Igor East’s Managing Director John Clutterbuck (left) poses with our new Massachusetts crew on on May 5, opening day:
Remember, “It’s Igor East for all of your naming and sintered metal needs.”
Tuesday, May 6th, 2008 |
Igor + branding + company names + logo/identity + name changes + naming process + powerful names + product names Apparently, there is a country called “Croatia”. Why they exist is a mystery. But we are big there.
From “The Land of The Grudge” (with pics of some Igor staffers):
Jay Jurisich radi u San Franciscu i među najboljim je stručnjacima za brendove. Jutarnjem je otkrio što je danas presudno za poslovni uspjeh te zašto će neke hrvatske tvrtke uvijek ostati samo regionalneSve je u imenu. Za jedan brend ništa nije toliko važno kao ime”, poslovna je filozofija Jaya Jurisicha koji je s tom krilaticom prije šest godina s kolegom Steveom Manningom u San Franciscu osnovao kompaniju Igor koja se bavi vjerojatno najzabavnijim, ali prilično unosnim poslom u svijetu biznisa.
Tuesday, April 29th, 2008 |
Igor + advertising + branding + company names + industry insider + language + logo/identity + luxury brands + name changes + naming process + pop culture + powerful names + product names + taglines + trademark issues One joke over the line: The space cowboys over at the NewYork Times have diluted the brand equity of their Sunday “Style” section by quoting Igor’s creative director, Jay Jurisich:
April 20, 2008
On the Internet, It’s All About ‘My’
By DAVID BROWNEIT’S not you, it’s me. Actually, on the Internet, it’s “my.”
The Web is awash in sites that begin with that most personal of pronouns, and not simply MySpace. A few quick clicks will connect you to MyCoke, My IBM, My Subaru, MyAOL — even MyClick, a mobile-phone marketing company. Collectively, they amount to a new world of Web sites designed to imply a one-on-one connection with a corporation or large business.
Last month, as part of a nationwide effort to reinvent itself, Starbucks started My Starbucks Idea to solicit consumer feedback on its stores, products and image problems. If the ’70s were dubbed the Me Decade, this era could well be the My Decade.
The rise of sites with the “my” prefix is an outgrowth of an increasingly customized world of technology, such as the iPod and TiVo. “Marketing says, ‘We all want to be individuals and this brand will help you express your individuality,’ ” said Nick Bartle, a director of behavioral planning at the advertising agency BBDO. “These ‘my’ Web sites are the logical extension of that strategy.”
But they illustrate how corporations are striving to show that they can be as intimately connected to their customers as in-vogue social networking sites. They’re not just impersonal businesses; they are your close, intimate friends.
“Companies are trying to connect with consumers in more meaningful ways,” said Pete Blackshaw, a vice president at Nielsen Online Strategic Services, which monitors Web activity. “They’re trying to emulate consumer behavior. Everyone’s trying to be more authentic and connect with consumers on their terms. They can look more real, sincere and authentic.”
The “my” trend is even a factor in the presidential election, particularly the Democratic primary in Pennsylvania on April 22. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Web site now includes a section called “My Pennsylvania,” where supporters are asked to contribute ideas on how she should campaign in that state. The site contrasts with Senator Barack Obama’s repeated use of the word “you” in speeches.
“He’s a ‘you’ guy, empowering the people,” said Jay Jurisich, the creative director of Igor, a naming and branding company in San Francisco. “With Hillary, it’s ‘I’m entitled to this. It’s all about me.’ It really is the ‘you’ candidate vs. the ‘my’ candidate.”
In one way or another, many “my” sites aim to emulate homegrown Web sites or trends. The My Starbucks Idea site is devoted to chat rooms that have the unfussy look of homemade blogs; there, Starbucks loyalists can grouse about the chairs in stores or the lack of free Wi-Fi connections. The www.MyCoke.com site links to a Second Life-style virtual environment, where customers can roam and create avatars — a “subtly branded experience,” in the words of Doug Rollins, group director of digital platforms at Coca-Cola.
