In 1999, a struggling Russian vodka company introduced a new
beer to the market called "Windows 99," and its label sported the
familiar symbol seen on Microsoft's (MSFT)
best-selling product. It was an odd strategy for a beer maker, but a
great marketing scheme in Russia's new free-reign economy.
The news was sobering for makers of the software of the same
name. Microsoft had already struggled with the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office over naming its software product, and it would have
a tougher time fighting a legal battle in a country where U.S.
trademarks don't extend.
"Microsoft had a billion-dollar headache trying to put a
trademark on its Windows products," says Naseem Javed, an expert in
corporate nomenclature. The author of five books and hundreds of
presentations, Javed has helped many companies sift through
potential problems with corporate identity.
"Names are your biggest asset," he says. "And if you're
successful at it, and you do it properly, then you can utilize a
name in many ways."
In June, Javed found himself in a familiar place -- speaking to
500 industry executives about the business of names. The gathering
was Upside's Digital Living Room Conference (DLR) in Dana Point,
Calif., and it was attended by companies in the space of at-home,
digital entertainment.
As Javed explained, the name game is an integral part of the
business plan. Nearly 10,000 domain names are set up daily and that
number is expected to reach 50,000 a day in the next few years, he
said.
"Many Internet companies think that with money you can buy a
name, and that's not true," Javed said. "If the name is bad,
millions and millions of dollars will not change the public's mind."
The emerging space featured at DLR, which itself has acquired the
name "convergence," will make way for a bundle of new companies
merging technology and entertainment. As the conference suggested,
digital entertainment and technology will be around for a long time.
It's the company names that industry watchers should worry
about.
