Exempted from Novak's observation might be executives at Reebok, who last year professed to have been unaware of connotations associated with the name they gave to a new women's running  Incubus.
The word Incubus would not be a red flag for any person expecting to buy a shoe. 
mnli hypothesis: The word Incubus would not be a red flag for any person expecting to buy a shoe.  premise: Exempted from Novak's observation might be executives at Reebok, who last year professed to have been unaware of connotations associated with the name they gave to a new women's running  Incubus.