Client vs Creative
I have had the experience of the blue robot more times than I want to know. Although usually I just think what he is saying.
Usually.
Posted: January 19th, 2012 |
Category: Igor
Posted: January 19th, 2012 |
Category: Igor What would God eat for breakfast?
We’re guessing Froot Loops. Or perhaps a Swanson Hungry-Man All Day Breakfast, unless God worries about eating too much fat. Probably not. We’ll go with the Hungry Man.
One breakfast food with God on its marketing team is Ezekiel 4:9. The biblical quote referenced by the product name is:
“Take also unto thee Wheat and Barley and Beans and Lentils and Millet and Spelt and put them in one vessel and make bread of it.”
Sounds perfectly reasonable for a health food brand. What they don’t say is that Ezekiel has some further breakfast preparation tips. Those of you with little time to make the bus to work in the morning may want to skip this last step in the recipe, from Ezekiel 4:12:
“And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight.”
Sounds like Devil’s food to us. But Zeke here isn’t the first national brand to be changing money in the temple. Chevrolet has had God shilling for them for years.
[ More posts about naming products | More posts about naming companies ]
Posted: January 18th, 2012 |
Category: Uncategorized Congrats Mitt. You’ve achieved the brand you so meticulously cultivated.
Posted: January 11th, 2012 |
Category: Igor “Summer Love” – great name for an ale, when paired w/ the baseball theme
Posted: December 27th, 2011 |
Category: Igor Building Equity in a Name
We’ve name a lot of buildings here at Igor: Wynn Las Vegas, Aria Resort, The Signature at MGM, The Address in Dubai, The Wit in Chicago. Here’s a well written piece on the naming of high rise buildings in Manhattan. Via the NY Times:
ONE afternoon over the summer, eight people gathered in an office at the Corcoran Group to brainstorm names for a 29-unit condominium scheduled for completion in mid-2012.
To get the ball rolling, Stephen Glascock, the president of the project’s developer, Anbau Enterprises, reminded the assembled team of sales agents and marketing consultants that the building, soon to rise on West 23rd Street off the Avenue of the Americas, would be in a “a fun location” near Chelsea and the High Line.
“Nexus,” suggested one attendee. “Crossroads,” suggested another.
Not quite.
The building will be energy-efficient, Mr. Glascock continued. It will have fresh filtered air and insulation that dampens noise. His wrap-up: “It’s a good building. It’s a positive participant in the community.”
“It’s a good citizen,” piped up Amy Frankel, a managing partner of the branding agency IF Studio.
“Citizen?”
“Citizen!”
“We all looked at each other and said, ‘What a great name,’ ” Mr. Glascock recollected. “Let’s call the building Citizen.”
A landmark prewar facade or the latest in high-end amenities may be at the top of a buyer’s must-have list, but a stirring or lyrical name can be a powerful selling tool, too. A clunker, on the other hand, can be at best a puzzle, at worst a punch line.
“It’s Branding 101,” said Allen P. Adamson, a managing director of Landor, a corporate identity consultant. “A name tells a story, and a good name can tell a very strong story.”
What’s coming next year, “Eternally Motionless”?
What does it say about us that this year’s “Snuggie” is called “Forever Lazy”? Have things gone downhill that far that fast? How is it possible that this name appeals to anyone?
Posted: December 1st, 2011 |
Category: Igor The Igor-named Gogo inflight WiFi service launches national TV commercial campaign
Igor’s Gogo naming case study here.
The new and improved Igor-named Boogie Board ships Novevember 1!
The Boogie Board Rip™ LCD Writing Tablet combines an exceptional, paper-like writing experience with the ability to record your written and drawn images and save them as files. Then connect to a computer and transfer files for editing, organizing, archiving and/or sharing! The highly reflective screen material uses no power to display an image!
Posted: October 24th, 2011 |
Category: Igor Branding versus Advertising
We are often asked what the difference between branding and advertising is, as our work of positioning and naming companies and products is an essential component of branding.
Branding is demonstrating, advertising is explaining. What you fail to demonstrate you are forced to explain. In business, as in all aspects of life, it is more powerful and effective to demonstrate rather than to explain.
Advertising is shouting, branding is a whisper. When you whisper, people lean forward.
