(Naming cont'd)- Just in case you happen to think "Brand Union" is actually a good name, you might want to consider that one essential step in the naming process is to look at competitive names.
If they had done so, Enterprise IG would have found Brand Design, Brand Doctor, Brand Evolve, Brand Evolution, Brand Forward, Brand Juice, Brand Ladder, Brand Link, Brand Mavericks, Brand Mechanics, Brand People, Brand Positioning, Brand Salt, Brand Scope, Brand Sequence, Brand Slinger, Brand Solutions (Ugh!), Brand Taxi, Brand Velocity, Brand Institute, BrandIron, BrandEquity, Brandopoly, Brand A, Brand Diva, Brandstorm, Brand Up, Brand Now, and probably many more. And those are just ones that start with "brand."
"One Hundred Monkeys," by contrast, got it right.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Cobbler's Shoes
Just a follow-up on earlier post "Naming Malpractice". Those wonderful folks at Enterprise IG (a truly terrible name in and of itself), who in turn begat such gems as Naviant, Telegy, Telescent, Azurex, and Meritel, have re-named themselves Grand Union. Sorry, I mean Brand Onion. Oops, I mean Brand Union.
Gee, a London-based company positions itself in the global marketplace with a distinctly British image! How clever! May the sun never set on any its empire of offices.
Naming Malpractice
Just read a piece in BusinessWeek's SmallBiz magazine, "Namestorming" (Dec 2007/Jan 2008) about how to come up with a compelling, memorable name.
The author quotes the wonderful folks who brought us such doozies as Agilent, Aquent, Livent, Levilent, Naviant, Telegent, Telegy, Meritel and other empty soulless names. Companies like Landor, Interbrand, and Enterprise IG charge corporate lemmings six figures to come up with crap like this! PT Barnum would be proud!
These so-called experts make it seem like a terribly challenging thing to come up with a compelling memorable name- something best left to experts like themselves. Here's a 1999 quote from someone at Landor "We still don't know how compelling a brand Yahoo! will be 10 years from now. I sense a real missed opportunity." Oh yeah! Agilent would have been a whole lot better!
And the unmitigated arrogance of these people! "We're not really interested in what a client wants," says one famous namer. Oh, yes, he's the one who came up with Aquent.
Well, gotta go brush my teeth and rinse with Aquent. (Oh! They are a Temp agency? Nevermind.)
The author quotes the wonderful folks who brought us such doozies as Agilent, Aquent, Livent, Levilent, Naviant, Telegent, Telegy, Meritel and other empty soulless names. Companies like Landor, Interbrand, and Enterprise IG charge corporate lemmings six figures to come up with crap like this! PT Barnum would be proud!
These so-called experts make it seem like a terribly challenging thing to come up with a compelling memorable name- something best left to experts like themselves. Here's a 1999 quote from someone at Landor "We still don't know how compelling a brand Yahoo! will be 10 years from now. I sense a real missed opportunity." Oh yeah! Agilent would have been a whole lot better!
And the unmitigated arrogance of these people! "We're not really interested in what a client wants," says one famous namer. Oh, yes, he's the one who came up with Aquent.
Well, gotta go brush my teeth and rinse with Aquent. (Oh! They are a Temp agency? Nevermind.)
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Some Current Work
Working with a new computer chip company to develop a compelling brand name. The wireless industry is their target. Their new technology will enable them to make faster chips at lower costs.
Facilitating idea generation session to help a consumer products R&D group set priorities that align with the company's marketing plan.
Working with a unique startup company to develop a marketing plan. Their mission is to provide charitable organizations with a funding vehicle by creating unique customizable footwear.
Working with a marketing/advertising/PR firm to foster teamwork and innovation among staff members as it transitions from a regional to national audience.
Working with a market research firm on their online idea generation tool.
Putting on an Innovation Workshop for a food service company
Facilitating idea generation session to help a consumer products R&D group set priorities that align with the company's marketing plan.
Working with a unique startup company to develop a marketing plan. Their mission is to provide charitable organizations with a funding vehicle by creating unique customizable footwear.
Working with a marketing/advertising/PR firm to foster teamwork and innovation among staff members as it transitions from a regional to national audience.
Working with a market research firm on their online idea generation tool.