The “my” prefix has become an easy and increasingly popular shorthand for suggesting that bond between consumers and corporations. Matthew Zook of ZookNIC, a business that analyzes domain names, said domains that start with “my” more than tripled between 2005 and 2008, to 712,000 from 217,000. According to the government’s Patent and Trademark Office, the number of trademark applications to register marks that include the word “my” increased to 1,943 last year from 382 in 1998. Through March of this year, the number of applications has soared to 530.
“My” is the latest in a line of prefixes that have ebbed and flowed on the Web. A decade ago, everything was “e” — from eTrade to eBay — and “i,” as in iPod or iPhone, has become synonymous with all things Apple.
Among the earliest known “my” entries is the comparison-shopping site www.MySimon.com, which filed for trademark in 1998. Mr. Jurisich said that Microsoft may have inadvertently played a role in this trend. “In the ’90s, all these people were trying to find domain names and staring at their Windows computers, which had ‘my documents’ and ‘my music,’ ” he said. “Everyone thought, ‘Let’s try “my.” ’ It was very natural.” (Of course, the success of MySpace, taking off in 2004, may have increased the barrage.)
For all its ubiquity, the concept of corporations trying to get up close with consumers is sometimes greeted warily by even those in the marketing community. “It’s a cold, calculated and impersonal attempt to be personal,” said Mr. Jurisich, who says his firm shuns “my” URLs. “It’s about making Big Brother into little brother. No one in their right mind should think, oh, the corporate entity really cares about me personally. But I can only assume that enough people fall for it that companies don’t ditch it.” (In a recent survey conducted by OTX, a consumer market research firm, one-third of respondents agreed that a Web site with a “my” function meant “the company cares about me.”)
Another major benefit for companies behind those Web pages is the personal data, including e-mail addresses and preferences, that customers provide when registering at one of the sites. “It’s all about the database and getting that personal information,” said Shelley Zalis, the founder of OTX. “That’s what everyone wants.”
At www.MyCokeRewards.com, Mr. Rollins of Coca-Cola said, the company seeks to “collect data through survey questions and through categories and passions.” Then, he said, the company creates new content and offers new rewards (redeemed through the purchase of Coca-Cola products) based “on what was created by you.” Although Mr. Rollins declined to cite numbers for the site, he said MyCokeRewards is one of the company’s “most robust return-investment models.”
According to Alexandra Wheeler, director of digital strategies for Starbucks, the 150,000 customers who have posted responses at My Starbucks Idea since March have led to tangible results at stores, like the introduction of a “splash stick” to prevent spillage from coffee cups.
Yet people in marketing and business also agree that the “my” prefix could have a limited shelf life if it is overused. Already, the phenomenon is spreading beyond the Web: Two years ago, when Fox Broadcasting began a new television network from stations left over from the WB-UPN merger, it named this creation MyNetworkTV. “People have been very quick to grab it,” said Dean Crutchfield, an executive at Wolff Olins, a branding agency. “I’m concerned it will get bastardized, and the uniqueness and sense of purpose it has will be lost in a sea of copycats.”
“It’s the word today,” said Ms. Zalis of OTX. “But I don’t know how long today will last.”
Few in the industry are sure what the next word or prefix will be. Mr. Jurisich said he had toyed with “exo,” as in “outside,” but said no client went for it. Said Ms. Zalis, “In the very near future, it’s not going to be about ‘my.’ It’ll be ‘we.’ It’ll be the collective ‘me,’ whatever that is.”
“In our research, values like participation now vastly outrank self-interest,” said Mr. Bartle of BBDO. “People want to be connected and part of a community.”
Mr. Crutchfield agreed, but said that coming up with the appropriate prefix to convey those values will be tricky. “I see a trend back to the ‘we’ state,” he said. “But it can’t be ‘We Business.’ ”
For now, Mr. Crutchfield said, he hopes the “my” prefix will hang on a bit longer. His next Web project, intended for 2012 and being created in tandem with the International Olympics Committee, is My Olympics.
Monday, April 21st, 2008 |
Igor + advertising + branding + company names + language + logo/identity + luxury brands + name changes + naming process + pop culture + powerful names + product names + taglines Igor’s Senior (very) Brand Strategist Andy Valvur is pictured below in China. He is on a quest to find a Sifu who will help refine his already well-honed skills in The Immobile Arts. Here he takes a lesson from The Great Wall.
