use. Although they're is no real Burgman name as it was a bastard type combination without any real accurate association they felt the name Burgman was a good name and gave the bike an name of an aristocratic link as they interpreted it so it would be felt it was a bike to be looked up to or a bike that was elevated above others. They felt that Burg could be higher and the addition of man was a good enough link.

So who was close enough....Konrad without a doubt was way ahead with almost 100% interpretation with Richard and Duane a very close second. Well done guys. Your top of the class. So. What do we talk about next..
David

"Burgman" is nearly a dead ringer for marketing research done in Europe. Listen to it. It says "I got together 25 people from our Europe group and came up with this City (Burg) Person (Man) like a Walkman (oh gawd). And where did the first Burgmans show up, but Europe!

As if the corporate office had to approve of the final name, Burgman does what so many Japanese products do and that is to remind us that the
product is still Japanese, no matter how many of these foreign corporations attach "America" to their domestic U.S. warehouse names.

Woher kommt eigentlich der Name: "Burgman"

Hi folks !

As a member of the german AN650-forum I can tell you: we were discussing the same question a while ago.

We found the following answer:

The first part of the name >Burg< means a building from the middleage, 1300 - 1600 a.d. A >Burg< ist a old castle, mostly standing on the top of hills. You will find still some, when you travel along the german rivers Mosel or Rhein.
The second part is like the german >Mann< which means in english man.

So the name ist addicted to a man, who lives in a castle.

I hope you can understand my english and I made only a few mistakes.

Greetings from Germany

According to my "Cassell's German Dictionary" a "bergmann" (notice the two n's) is a miner or mountain dweller from the root word "berg" meaning mountain or hill.

A "burg" is a castle, citadel, stronghold or fortress. There is no listing of "burgman" or "burgmann". The closest is "burggraf" meaning a feudal lord or baron.

Looking in the English half: a city or town is "die Stadt" and a village is "das Dorf" or "die Ortschaft".

The word Burgman in Deutschland ( Germany) has a few meanings i'm told.

1. Urban Man
2. Mayor
3. Man of the town
4. The Man in town..Person of importance

Is there a conspiracy to give our scoots preposterous names?

How can you get any respect from somebody riding a Night Hawk or a Ninja if you're riding a Majesty or a Skywave or a "Male Town-Person"?

Oh wait. My other bike's a Flying Brick.