Here is a perfect example, while technically in the form of an ad, this is branding. No explanation, just demonstration
“Three Musketeers” candy name etymology
The popular chocolate bar “Three Musketeers” got its name because when it was first introduced in 1932 there were three individual bars. The flavors were strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla.
[via Awesome Facts for iPhone & iPod Touch]
Posted: October 18th, 2011 |
Category: product names Another Brick at The Wall
Igor’s Senior 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.
The Art of the Engaging Company Name
Spotted this one in Mill Valley, CA this morning. Clever, but not too obvious, it causes you to think about it, to roll it around in you head, meaning you will never forget it. Job well done.
Focus Groups & Naming
We have always insisted that focus grouping names has a negative effect on the outcome. Our favorite Steve Jobs quote conveys the same idea in terms of product creation.
Via the May 25, 1998, issue of Business Week:
…it’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them. That’s why a lot of people at Apple get paid a lot of money, because they’re supposed to be on top of these things.
It’s true, you either know what you’re doing or you don’t.
Igor’s latest naming job, “Skin Flik”, launched today!
Why the name Skin Flik? Because they are skins that change color with a flick of your finger across their surface. There was a second reason…but memory fades…
Happily, they use no power whatsoever from your portable device. It’s true. Highly reflective LCD technology.
Why no “c” in Flik? We dropped the “c” to pull it away from the time-honored “Skin Flick” and create a unique brand name. Visually it was done for balance; to make both words 4 letters and get the ki-ik bookend thing happening between the two words. And of course to make it findable instantly on Google and not be blissfully buried beneath reels of “Skin Flicks”.
Currently available for iPod Touch, coming soon for iPhone. Check out all the designs at the Improv Electronics site.
Color us impressed
Today’s New York Times article on naming is unusual in that it actually contains useful tips & rules for naming anything:
- Look for a name that paints a picture
- Make an emotional connection
- Go for stopping power. If a name can get people to pause and think for a moment – that’s as good as it gets.
- Ignore “negative” connotations
We Call It Brown, They Call It “Weekend in the Country”
In pursuit of emotional connections, some paint companies have swept aside even basic rules, including the one that said to avoid negative connotations.
Martha Stewart offers Darkening Sky and Tempest. Benjamin Moore has Stormy Sky. Pantone has Turbulence and Tornado.
“These names might be disturbing to some,” said Lee Eiseman, executive director of Pantone. “But these are things that exist in nature.”
And then there is Dead Salmon, a taupe-like color from Farrow & Ball, the English paint company. Sarah Cole, the company’s marketing director, explained that the word “dead” in Britain means matte. Has the company considered dropping the “dead” for its American audience? No, Ms. Cole said. “It’s fun, and people pick up on it.” (The company also offers Arsenic.)
Posted: June 30th, 2011 |
Category: Igor Named by Igor – DirecTV announces “Audience”, a new premium network
Via Reuters:
New Name, New Look, New Logo on Tap For DIRECTV’s Original Programming Network
Beginning June 1, DIRECTV’s The 101 Network will transform itself into the Audience Network and become the new home for DIRECTV’s exclusive programming, which includes some of the smartest, most daring entertainment on television. The Audience Network will be accessible in 19.4 million homes on channel number 239.
The newly-branded network will focus on maintaining DIRECTV’s growing commitment to providing subscribers with premium network programming that can’t be seen anywhere else…
…“We’ve spent the last six years building this network into something very special,” said Derek Chang, executive vice president of Content Strategy and Development at DIRECTV.
“DIRECTV is the only television operator who provides customers with a premium quality entertainment network for free and the new name perfectly captures who we are doing this for, specifically our demographic, the DIRECTV audience.
When we performed our competitive analysis, it became clear that all of the movie / original programing network names had names that were product-centric and they all contained common terms associated with performance and film: Showtime, Home Box Office, Cinemax, Starz, Bravo, Arts & Entertainment, etc. No one was naming and positioning themselves for the consumer – it was all one-note chest thumping – the names are all interchangeable. There was an opportunity to have a name that was different, a name that was about the audience rather than about the product.
