The Naming Group Weighs in on Nokia’s Hardly New Naming Convention

With the release of their C5 phone, Nokia has officially announced a shift in their device naming convention today. In their official blog, Nokia Conversations, they explain:

“This new naming convention is designed to make things easier for users, so they can quickly and easily work out where a device sits within the series and beyond that have a clearer idea of what each series does. Nseries remains the flagship and most advanced range of products. Xseries comes next and focuses on social entertainment. Eseries remains focussed on productivity and business whilst Cseries represents the core range of products.”

Well for those of you who know my feelings on alphanumeric naming (if you don’t, check this out: http://tinyurl.com/tellushowyoureallyfeel), I apologize for sounding like a broken branding record, but creating brand naming conventions based on letter and number combinations is ineffective and forgettable. A product name is your opportunity to communicate so many things about the product itself and the parent brand it comes from. It is a chance to inspire feelings, thoughts and images, and at the very least to form an emotional connection with your consumer. For the majority of the population, excluding the few people who take joy and pride in staying abreast of technomenclature trends, combinations of numbers and letters as names simply don’t form this connection.

Let’s pit two cell phone names against each other. Which communicates more to you: C5 or Solstice? When I hear C5 I think of the letter C and the number five and my secondary thought is of a model of luxury car brand – though I can’t remember which one. When I hear Solstice (Samsung) I immediately have a mental image of an evening sky painted with rich violet hues.

Think about it, when you hear the name “C5” you have to think about what the C stands for and what the 5 stands for. Extra synapses have to fire and access the part of your brain that keeps track of Nokia’s naming convention (does your brain have that part established yet? Me neither.) to remember what the C means and then remember what the 5 means and separate it from the meanings of all of the other C’s and 9’s in your life. So, there is room for two kinds of confusion. There’s the possibility of internal confusion, within the Nokia brand architecture itself (“Wait, what’s the difference between C and E? What does C stand for again?”). Then there’s remembering where the C falls in the Nokia convention (below the E, X, and N series) while still keeping straight where the C falls within the Mercedes convention (above the A and B series but below the E, G, R, and S series).

Don’t forget about all the other kids on the block using alphanumeric naming. Lincoln uses alphanumerics (MKX, MKS, MKZ). A good bit of the LG televisions employ number/letter combos in place of word-based naming. While they may use slightly different combinations of numbers and letters, the idea is the same. There is no interest piqued, no positive mental image evoked. There are only overlapping piles of hackneyed, uninspired naming conventions. To come up with an innovative, daringly different system – even if it were a little strange, edgy or maybe even clever – would be better. In today’s marketplace you have to stand out to survive.

iPad: I’m a Woman and I Say “Size Matters”

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.

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.

Today's Sip of WIAN (What's In A Name): The Sundance Film Festival

It’s that time of year again. From January 21st-31st , indie filmmakers get their shot to shine, showcasing in shivering Park City, Utah. I always thought it pleasantly ironic that a name so warm was paired with a festival that took place in so chilly a locale.

So, why Sundance? Established in an attempt to bring more filmmakers out to Utah, the Festival was originally called the Utah/US Film Festival. Upon it’s inception in 1978 it wasn’t even held in Park City, but rather began in Utah’s capital, Salt Lake City. It wasn’t until 1991, years after The Sundance Institute took over Festival management, the festival name was officially changed to the Sundance Film Festival. This name comes from chairperson Robert Redford's character, The Sundance Kid, in the film Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid.

Ok, but why that film in particular? Many, including Redford himself, claim it was this role that truly launched his career. Thus, given that the Sundance Film Festival has catalyzed many a career of some of the greatest known independent filmmakers (think Tarantino and Soderbergh) it was only fitting to include Sundance in the name.

Coined Name of the Week

Bravo, Origins! We think Plantidote is a pretty perfect product name: http://tinyurl.com/ycyvuxm

Would You Like to Share My Umbrella? Getting Caught in a Namestorm

“So do you guys just, like, y'know, sit around with a pot of coffee and think of names all day?”

Yeah. That’s it, guys. I’m a coffee-brewing, stenographing brainstormer. If only it were that simple.

Ah, the brain of a namer. It’s a wild and wonderful world full of rhyme-infused marketing tactics, sesquipedalian (Def: given to or characterized by the use of long words. Duh.) tendencies peppered with puns and alliterative adeptness. So, while the occasional zing of caffeine certainly helps the naming axons fire a bit quicker, there is quite a bit more that goes into the art of namestorming.

A good namestorm develops much as a meteorological one does: when a system of high pressure develops around a center of low pressure. It begins with the lightning flash of a client inquiry call. Without warning and with great urgency; some needing a name in two weeks, in ten days, in 48 hours. Swirling on the fast track to a deadline, the first shower of creative debriefing ensues: pelting down a product description, mission statement, target demographics, and a projected release date.

Then, amidst an atmosphere palpably thick with idea clouds, enters the low pressure front. Relaxed and saturated with information, minds gather together, cool and ready for the storm. The namers, riders (or should I say, "writers") on the storm, huddle over a round table and project outline. Like clouds becoming rife with rain, yellow pads fill with names; The air electrically charged with thought sparks. The tempo elevates, creative currents surge and the naming deluge begins...

Read more on creative name development here.

Nameflash! Epson launches BrightLink!

We're a bit biased but The Naming Group thinks it's a stellar name! http://tinyurl.com/ybhqk8e