Name Awards

Vidyo is a street gutter name

It isn’t often a name of a successful high tech startup really gets under my skin, but this is one that does. Maybe it is because I don’t follow (or speak) rough rap style, nor with an Israeli or Eastern European accent, but these two syllables just don’t belong together.

Of course, I assumed from the outset that it was pronounced Vid Yo and not video, because they have a registered trademark and video is a generic word (and trademarks are filed phonetically) which cannot be trademarked.

Seems like their new tie in with H-P is just in time. Now H-P will be able to have more video surveillance of their executives and what they were really doing with their marketing contractors when they claim those big expense account charges.

Blooming Business Week let their brand fans down

A long time ago I went to my first big branding conference where an executive from one of the big branding agencies of the world, in reply to an audience question said: “Never change a brand unless it is broken.”

Yes, there are exceptions and other situations. But the one that really bugs me is when management ignore all the know wisdom of the marketing industry because ego gets in the way – and forever more makes marketing their business, products or services an extra chore for the team involved, as well as their customers too.

I have been a loyal reader of Business Week for many years, even scooping up my son’s copy when my subscription accidentally lapsed. But now it got sold off. So what. Doesn’t mean I want any direct association with the new owners – especially when that gives them a whole NY financial slant that doesn’t necessarily play as well across the rest of the country.

The inside makeover is great… and much to my point, the one good weekly read that is not all about financial results and numbers. So why take a great brand name and dilute it so badly by making it longer. If you want to promote your parent company fine, but why foist it off on us loyal readers… especially when you even drop it down to a drab black and white text logo.

Oh McGraw Hill, why did you have to sell it off?

When the name and logo are at odds

Sometimes when we do name audits for clients we find there is nothing wrong with the name, but there may be a problem with the logo and other visual identity. Here are two from my old neighborhood that were always driving me nuts, even though colorful and bold and still successful.

Air National Guard’s Rescue Wing -  look more like feet to me!

And at the height of summer St. Stephens Green might be partially hidden in the greenery, but why did they have to paint in blue? It dropped 2 points on my elegance scale immediately. Of course, after you have had a pint or two and tried their great menu, you probably won’t care.

Intel back to numbers – but model years?

Ever since the Pentium came out it has been no big industry secret that many engineers at Intel harked for the days of the 486 and similar number nomenclatures. Well finally Intel is back to numbers.. but what an extreme tactic!

They are promoting their 2010 Core Processors widely right now. Maybe, just maybe, they will get some significant market share to notice before all the big auto companies start promoting their 2011 models starting Labor Day (first weekend in Sept).

Then who will want a 2010? Maybe get one on a dealer incentive fire sale day just like the older car models?  Will we have a Blue Book for chip values? And since no one owns a date, we are looking forward to the AM 2010 (or better still, with perfect vision, the AM 2020 or similar name from competitors).

PS Yes, it comes in 3 flavors. But would you buy a product with only a 3 Star Rating? (See graphics). Maybe that is their trick to push you to the i5 model. Grrrrr.

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.

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?

Top 10 ways to find a free .com name in 2010

Every week someone cries on my shoulder about how hard it is becoming to find free .com domain names. Well they are disappearing at a rate of 1 million a month, and have been doing so for a while, so what do you expect if you are only waking up now?

Anyway, here are my professional suggestions. Let me know what you think or pass along the list, with due credit to Athol Foden of Brighter Naming.