Incredibly, though the word “Audience” appears in virtually every movie review and every article about a television network, it had never been used as a name in the TV / Film production industry or in the entertainment business. It had been hiding in plain sight, overlooked. “Audience”, the essential element of all entertainment.
More on the Audience Network at the DirecTV website.
Corporate team building exercise
The only relevance this video has to our blog topic, even tangentially, is that the song contains a reference to a corporate team building exercise. Close enough and WTF, it’s business time:
A leaner, more digestable cut of the Igor Naming Guide now available!
As we were celebrating the fact that the Igor Naming Guide has been on the reading lists of Wharton & USC Annenberg for years AND was just downloaded for the 300 thousandth time; we got a complaint. At 115 pages, the ultimate free, how-to resource for naming companies and products, had gotten too long.
Always eager to produce less, we responded. The naming guide is now available in two different lengths: soul-crushing (89 pages) and moderately-irritating (16 pages).
Either version of the naming guide can be downloaded here.
Posted: March 13th, 2011 |
Category: Igor, company names, industry insider, name changes, product names, taglines Igor in today’s “Ward’s Auto”
Cerberus Instinct Letter-Perfect, by Eric Mayne February 18th, 2011
Like me, I’m sure you’ve wondered why Chrysler broke with convention by retaining “LX” as the codename for its new-generation fullsize car platform.
A Chrysler insider recently spells it out for me.
“This vehicle should have been reclassified as LY,” he says of the ‘11 Chrysler 300, the disputed platform’s flagship. “The original vision was that it would gravitate to LY.”
So what happened?
“There was an emotional attachment to LX with our past management, which was Cerberus,” the insider explains. “They wanted to stay with LX.”
Understandable. Especially because LX earned widespread industry acclaim.
It was the foundation of the ‘05 300, a car that rejuvenated American design. Why not keep the original designation? What could happen?
“Frankly, it’s been wreaking havoc with us internally because all of our production-control systems and everything,” the insider says. “It’s been very difficult.”
Separating the old program from the new required “shadow systems and all sorts of crazy things,” he adds.
His disdain for Cerberus is glaring. Like a typo on resume.
But the private-equity firm wasn’t completely wrong to write off the time-honored naming protocol. So suggests California-based branding guru Steve Manning.
“‘X’ is associated with anything that’s experimental or extra,” says Manning, co-founder of Igor, a leading corporate-naming consultancy.
Not to mention sexy, “as in triple-X,” he adds.
“It’s a very uncommon letter in the alphabet so it tends to stand out and has a certain look and sound. Everybody uses ‘X.’ It has a certain cool factor.”
And ‘L’ often is associated with luxury, Manning reminds.
Nothing wrong with that. But what does ‘LY’ communicate?
“’LY is no good,” he says. “‘Y’ is just deadly. Combined with ‘L,’ it’s just something that you put at the end of a word. Like slowly. There’s nothing going on with ‘LY.’”
Forget that platform codes have no market value. Cerberus did at least one thing right.
Give it an ‘E’ for effort.
A Room with a Ewe
The 50 best business names that are puns.
Posted: February 15th, 2011 |
Category: advertising, company names, name changes, pop culture, product names, taglines Free naming & branding advice via American Express
American Express debuted a series of podcasts about branding today. Igor co-founder Steve Manning is featured doing a segment on naming
Posted: January 24th, 2011 |
Category: Igor When you’ve got a hell of a cold
Thankfully, we don’t have to make this stuff up. 666 Cold medicine is available everywhere.
The 666 spokesperson has not as yet responded to our request for comment.
Posted: January 21st, 2011 |
Category: Uncategorized Technical Disclosures: A cost saving alternative to filing a patent
If your intellectual property goals are to protect your right to use your ideas and to prevent others from patenting them, publishing a technical disclosure rather than filing for a patent, may well make good business sense. For starters, the entire patent process can run $25,000 and up. Publishing a technical disclosure will cost you less than 300 bucks. This can make even more sense if you have multiple ideas or technologies you have developed, but no immediate way to monetize them. You also may not want to freeze out others from developing products around and in concert with your idea by filing a patent.
IP.com has a great free guide that you can download called “Defensive Publishing Via Technical Disclosures“.
Check it out.