Putting on an Innovation Workshop for a food service company
Hasty Pudding
Friday night we went with friends to the Hasty Pudding Theatrical show in Harvard Square. A welcome change from the serious, technology oriented, politically correct world we live in. The Pudding was formed in 1795 and has been producing shows with an all-male cast since 1844. Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, JP Morgan, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jack Lemmon and many others have been members of Hasty Pudding. It's totally silly and corny and refreshing. How many institutions have endured through Civil War, World War, Depressions, and social change so successfully? My view- to endure, it helps to be silly. Long live Monty Python, Dumb and Dumber, and the Pudding!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Crash-B's
Pretty crazy event- indoor rowing competition on machines. I WAS going to row Sunday in the world famous C.R.A.S.H. - B's ("Charles River All Star Has Beens") at Boston University. Rowers come from all over the world to row on machines. It's nuts. I left without registering. Check out the video- it speaks for itself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43EAICgt1Qc
I love to row my Alden single scull in Orleans on Cape Cod early in the morning as the sun is just rising over the town cove. Most days it is quiet and still. I love the feeling of the boat slipping quietly through the water making a small wake as I use my legs, back, and arms to propel it forward. It's a great workout. But rowing on a machine in a noisy gym with lots of people yelling and screaming? Not my thing. Seems there are two kinds of rowers. Those who like the team aspects and those who like to go it alone. I'm a social guy, but I row alone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43EAICgt1Qc
I love to row my Alden single scull in Orleans on Cape Cod early in the morning as the sun is just rising over the town cove. Most days it is quiet and still. I love the feeling of the boat slipping quietly through the water making a small wake as I use my legs, back, and arms to propel it forward. It's a great workout. But rowing on a machine in a noisy gym with lots of people yelling and screaming? Not my thing. Seems there are two kinds of rowers. Those who like the team aspects and those who like to go it alone. I'm a social guy, but I row alone.
Online idea generation and Crowdsourcing
New online tools for idea generation have been launched in recent years. Some tools are for internal idea generation against a particular corporate challenge. Nominal rewards are offered to employees who offer an idea that gains acceptance.
"Crowdsourcing" is the new term for an open version of online idea generation. Innocentive and others have pioneered the idea of tapping into the knowledge and inventiveness of people outside the organization. Companies offer substantial rewards for solutions to problems that they have not been able to solve internally.
My question is: why do people participate? Is it for the reward or the social currency that comes from being thought of as smart and/or cool? If the reward is nominal, why would I waste my time unless I thought I would earn greater recognition from my peers and others? Would people participate without the reward?
My view is that the creative process is intrinsically fun and rewarding. People enjoy solving problems or creating new things. The reward comes from participating with others in that endeavor. For many of us, the face to face interaction is the most rewarding. When that is impractical, I can still get satisfaction if I know the other participants. If it's totally anonymous, some of the emotional benefit seems to leave the game, at least for yours truly.
"Crowdsourcing" is the new term for an open version of online idea generation. Innocentive and others have pioneered the idea of tapping into the knowledge and inventiveness of people outside the organization. Companies offer substantial rewards for solutions to problems that they have not been able to solve internally.
My question is: why do people participate? Is it for the reward or the social currency that comes from being thought of as smart and/or cool? If the reward is nominal, why would I waste my time unless I thought I would earn greater recognition from my peers and others? Would people participate without the reward?
My view is that the creative process is intrinsically fun and rewarding. People enjoy solving problems or creating new things. The reward comes from participating with others in that endeavor. For many of us, the face to face interaction is the most rewarding. When that is impractical, I can still get satisfaction if I know the other participants. If it's totally anonymous, some of the emotional benefit seems to leave the game, at least for yours truly.
IBM Ideation and Innovation Ads
IBM has run commercials making fun of ideation and innovation gurus. Both are easy targets. Ideation sessions are often facilitated by people who love the idea of novel exercises- "we really stretched their thinking." Occassionally that kind of thing is appropriate, but often it turns some of the group off. It gives ideation a bad name- making it easy to poke fun. And Innovation Gurus are easy targets as well. They come across as true believers- zealots who are focused on process, not the end result. As someone once said of Quality zealots: "They would create a life preserver made of concrete, so long as it met ISO standards."
So kudos to IBM for shaking up the Innovation Guru establishment. It definitely needs it. On the other hand, what do they offer themselves? My own experience with IBM services is limited to expensive, time consuming, wasteful data mining exercises. A total bust. But, heh, maybe they're doing something great? Now that you have our attention, Big Blue, give us some meat.
So kudos to IBM for shaking up the Innovation Guru establishment. It definitely needs it. On the other hand, what do they offer themselves? My own experience with IBM services is limited to expensive, time consuming, wasteful data mining exercises. A total bust. But, heh, maybe they're doing something great? Now that you have our attention, Big Blue, give us some meat.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
