This year, the name of the game is green. Literally. Every automaker is pushing the green revolution at the 2010 NY Autoshow. At every press conference we attended, we saw CEO’s and Chief Designers talking about their focus on Hybrid engines, electric cars, the future of charge stations, and all things eco-fantastic. It will be interesting to see just how much “green walking” automakers do after so much “green talking.”
The main goal for businesses to invest in the green revolution, besides making a whole lot of green, is for the trend to evolve into a positive global lifestyle change. In order for the green revolution to grow from trend to standard, the country needs to develop the infrastructure in which the movement can take root. That means it needs to grow into everyday life in every household across the globe. People need charging stations in their communities and the ability to effectively charge their vehicles at home. At The Naming Group, we believe in the revolution and do what we can to live as verdantly as possible, but lawd’ve mercy, we also notice a need for some SERIOUS RENAMING in the sector.
How much longer are companies going to try to wedge the word “green” or “eco” in a brand name? Here is a great example of the green name burn out, the tagline for Lexus’ new luxury sport hybrid vehicle: “The darker side of green” Uhh, what? Isn’t the darker side of green, just forest green? Are you implying that your green car is a bad ass in performance? Better yet, is your car the bastard stepchild looking to sabotage the family’s eco-friendly dinner?
The one name we felt really succeeded in this environmentally-conscious arena is the name for Ford and Microsoft’s new joint venture “Hohm.” Hohm is an online application designed to help future owners of Ford Electric Vehicles to not only charge their cars but also manage the home electricity use. “Hohm” is a perfectly coined word – bringing together “home” and “ohm” – a unit of electrical resistance. This revolutionary online application gets the Double Golden Award in our book – a product with a name as great as its attributes.
Showing posts with label renaming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label renaming. Show all posts
Renaming a Company: Creating a Smooth Brandsition®
If we started to collect a nickel for every inquiry asking us if we offer renaming or rebranding services, The Naming Group would experience quite the spike in revenue this year. Do we offer rebranding and renaming? We don’t. We offer Brandsition® services. At The Naming Group, we believe that "renaming" and "rebranding" are outdated and inflexible terms. It’s that “re-“ prefix! To us, it implies a do-over or starting from scratch. When we are developing a new name for a preexisting company or product, we never start from scratch.
The concept of a Brandsition® stretches beyond developing new names for preexisting entities. It applies numerous branding scenarios such as:
- Building sub-brands beneath an established parent brand
- Developing line-extensions
- Proposing to reach a new target demographic
- Corporate expansion in a new direction (environmental consciousness, philanthropy, affordability)
The driving force behind a Brandsition® is to simultaneously revive and preserve a brand. A shiny new name is only as strong as the brand equity upon which it is built. It is important to identify and modify what has not been successful thus far, while also preserving the brand elements that are in good working order.
For instance, Epson’s latest product launch, “BrightLink” is a perfect example of a successful Brandsition® (forgive our bias - while at a former agency, The Naming Group members worked on BrightLink name development). For years, Epson has had an innovative educational program called “Brighter Futures” which they define as “a unique sales and support initiative…designed to help educators select and implement the best products for their classrooms while making the most of their budgets.” Given that the “BrightLink” projector will forever change the classroom landscape it only made sense to have the product name speak to “Brighter Futures.”
Read more about Brandsition® here.
The concept of a Brandsition® stretches beyond developing new names for preexisting entities. It applies numerous branding scenarios such as:
- Building sub-brands beneath an established parent brand
- Developing line-extensions
- Proposing to reach a new target demographic
- Corporate expansion in a new direction (environmental consciousness, philanthropy, affordability)
The driving force behind a Brandsition® is to simultaneously revive and preserve a brand. A shiny new name is only as strong as the brand equity upon which it is built. It is important to identify and modify what has not been successful thus far, while also preserving the brand elements that are in good working order.
For instance, Epson’s latest product launch, “BrightLink” is a perfect example of a successful Brandsition® (forgive our bias - while at a former agency, The Naming Group members worked on BrightLink name development). For years, Epson has had an innovative educational program called “Brighter Futures” which they define as “a unique sales and support initiative…designed to help educators select and implement the best products for their classrooms while making the most of their budgets.” Given that the “BrightLink” projector will forever change the classroom landscape it only made sense to have the product name speak to “Brighter Futures.”
Read more about Brandsition® here.
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