I was at the National Bridal Show in Toronto this weekend, helping a friend with her photo business (she’s really good; she shot my wedding last April). At the end of my row in the convention hall, there was a company calling themselves “i-Cakes,” complete with mega-lit spinning sign. (Sorry I don’t have a photo; I was working in a booth, and didn’t think to have a camera.) Intrigued, I went over to their booth to take a peek. Sure enough, they were pushing themselves as “i-Cakes.” However, upon further perusal – and a good old-fashioned Googling – they are actually “Irresistable Cakes.” Yeah, that’s all the “i” stands for. No reference to the fashionable “i” thing, and certainly nothing that resembled the sign they displayed at the show.

There are two things that strike me about this whole thing. One is that they weren’t advertising themselves as “irresistible” with the “i” in real life. They’re only trying to gain business through the “i” caché. What’s more interesting – and perhaps more important – is how ubiquitous the letter “i” has become. Apple really hit on something major with that one vowel. In a completely unrelated industry, some people are still capitalizing on that same success. I think I’m going to try to start copyrighting things with the letter “o.” There are only four vowels left!*

*Y only sometimes counts.