Additionally, Andy is the organizer of The Global Scavenger Hunt, a convoluted tax dodge.
Via The San Francisco Examiner:
The organizer of The Global Scavenger Hunt, a race around the world that begins in San Francisco on Friday, is tight-lipped about the countries and challenges that await 15 two-person teams raising money for charity during the three-week competition. Valvur, 53, won a similar race in 1989. He works as a branding manager in San Francisco and writes for CNN’s humor blog, Capitol Punishment.
After winning the 1989 race, why did you decide to stay involved? Who is not going to enjoy trips around the world? I also like watching people come back in and say, “Did you see? Did you go there?” when they discover something new. The thrill of discovery that you turned somebody on to something new is really cool.
How is The Global Scavenger Hunt different from “The Amazing Race”? In “The Amazing Race,” you have to get from one country to another and have to scramble to the airport. This doesn’t have that craziness — it’s pretty fast-paced, but the challenges start and end in the same city — then we all travel together to the next location.What traits make for winners in The Global Scavenger Hunt? You got to be quick on your feet, and you have to be able to look at a town and figure out the local transportation system really quick. It’s a lot of map reading and time management.
Why did you think this race should raise money for charities instead of offering a big monetary prize to winners? Instead of ugly Americans running around the world, you’re traveling and at the same time giving a little bit back. We’ve had such a bad reputation in the world — it’s a tiny measure of repairing some of the damage.
And he has done a lot of damage.
.. but they still can’t name to save their ass.
However, that is a nice pic of Anthony Shore on the hompage. And as hard as it is to believe ladies, he is straight and available (Post-ops considered).
Anth’s interests include phlebotomy, Harry Potter and calf massages (we forgot to ask which definition of “calf” he intended).
If in a vulnerable moment you do find yourself in bed with Landor on your next naming project, be safe, use a mental dam.
Should you wake up and realize you’ve been badly screwed by a "full service agency”, there is always Plan B or Plan B.
But for those looking for a really spectacular hump, there is no substitute for Plan A.
Saturday, March 15th, 2008 |
branding + company names + language + logo/identity + luxury brands + name changes + naming process + powerful names + product names + taglines Via today’s New York Times:
The Web’s last unconquered frontier – the airplane – is about to be invaded yet again.
This spring, Aircell, a 16-year-old company that sells air to ground telecommunications equipment to airlines, will launch a broadband wireless service for twitchy airplane passengers who need their Internet fix at 40,000 feet.
Two years ago, Aircell, based in Itasca, Ill., and Louisville, Colo., paid $31 million to the federal government for a batch of air-to-ground spectrum that was originally used for in-flight seat-back phones –- an expensive service that passengers largely ignored.
Aircell has since built 92 EVDO cell sites across the United States and pointed them at the sky, where they will bring 3.1-megabit-per-second Internet access to airplanes traveling thousands of feet above the ground at hundreds of miles per hour. The company’s on-board technology will magnify that signal and split it into separate Wi-Fi streams, offering speeds equivalent to a home D.S.L. connection to any passenger who wants to log on with his or her wireless device.
Aircell will start the service, called GoGo, with American Airlines this spring and then expand it with Virgin America over the summer.
If GoGo gets off the ground, it will fulfill the long-held promise of bringing Internet access to airplane passengers. Boeing tried it, somewhat disastrously, earlier this decade with its Connexion in-flight satellite service. Boeing signed up carriers such as Lufthansa, Japan Airlines and Singapore Airlines but the effort was eventually undone by belt-tightening after 9/11. The aircraft maker had to write off $320 million on what was widely reported to be a $1 billion investment.
Jack Blumenstein, Aircell’s chief executive, said GoGo is different in several ways. Airplanes can be retrofitted with the technology overnight, and the in-flight servers and antennas weigh less than 50 pounds, considerably less than Boeing’s bulky satellite receivers. Broadband wireless technology is now faster overall as well, while the array of Wi-Fi equipped consumer devices — from iPhones to laptops — has blossomed.
