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Terry Gilliam’s brilliant 1985 film Brazil, an Orwellian black comedy set in a decidedly backwards future, has never seemed more prescient.
The United States Department of Defense has proposed a new “Total Information Awareness” (TIA) initiative and corresponding “Information Awareness Office,” whose motto, “Scientia Est Potentia,” translates into the King’s English as “Knowledge is Power.” A Cato Institute analysis of what this means reads like a manual in how not to brand a new homeland security initiative if you want buy-in from a public already wary of the government trampling on its basic constitutional rights, including a great deconstruction of the Office’s new logo:
The TIA’s logo…features an edited version of the Great Seal of the United States: the 13-block pyramid (think 13 original colonies) topped by the Eye of God. The original carries the phrase (translated from Latin) “A New Order of the Ages,” reflecting a principled view of individual freedom quite alien to that of the Orwellian TIA office. The TIA’s version perverts the proud seal that originally symbolized our freedom. The “eye” is no longer God’s, but the federal government’s, surveying the entire globe in a single glance. TIA’s new slogan? “Knowledge is Power.” But whose knowledge? And power to do what?
To make this plan even scarier, the Feds have hired John Poindexter, President Reagan’s former National Security Advisor who during the Iran-Contra scandal was convicted on several counts of lying to Congress.
In Brazil, the protagonist works in the “Information Retrieval Office,” where government lackeys can pull up any and all information on every citizen. Sound familiar? And compare our Office of Information Awareness’ slogan–”Knowledge is Power”–to these like-minded gems scattered throughout Brazil:
Total Information Awareness: It’s so real it’s like being in a movie.
Corporate haberdasher Landor has produced some pretty incredible work in its day. In fact, these marketing masterminds have created some of the most beloved names of our time. The brand ignorant might find some of them cold, obfuscating, random or even clumsy — but in truth they are carefully constructed to communicate very specific ideas.
In order to help our readers understand Landor’s true genius, we have assembled some of the rationale behind the names and invite you to match the name with the blurb. This is not as simple as it sounds, so to get you into the swing of things, here is an example, from wiredhotelier.com:
“Today, we are anything but just an electronic lock manufacturer,” Metivier said. “Consequently, our former name, TESA Entry Systems, felt like a suit that has become too tight. We strongly believe that the timing was perfect for us to have a new suit made and that LANDOR Associates was the best tailor for the job.”
With more than 2 million electronic locking systems installed in more than 16,000 hotels worldwide, TESA Entry Systems is a name with rich history and significant global recognition and brand equity. While the company realized a clear need to have a new, expanded service suit tailor-made, it took great care to partner with LANDOR, the world’s leading rebranding/repositioning experts.
“This isn’t just another name change; it’s a complete global repositioning of a long-recognized worldwide leader,” Plawecki said. “Together with LANDOR, we have invested significant time and resources in working with our clients, prospects, strategic partners, associates and stakeholders to hand tailor a suit that dresses our company for success through service integrity and intelligent solutions unity.”
The name is: A) Avolar B) Midea C) Avaya D) Spherion E) Onity
The correct answer is E, Onity.
Ok, no more easy ones.
Test your communication and branding skills on the following four blurbs, all taken, in the interest of accuracy, directly from Landor’s site. All references to the name or part of the name have been replaced by “???“.
Landor’s solution, ???, was originally inspired by an ancient word for “unity”. In market research, customers commented that the name felt energetic, positive and “smooth”. Landor recommended the corporate descriptor “communication” to emphasize the human aspect of ???’s business. The name and descriptor together reinforce perceptions of a company whose employees are united around a common goal–helping businesses develop strong and seamless relationships with their customers.
The name is: A) Avolar B) Midea C) Avaya D) Spherion E) Onity
Click here for the correct answer.
Landor’s challenge was to create a brand that signalled [sic] the highest standards of five-star service and that was flexible enough to grow beyond its initial core offering in fractional ownership. The brand would need to communicate luxury and excellence without alienating fiscally responsible corporate executives.
Landor created the evocative name ??? for this new stand-alone brand. In an industry populated with descriptive names, ??? stands out.
The name is: A) Avolar B) Midea C) Avaya D) Spherion E) Onity
Click here for the correct answer.
??? is a result of joint effort [sic] by Landor consultants in San Francisco, New York, Paris, Mexico and Tokyo. It expresses the continual generation of ideas, always striving towards perfection. The new identity consists of the name ??? with a circle extending from the letter ???. The circle conveys continuity and movement and is a symbol of perfection. The violet and warm red colors add a touch of elegance, liveliness and modernity, but also reinforce the key attributes of simplicity and stability. The new identity expresses the Group’s philosophy and vision of constant innovation and improvement.
The name is: A) Avolar B) Midea C) Avaya D) Spherion E) Onity
Click here for the correct answer.
While Interim originally approached Landor for its naming expertise, it soon became clear that an entire repositioning would be necessary. We worked to redefine the brand essence and accompanying attributes. Once the positioning was developed, the biggest challenge was selecting a name the entire Interim team could embrace. Landor then had 11 weeks to develop the core signature, a house style and launch all their applications on a global scale.
After three rounds of naming and validation research, Landor’s original recommendation of ??? was selected. Landor developed the name ??? to embody globality [sic] and technology . The accompanying design, known as “the Focal Point”, speaks to ???’s ability to focus in on client needs and offer them tailored solutions. The color palette, a vibrant red, purple and gold, expresses an approachability and dynamic personality. An important element of the design is the “Matrix” pattern that grows out of the core signature and extends across corporate communications materials.
The name is: A) Avolar B) Midea C) Avaya D) Spherion E) Onity
Click here for the correct answer.
So how did you do? If you struggled with this, don’t worry, Landor is constantly putting out press releases that help educate us all in the finer points of communicating with human beings.
If you did well on this test, it may be time to return home to Vulcan.
Poland gets rebranded with a new visual identity and a slogan — ”Poland: Europe Is Bigger” — meant to make it more attractive as a tourist destination. In the new kite logo, “A dancing group of people flying a kite with Poland’s colors’ has taken the place of protesters carrying a bloody flag.”
Here is a funny article about the process of rebranding American movie titles with more literal names when the films are exported to other countries. Pretty Woman became I’m Rich But I Like Cheap Prostitutes in Germany and,
On its release in China, Boogie Nights — about a well-endowed porn star — became His Powerful Device Makes Him Famous.
The Piano, the 1993 romantic drama about a mute woman piano player in 19th-century New Zealand, was retitled Wretch! Let Me Chop Off Your Finger.
Never underestimate what a powerful device a name can be….
