06.13.08
Posted in Branding, Name Winners, Trademarks at 9:52 am by Athol
One of the advantages of having “first mover” advantage in any industry is the fact that you can sometimes legally tie up a good name which later would otherwise be judged to be generic - and therefore non-registrable. Such is the case with the name TopRank® for search engine optimization and marketing services. They have recently been blogging about how they have to be aggressive in protecting this name, especially in an online environment (the only field for which they have the trademark).
If the USPTO did their literature search today, they would see the words top and rank (or ranking) are surely widely used and therefore generic. But it is too late. Someone moved fast and was smart, although it really is a difficult name to protect and to own as a brand, since people have strong existing expectations of the words, before they are even educated to the fact that it is someone’s trademark. And there are many ways around it. And what is the industry generic way of saying getting a top ranking if top rank is a specific trademark?
So this award goes to them for trying to protect the name. Not for picking a name that is not unique enough. This is one of many cases I have recently run into, which is why I was reminded (writing as The Name Critic at Brighter Naming) to select Rollerblade® for recent analysis. They are a case study example of how to do it right. To protect the name Rollerblade, they told the industry and the press that the generic descriptor for the product category was In-Line Skates. For all I know (and strongly suspect) they made up In-Line Skates afterwards. Doesn’t matter.. the rest of the world has to describe their products as In-Line Skates, and can only use the term Rollerblade in its proper legal brand (now of the Nordica ski company) sense.
Similarly, in the biotech field, Genentech® is almost a generic if it was first used today, instead of the strong brand and category leader it has become. As an early mover (very early), they have polarized the rest of the word away from names using Gene and Technology…. which so many still dream of.. the basic descriptors for many of them.
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05.05.08
Posted in Branding, Name Winners, Great Names at 4:11 pm by Athol
All around a lot of countries, ladies know the brand name Bioré. The name just seems to sound like it cleans your pores in a classy fashion. Yet the name roots are so basic and simple, as some of the trademark fights show. Other have tried to have products called BioRe and Bio Regenaration… same idea - but with no class. The addition of that accent over the e makes all the difference doesn’t it? Changes BioRe into Bee Oar Ray. From the mundane to the classy, as only the French language can do.
Of course, the big irony of this name is that the product line is not sold in France or anywhere on the European continent. The brand is actually owned and managed by KAO of Japan nowadays. But who cares. In fact, who cares what the ingredients do. If I wanted a skin cleanser I would instinctively believe in one with such a cool name.
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01.26.08
Posted in Name Winners at 10:11 am by Athol
When I first saw a small headline that said Newegg offers techie gear, I reached for the article thinking I would learn about what happened to EggHead software. Of course, I had been living (as usual nowadays for an older techie) one or two steps behind the action curve, and didn’t know that Newegg is the hot online discount retailer for all things technical.
In the meantime, Egghead Software, one of the original retail software stores, has been absorbed into the Amazon mother ship (or jungle perhaps?).
So I think Newegg deserves an award because it is both interesting, positive, different, simple, and unique. It has great values, known roots and is also a great change from Fred Chang’s old company name ABS Computers.
Plus it is always a lot easier to create awareness about a new egg than an old set of initials… and dramatically illustrates why I always plead with companies to leave initials to the big old brands with lots of money.
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10.05.07
Posted in Name Winners at 10:04 pm by Athol
When you are looking to market your event, isn’t it much easier with a catchy name? This week Online Market World was struggling in San Francisco - perhaps for many reasons. But when we have already had events like Web 2.0 Conference, Demo and TIE this year already in the Bay Area, perhaps it takes a catchy title to cut through the noise.
And they don’t all have to be fancy registered or trademarked or protected names. Peter Kellner’s upcoming Code Camp is a great example of this. Mention that name around Silicon Valley and see all the .NET programmers, and many others, nodding their heads in unison. And talking about Web 2.0, the whole affair is coordinated via blogs.
Look up Athol Foden’s session (that is me) if you want to join our discussion on how to turn an idea into a product into a company.
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08.23.07
Posted in Name Winners at 6:33 am by Athol
When you list the names of online job services, it is dominated by names like:
Jobs.com
Hotjobs.com
BAjobs.com
Careers.com
SimplyHired.com
and many others that all start to sound alike as they are almost generic. Companies that described themselves as opposed to really naming themselves.
And then the
re is Monster.com! Just cuts through the noise doesn’t it? What the heck is the connection between jobs and monsters? Don’t they even have a negative or scary image? Well, yes, but that was solved graphically with a cute little friendly monster that shows up at various times.
So I recognize this name with a full 3 trophies award.
And sometimes when you work smart and hard, you get lucky. Maybe even very, very lucky. Like when a company with a similar name, that few have
heard of outside the broadcast and video equipment industry, decides to pay millions to the San Francisco 49′ers to remain their Candlestick Park home football field Monster Park. My casual surveys continue to show that many people think this is named after Monster.com and not Monster Cable Company. Wow.. what a great free fortuitous PR event. Your name on a stadium for free.
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06.25.07
Posted in Name Winners at 6:12 pm by Athol
In a recent management leadership class at college, a student (on learning I once worked for Sony) asked me whether I thought the Blu-ray or HD DVD format would win the new DVD standards war. At the time, I didn’t have a ready answer, because personally I am tired of tracking all these standards, and don’t care which one wins.
But after I considered it some more, I realized that the Blu-ray format would surely win. Just like Blue Tooth won the short range wireless standards battle. It is not so much about the technology as it is about the marketing. And the marketing team with the coolest product name usually wins.. if for no other reason than it gives the public a memorably hitching post handle to congregate around.. and to spread virally by word of mouth and word of mouse.
In the July 2nd issue of Business Week, Harry Maurer’s News you need to know points out how Blockbusters has already standardized on DVD, and others are surely following. Another major piece though says not to count out Toshiba yet.
Hmmm… now remind me again. When did Toshiba last win a marketing coup?
PS Blockbusters is such a simple and appropriate name. I wonder if all the children around the country call it Busters - or just those in my area?
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