1. Use a number in your name. e.g. 3Com, 2Wire, Tack360, etc. Works best if name is mostly seen online and not used much on the phone.
2. Use a different form of a verb.  e.g  Learning Spanish instead of Learn Spanish say. Or Brighter Naming instead of Bright Naming. Non-English languages often have lots of conjugations of their verbs providing even more options.
3. Personalize or localize the name.  e.g.  iFly, MySpinnerTricks, YourBicycleTracks, OurFishingTrips, TexasBigGameSupporters, ScottishCurlingClub, CollegePaymentsUSA, etc.
4. Coin new words from classic or other roots:  Miradiance  (Mira is Spanish/Latin for view), Frito Lay (Frito is Spanish for fried), Verantis (From verity = truth and Atlantis)
5. Use initials as well:   PFChangs, PrintDNA, SugarCRM, NGMoco
6. Combine parts of words: e.g. Solyndra from solar and cylinder, Sony from sonus and sonny, Transcera from transcend and era. Or even combine languages: e.g. NeuStar  (German + English words), Tambrio (English + Spanish).
7. Go Hawaiian, or African, or …     Akamai, Wiki, Ubuntu, Zynga
8. Squeeze vowels in (to make smoother pronunciations) like Avidasports, Affinaquest, or out (aka IM speak) to make for very short names like Flickr, Loopt, VCTRY.
9. Go phonetic with something that just sounds good and create your own meanings:   Cisco, Kinkos, Zanitar, Jamba, Brivo, Ariba, Skype
10. Work with a professional naming agency or consultant that tracks free domains and can also quickly implement one of the above techniques.

Number 10 is probably the least expensive solution when you consider the management time and legal headaches they also solve, especially now that competition has driven prices down to $6000 for corporate accounts, and much less for individuals or small businesses.

Kwik, is it Kewlr or Kewler?

Since I for one have been quoted in the press about new name styles that squeeze out the vowels becoming more popular, I should not be surprised to discover names like Kewlr ( a social bookmarking site) and Kewler (makers of Icy Hot balls) coexisting.

Maybe I will also need a copy of KwikEdit to get my site straightened out before I kew up to go to Kuwait.

Never lay your hands on the Neverland name.

Although it is a straight copy by Michael Jackson, and before that by Disney, of a mythical place name in the classic Peter Pan novels, today there are some big organizations and their friendly lawyers protecting the Neverland name. And, of course, Michael Jackson’s estate is probably worth a lot more now that he has passed on. So I was not surprised to read that a would-be tribute musical band had been sent one of those dreaded cease and desist letters for trying to use the name. In a smart move, they are now Foreverland. Much cheaper than fighting a lawsuit… but a positive implied connection nevertheless.

During Jackson’s passing, his Neverland Ranch gained even more immense worldwide coverage. Ironically, when he bought it originally from Sycamore Valley Ranch, he renamed it, but he had subsequently become a part owner of Sycamore Valley Ranch and taken over the ownership. So much of the public immediately recognized the brand as being associated with Michael Jackson – and would attest to that if asked for a common opinion – even though there are many trademark applications and fights over the name. Pity Jackson didn’t properly protect it earlier, instead of the slew of filings on his death (assuming he could get the rights properly from Disney or J.M.Barrie Estate author of Peter Pan).

Enough legal, more interestingly, why does the name have such power, such interest, such fascination? It is a negative right? Wow. Great example of where a negative has become a positive. How much more over the top brandable than Sycamore Valley Ranch? Immeasurable…  with maybe even a touch of genius behind it. Most corporations I know would get all analytical and say it is too negative a name for us – but most of them outside Hollywood are not paid to dream!

Eloquent and beautiful.. but in this day and age Neverland is taken as a name. RIP Michael Jackson… we will leave your place name to your lawyers and family.

When the obvious is simple and bounces right along.

Now that we all know the Apple lawyers were laying a false trail (or there is more to come), isn’t it refreshing that the marketing geniuses there kept the new naming architecture clean and simple too. So now we can look forward to iPad, iBooks, etc.

But we expect that of Apple. Historically Polaroid has been a different story though, often falling over all their own wasted ink papers. Not now. The new consumer camera contains their instant print magic as well as being a digital camera. And it has the hip, sweet, simple and obvious name PoGo.

Congratulations. But the fun is only just starting. They have announced a co-branding deal with Lady Gaga of all people. Talk about moving from stuffy to hip and relevant! Will that be the Lady PoGo or the GagoPo or PaGoGa or PoLady…  ?