Kodak – what a great name, but a tough style today
From a language point of view, the name Kodak has no meaning. It is simply an abstract coined word. Of course, from a branding point of view it is short hand for one of the former biggest brands in photography. In a sad turn of events, Kodak yesterday filed for bankruptcy protection. For sure, the name is not the problem, though trying to get companies to adopt names like Kodak nowadays is a tough sell.
This is probably justified though. If I took such a name to a team of executives, assuming they were from some other planet and had never heard the name before, the men would say “Ah no.. reminds me of Kodiak bears or something” and the ladies would say “reminds me of a tampon brand.” The other reason not to adopt abstract names is the fact they can take years to promote and brand through a consumer channel unless you have a megahit product like Google.
From a linguistics standpoint though, Kodak is an ideal name. It starts and ends with the same sticky consonant – K. It is two syllables with the emphasis on the second. It has a heavy d in the middle imparting strength. And it is easy to spell and say in many different languages. Plus, being very unique at its inception, it was completely trademark clear worldwide.
2 Comments to Kodak – what a great name, but a tough style today
“It is two syllables with the emphasis on the second.”
The emphasis in Kodak is on the first syllable.
Sorry to disagree.. and I learned this from much more famous linguists.. Kodak has more of an emphasis on 2nd syllable.
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April 13, 2012