And here is a great place to initiate a Patentability Search
Posted: November 4th, 2010 |
Category: Igor Etymology of Car Names, part 71
The Ford Lincoln-Mercury Sable is:
“A personal conveyance named after its inventor, an assassinated ruler, a character from Greco-Roman myth and a small furry mammal.” – Beldar Conehead
Kevin Costner’s oil spill clean up machine & patent
At Igor we deal with intellectual property rights every week as we search thousands of trademarks while naming products for our clients. It’s not enough to have a good idea, you need one you can legally own.
Kevin Costner’s much publicized Ocean Therapy Solutions company developed a soon-to-be-implemented oil and water separation machine. BP has ordered 32 of them thus far to help deal with their latest environmental disaster.
You can view the patent filing, description and drawings for Costner’s oil spill clean up machine here. Click on the pic in the upper right corner to see the full diagrams.
Patent Search Box for blogs / sites
ip.com (as in “intellectual property”) just launched a feature where you can add a Patent Search Box to your blog sidebar, so your visitors can search patents right from your site.
Search Box code available here.
You can do full searches for US Patents, US Patent Applications, Prior Art, PRC (China) Patents and PRC Patents in translation.
So that’s kinda cool.
Xfinity – a Dunder Mifflin idea
There has been much speculation and pontification on whence the name Xfinity came, but look no further than the looming Comcast-NBC merger. Whilst kicking the NBC tires, surely even a beast as slow-witted as Comcast fumbled across the NBC property ‘The Office”.
The Dunder Mifflin logo sports an infinity symbol
Xfinity is meant to signal Comcast’s foray into the future of high tech possibilities, while at Dunder Mifflin, “Infinity” is the name of the internal initiative to bring technology to the failing paper company.
Why would the comedy writers of “The Office” chose the name “Dunder Mifflin Infinity” for the high tech effort? Because it is silly, obvious, pitiful and ridiculous, in keeping with ambiance of the show.
The name was such a hit that DunderMifflinInfinity.com is the show’s official fansite.
In the second episode of the fourth season titled “Dunder Mifflin Infinity”, regional manager Michael Scott best summed up the idea of “Infinity” (or Xfinity, for that matter):
“Everyone always wants new things. Everybody likes new inventions, new technology. People will never be replaced by machines. In the end, life and business are about human connections. And computers are about trying to murder you in a lake. And to me, the choice is easy.”
“Comcast Xfinity. The possibilities are mindless”
“Boogie Board” and “Improv” debut, both named by Igor
We named a new consumer product company “Improv Electronics”. We also named Improv’s first product, “Boogie Board“, which went on sale last week.
Via Gizmodo:
If you thought a boogie board was a salt-water vessel that lets you skim the waves, think again. Improv Electronics’ Boogie Board is a pressure-sensitive
tablet that uses a watch battery for power. It’s like a digital blackboard!
The Reflex LCD doesn’t need any power to keep the scribbles and drawings on the screen, with the watch battery only being put into use when the screen is erased. The watch battery will last for 50,000 erases, which makes the $29.97 board cost 15 times less for each erase than a normal sheet of paper. It’s ideal for kids, or perhaps artists who care about the long-term saving associated with the Boogie Board.
The Igor-named “Aria” resort and casino opens its doors
Igor’s latest naming work, The MGM / Dubai World hotel and casino “Aria”, has its grand opening in Las Vegas today. This marks the fifth hotel thus far in Igor’s naming portfolio.
MGM Aria, Las Vegas
Via The Las Vegas Sun:
The centerpiece of CityCenter — the Aria Resort & Casino — will open Wednesday, marking a day of grand opening celebrations for the $8.5 billion project…
…The 4,004-room resort and casino will feature more than 150,000 square feet of gaming space, a 215,000-square-foot pool area with 50 cabanas and an 80,000-square-foot spa, the largest among MGM Mirage properties.
The resort also will include 10 bars and lounges, and 16 restaurants. Aria will be home to Cirque du Soleil’s newest show, “Viva Elvis,” which takes guests on a trip through Elvis Presley’s life and music, with first performances beginning Friday.
Until Wednesday, VIPs and company executives will be testing the waters at Aria, ensuring the resort is ready for its first public guests.
Don’t fret, we weren’t invited either.
Posted: December 15th, 2009 |
Category: Igor