Name Awards

Salquin to the Rescue – Great name, great kid’s book.

Yesterday I was bemoaning fact that very old people do not readily accept new, unusual or coined words. Today I have the joy of talking about a kid’s book that really continues to push the limits of names and characters – for both people and critters.

Before this book I had never heard of the Salquin native people of Canada, now I too love the word. Same as I learned about Chimona in the first book in the series and from whence the series gets its name: The Chimona Chronicles.

Believe me, if I had grand kids I would be reading this to them from my laptop. It is so much easier to read to your kids, or along with them, if there is some intelligence in the story so you don’t get too bored. After all, you know you are going to have to read it over and over if it is any good.

And in addition, this book comes with an associated series website (www.chimona.com) where you and the kids can investigate more of the names and terms. Even adults will not know them all unless you have travelled in the same areas as Rosie Reay, the author.

Yes, I am biased because I helped bring this book to market, but I only put the effort in because I thought it was worthwhile. With the added extra of a full length poem (a trademark of Rosie’s stories) and Candice McMullan’s great illustrations, I expect this book will be very popular for Xmas and many a family will be learning new names and places together, apart from unraveling the simple parallel plots in the story line.

In the meantime, you can get an early copy via download to your computer from www.FodenPress.com.

As predicted, Aulani shows the Hawaiian names are coming.

A reporter once scoffed at me when I said we would see more Hawaiian names abound because of the shortage of English words that can be owned and trademarked. She thought Akamai was a big exception. Of course, they have since grown to be a major internet infrastructure player.

Now Disney is launching its Aulani Resort in Hawaii.  Being in Hawaii, it is much more natural to use such a name… but it is a rare word that has them explaining its meaning and pronunciation. And, of course, with their money and marketing mojo they can brand anything, you might argue. Still, it takes courage to really bring a new word to life. The baby naming books say it is female for a god’s messenger. After the Disney spin is added, it supposedly means “the place that speaks for the great ones”.  And no, it does not rhyme with aura. Like in Wow or Maui, it is a loud Au.

Sign up now for your timeshare at Aulani.com. It will be ready for you and Mickey to don your flowery shirts next year.

A Daily® dose of real estate reality

About 2 years ago I blogged about a real estate firm called 50 Cabins after I went up into the Sierras off highway 50. Recently I made another inquiry about Sierra properties, and darned if the first person I hear from isn’t an old colleague who now runs Daily and Company Real Estate in Mariposa, California.

In this day and age of big real estate brands and chains, it is refreshing to drive into town and see the original little red and white building they share with an old fashioned small town barbers shop. Mr Daily has long ago moved on, but I commend my friend for keeping the name and history intact – especially in such a quaint, historic town that once played such a major role in the California gold rush, but today is better known as The Gateway to Yosemite.

Plus from a linguistics point of view, Daily is such an interesting word when used in a different context to normal. I believe that it fascinates and attracts attention as it stands out from the crowd while being imbued with positive feelings. And yes, it is a properly registered trademark too.

See more about them and their real estate services for the greater Yosemite area at www.mariposaproperty.com.

Stion is a great new name for a promising company

After all my recent public criticisms of the sound-alike solar company names popping up everywhere, it is very refreshing to come across Stion so I can praise a great name.

I still don’t know what Stion means, but nevertheless everyone will intuitively know it is a good phonetic name and have great recall of it. So that will then give them a natural hook back to what they do – especially large, unique and efficient solar panels if I read it right.

And with a recent $70million in new investment capital, they must be doing something impressive – apart from growing into their eloquent, sharp, short name. They deserve a big name award.

Water in a box! And just call it H20. Brilliant.

Never mind all the great sessions and private discussions, I took personal delight at the recent Sustainable Brands conference in discovering the free samples of H2O – water in a cardboard container.

How come I never thought of that? We have all made enough comments about wine in a box, so why not water in a box? It is a much improved packaging source to keep all those millions of plastic bottles out of landfills and the ocean.

As to whom has the registered trademark on H2O (without modifier), I am not sure, but it seems like it is now adjudged generic. In other words, anyone can use it and no one can own it.

How many ways can you create eco and green names?

At the upcoming Sustainable Brands conference (June in Monterey, Calif) I will be debating using good grammar and the right words to reposition a brand as green and ecological vs giving the product line (or even company) a whole new name. Since I am pro all new name, I am especially conscious nowadays of such new eco names. So darned if I didn’t practically trip over the display case of Ecolution cookware right in the middle of the aisle.

My debating colleague might argue that with this color scheme and graphics, any name can be made to look green and eco friendly, without having to introduce an awkward new word. True, but on the phone? And by Word of Mouth? Yes, it is slightly unusual, but the public can easily get used to anything.  In fact, there are a number of unrelated consumer lines, including shoes, that also have a trademark on Ecolution.

What do you think? Send me some great new green names I can use as examples.

Remember when fossils were old and yucky?

For a brief moment as I unwrapped my gift, I thought I really don’t care for fossils. Why on earth would anyone buy me one…  I prefer they be left in their natural habitat.
Oh boy, aren’t I out of date and forgetful.  Fossil does not mean fossil when it is the watch and gift brand. It means high class, even avant garde, with a touch of travel whimsy and humor. Yes, this word has taken on a whole new meaning as a brand.

That in itself is not unusual. But a brand that is the complete opposite of the original meaning of the English word?  That takes skill and class. What a great example of the power of branding when your brand values are clearly known…. and your name is but a unique handle for that brand promise.

Damn, aren’t names fun!

One final product name caught our eye as we left Barcelona airport. Yes, Damm Lemon is a beer and lemonade drink. When they take all the alcohol out it is called Free Damm.

Damn, it sure brought a smile to our face early in the morning, especially as we were only looking for orange juice or coffee.

The exception that proves the rules of naming

Every week I hear from top executives and branding professionals about how a name should be simple, clear, easy to pronounce and evocative of some key value or characteristic. And then there is the international men’s fashion chain and clothing line called Ermenegildo Zegna.

Of course it is Italian. And I know it is the founder’s name. But unlike Armani and most other famous designers, he chooses not to be simply Zegna (except for the website domain). First time I saw this beautifully painted on a high class store window I stopped and stared. In that sense it worked, since it sure had my attention. But this namiac still had to write it down to make sure he could remember it by time he got back online.

Do you think this type of name takes courage or is it a stupid move? Is it simply an international language error? Or is it  a shrewd and clever move to stand out from the crowd?

How refreshing is that little “e”?

After recently writing and blogging about new name trends where vowels are squeezed out to make IM/SMS like names, it suddenly dawned on me that sometimes we go the other way. Here is a great example. Adding that little “e” to the end of the name doesn’t even change the pronunciation. But what a difference!

Suddenly the name is not generic and boring. Suddenly the name is unique and trademark protectable. And at the same time, a touch of class is added to a simple word that everyone knows – without going French with an accent.