The racket booming from the blogosphere this morning was almost deafening:
iPon! iTampon! Gross! Maxi pad 2.0! Oh my god, did Apple consult any women?
Everybody loooooves to ring the alarm on big companies’ faux pas. Admittedly, sometimes there really are legitimate branding blunders that deserve such alarm (read: when Mitsubishi failed to note that Pajero means 'wanker' in Spanish). But there is a difference between a faux pas and a blunder. What Apple has committed is merely a faux pas and that’s not at all to say that it wasn’t a brilliant one.
I’m sure Apple has women on their marketing team. I’m sure they were consulted. I’m sure Apple predicted the menstrual backlash that would flow (sorry, couldn’t resist) from such a name. Sorry, guys, but the old adage rings true once again: Any press is good press.
The most important point to absorb (it’s too easy!) here is that the name iPad will overall not affect anyone’s decision to purchase the product – man, woman or in between. Size matters. I’m gonna go there and say it: “Apple is too big to fail.” It is an Apple product and thus, it has immunity. Immunity comprised of Apple’s status as the absolute leader in high-end computer technology, trend-cementing design and untouchable brand identity.
Furthermore, all of this arguably “bad press” will dissipate in a month. Right now, we are experiencing what I call “The Giggle Effect.” It’s funny and unimpressively easy to make a crack about. Though iPad jokes may reign supreme at the water cooler this week, the pile of cash Mr. Jobs is sitting on will not shrink under the weight of such witty banter.
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Playing on the word "nomenclature", the name Nomenculture sums up our mission rather perfectly: To comment on the specialized profession of brand-naming and observe the way in which brand-names broadly affect culture. This blog is published by The Naming Group, a New York City-based brand-naming agency. www.thenaminggroup.com
Playing on the word "nomenclature", the name Nomenculture sums up our mission rather perfectly: To comment on the specialized profession of brand-naming and observe the way in which brand-names broadly affect culture. This blog is published by The Naming Group, a New York City-based brand-naming agency. www.thenaminggroup.com
6 comments:
I certainly agree that the actual naming of the product won't have much impact on the sales of the product. However, I don't agree that Apple is an infallible product designer. In fact, over half of the press I've read on the iPad circles back to a Gizmodo post outlining eight reasons it's not worth buying. If the iPad fails, it wouldn't be the first time -- they sold more G4 Cubes to museums than consumers. While the naming backlash should wear off soon, it'll be interesting to see how the numbers go.
I love reading your writing regardless of what it is about--and I must say you nailed this one. I will be watching and waiting to see what happens with the latest Apple phenom. Thanks for the giggles; I really needing them today. Just one note on the name of your blog: even though I know that it's a play on nomenclature, does that fact that it reads " no men culture " of any significance? I can't imagine that it is, just wanted to let you know how it reads to me.
While I don't agree that any press is good press (as a PR person I'd lose many a client following that old adage)I agree that with a company (/culture/iconic presence) as big as Apple, there is going to be so much buzz that some of it is bound to be negative. And here, it doesn't hurt them because it's secondary to the technology and the bigger brand.
I don't buy into the notion that any brand is infallible, but I'm curious - with Apple's iconic brand status do you think it still matters what they name their products at all? Sometimes it seems like i-piece-o-crap would sell...
YES!! I was waiting for a post about this product! I hear the original name was the iSlate, but they didn't want people to think of it as is-late so they named it iPad. Absolutely awful.
THIS JUST IN: Apple will be releasing a iPad (Red) edition once a month for 5-7 days every month.
Apple arrogance to not go outside the "iGadget" zone but you can also argue that if an icon isn't tired yet why look for a "brandtidote." There's another thing that any conspiracy theorist would agree with about Apple which makes them shrewder than Microsoft. Microsoft, big as it is and having shrewdly (I will give Bill Gates credit for this bit of cunning) enslaved much of the world to the Windows OS with business-like marketing savvy, has of late become the marketing bumbler extraordinaire of the tech world. They tried to brandsition to "Vista" and flopped, not because of the name but because they don't get it when it comes to users wanting a positive experience in the realm of emotional ergonomics. They have to come up with a near flawless solution to avoid continuing to look like dolts. I will say, having used Windows 7(I use a PC when I have to, Macs because I love to... and see how they scurried back to the comfort zone of "Windows" in the name.)it is "nicer" and decidedly more "Mac-Like." But look for simplicity of workflow or the solution to a problem and you feel like "Alice In Windowsland." As for the iPad and Apple's marketing mojo,I've noticed that the first iteration of an Apple product often has obvious deficiencies, if not outright flaws. This may be partly purposeful in the sense that they know that there is a first round of buyers I'll call "gobblers" who will eat anything new from apple that comes along. There are others who are more patient knowing that Apple will re-itereate maybe a couple of times, in a short period, but long enough for the "gobblers" to "re-buy" the improved itereation. It won't be long before the iPad has a cover, more ram, a bit more screen space, even more interoperability and will be completely voice driven with everyday language. Apple can afford to be imperfect because they're design aesthetic is so stupendously appleing...I mean appealing. MS doesn't understand that the sox have to coordinate with the tie and that white or primary colors are so narco, simple-minded, and about as inspiring as advertising for stool softeners. Look How long it took them to soften their ridiculous kindergarten logo?
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