GoGo’s pricing plans will vary, but access during a cross-country flight should cost around $13. GoGo will also serve up-on-demand television and films from on-board, TiVo-like servers.
Mr. Blumenstein expects other airlines to come on board quickly. “Passengers want freedom and the ability to get back in control of their life and be productive,” he said. “All the data suggests passengers will change planes if one airline offers it and another doesn’t. The airlines will fight to the death over a 1 percent market share shift,” he said.
Readers, please discuss. This is clearly inevitable. Is anyone bothered that the last environment for unwired thinking and old-media-reading is about to be tethered to the grid? I’m ambivalent. Of course, I’ll also be among the first to log on.
Did we mention Gogo was named by Igor? Right, that’s what is most important here.
[ More posts about Aircell | More blogs about Aircell ] [ More posts about Gogo | More blogs about Gogo ]
The folks over at Slate have been having some fun with readers of their Trailhead campaign blog trying to come up with a name that Ben & Jerry’s might use to celebrate Senator Barack Obama’s win of the Democratic primary in the ice cream company’s home state of Vermont.
While thinking up names like Peanut Butter Barackle, Obamana Split, and Barackadamia Nut can be fun, the would-be-namers soon learned that choosing a name that works in all markets can be more difficult than first thought, after they chose the winner Yes, Pecan!
Trailhead reader Gerrit H. mocked up the brilliant pint of ice cream you see above. Tremendous job all around, especially on the blue, red, and white scheme.
Also, several readers have e-mailed telling us that our East Coast bias is on display by thinking “Yes, Pecan!” rhymes with “Yes, We Can!” Down South, pecans are not pronounced pe-CAN, but puh-CAHN, according to Trailhead devotees (Trailheaders? Trailheadians? Trailheads?). Considering Obama adamantly believes in one America, we think he might be distressed by this development. As a result, we’re looking for an alternate flavor for Ben & Jerry’s stores below the Mason-Dixon. The front-runners are currently “Barackadamia Nut” and “Neopolitician.” Got anything better? Let us know.
Meanwhile, back at the headquarters of the Republican National Committee, naming operatives have been busy registering domain names. According to an article in the New York Times, “Speculators have registered nearly 2,000 domain names related to presidential candidates as of last week. Names related to Mrs. Clinton’s candidacy made up over half of the registrations, followed by Mr. Obama with 635 and Mr. McCain with 269.” See here the list of domain names registered by the R.N.C. or on servers used by the committee.
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
When you do succeed, you’re gonna need a name for your invention.
And if, being a scientist, you’re not good at inventing names, you might just name your invention after the number of times you tried, like say, WD-40 or Formula 409.
Formula 409 didn’t get it’s name from the area code where it was developed. And it’s not the birth date of the creator’s daughter. Formula 409 got its name from perseverance. From the desire of two young scientists in Detroit to create the ultimate cleaner. A cleaner powerful enough to cut through grease and dirt on contact.
A cleaner like that doesn’t get created on the first try. And in the eyes of these two persistent scientists, it doesn’t get created on the 101st, 201st, 301st or 401st try either. Only when they had created their 409th formula were these two young men satisfied that they had created the ultimate cleaner. Formula 409. Kitchen messes don’t stand a chance.
In 1953, a fledgling company called Rocket Chemical Company and its staff of three set out to create a line of rust-prevention solvents and degreasers for use in the aerospace industry, in a small lab in San Diego, California.
It took them 40 attempts to get the water displacing formula worked out. But they must have been really good, because the original secret formula for WD-40—which stands for Water Displacement perfected on the 40th try—is still in use today.
We should have blogged about these names on National Inventors Day.
Xobni, the word “inbox” spelled backwards, has created a new way to look at your email. Xobni takes the effort out of organizing, searching, and navigating your email.
What happens to a company or product with a name that is bass ackwards?
The late great Mr. Hicks has something to say about the profession that we here at Igor ply as our trade on a daily basis.
As was his way, Bill is right on the money. In this clip he serves as the anti-Seth, which is always a good thing. Enjoy.
Friday, February 29th, 2008 |
advertising + branding + company names + pop culture + powerful names + product names + taglines 
