I've removed myself from a lot of internet marketing lists over the last couple of months, mainly due to a lack of useful information and too many hype-filled emails promoting the "latest and greatest" products. As a result, I only received a couple of emails earlier this week about a product called Operation Money Pump.

I may have taken closer note if I'd still been on all those other lists - there's no easier way to spot a new product launch than by subscribing to lists from a number of well known marketers who all cross-promote one another's stuff.

But based on those couple of emails, I didn't even look twice. And you know why? I thought someone was just promoting something that's been around for quite a while - John Carlton's Operation Money Suck.

Now, I'm not saying that the Operation Money Pump people ripped off John Carlton's name but the bottom line is that I ignored the promotion, thinking it was Carlton's product.

Something to consider when naming your products. Playing on a well-known name may be tempting - after all, if it's successful for someone else, why mess with it, right? But it can backfire on you if that other product is so well known that yours could be mistaken for it.

Especially if it's as well known as John Carlton. A lot of your target market likely already owns the "original" and may gloss right over yours.

What about you? Did the name of Operation Money Pump catch your attention? Positively or negatively?

I'd like to hear from you in the comments.