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Corporations, dressed up like Charlatans and Harlequins, have
done enough dancing; shareholders are no longer fooled by
fancy images, fake identities with silly names, making fun
of their investments. Everyone demands honesty from every
aspect of the business empire. It's all about trustworthiness.
In January 2003, ABC Namebank
International* completed a global survey. A list of 5000 major
international corporations was compiled and each corporate
name was analyzed for its marketing power, image, ownership
and trustworthiness in four categories.
Suitability: how truly a
name describes itself and the nature of it's business.
When names are totally irrelevant
to the business, they often mislead or confuse shareholders
and consumers alike. This large group of corporate names is
an interesting mixture of mumbo-jumbo, strange name identities,
projecting weird, non-related, connotations, confusing and
conflicting with the actual business itself. These types of
names often appear to be intentionally deceptive about the
size, quality or marketing reach of the corporation. Dressed
up like Harlequins or sometimes as Charlatans with fancy logos,
spinning circles, bright color schemes with shooting stars
they only create fear and doubt among already burned investors.
83% names failed this acid test of name suitability.
Personality: how a name
stands out among other competitors with honesty.
When names are borderline silly,
nonsensical, overly creative, too trendy, projecting a short
life expectancy, they scare everyone. This group of accidental
names only makes fun of shareholders’ money. Business can
sometimes be all fun but corporate image making is a very
serious business. 47% failed.
Registrability: how the
corporation globally owns a name with its identical DotCom.
When names are tangled in trademark
litigation worldwide they only become a liability and an expensive
burden to the corporation, bleeding marketing and advertising
dollars. Companies in this group each have hundreds or, at
times, thousands of similar and identical names in the global
marketplace. E-commerce, with all its vengeance, only crushes
these names on search engines. Customers and shareholders
can hardly find the right company at the right time. 85%
failed
Respectability: how a name
matches its real image with actual goals and results.
When image is credible and
matches the projected goals, shareholders feel comfortable
and consumers trust the corporation. This small group of shining
stars have one of a kind, unique, powerful, global name identity
and image. The name clearly identifies with their goals and
what they do. This creates respectability and clearly provides
them with ongoing trustworthiness. 93% failed
The research classified the
corporate name identity of the global multi-nationals in the
following four categories:
Charlatans: Deceptive
Corporate images appearing to intentionally confuse shareholders.
Names projecting false marketing goals or financial capabilities.
"Global Monopoly Inc"; "MarchFirst Inc."; "e-Corporation";
"Global Crossing"; "WorldCom", "MCom".
Ghosts: Images originating
from the early part of the last century, or prior, projecting
futuristic image. Re-invented logos under antiquated names
confuse the marketplace. "e-Steel"; "St. Peter's Online Bank";
"Devine E-Commerce". "e Eaton"
Alphabetti Soup: Names
that simply drown in the soup, making it impossible to decipher
the nature of its business, tricking the marketplace. "XPGHRT
INC"; "FUGTI"; "AIGTNA"; "BOOBOO INC"; "3 INC". "HIH"
Stars: One of a kind,
unique, powerful, globally protected, with an identical DotCom.
This group represents 7% of the 5000 tested. "SONY"; "TELUS";
"MICROSOFT"; "PLAYSTATION"; "FOUR SEASONS HOTEL".
Malpractice of "Corporate Identity"
created this accidental naming. Further compounded when voodoo
accounting met voodoo branding. A silly name with a hundred
million dollar rollout campaign became the standard. Package
designers abandoned the noble profession of corporate naming
to other big dollar maneuvers, becoming experts in corporate
governance, IPOs, and other strange areas, in the name of
branding. Voodoo that is.
Secondly, what about the
Typing Revolution?
Right now, we are heavily engaged
in a war of global e-commerce where everyone is forced to
type absolutely correctly. Particularly a businessname. whitehouse.gov
takes you to Lincoln's bedroom, while dotcom will take you
to Lolita's. So, type in the morning, the afternoon, the evening,
in cars, elevators, bedrooms, restrooms, boardrooms, dining
tables, picnic tables and sometimes all day in the office
too. The same fingers that did all the walking on the Yellow
Pages have now learned tap dancing. klika-ta-klick,
klika-ta-klick. . . Ole!
There were similar major revolutions
during the entire last century. Namely,
"Print Society" - forced reading
and literacy.
"Radio Society" - listening,
dialogue and music.
"Telephone Society" - conversation,
spiel, telemarketing.
"TV Society" - better sofas,
centrality of the living room, visual knowledge.
"Computer Society" - organization
and planning.
"Telecom Society" - globalization
and surfing.
"Cyber-Society" - decentralization,
intellectual-anarchy.
"Broadcast Society" Be prepared,
it’s next, fueled by Anchoring and Broadcasting from everybasement
in the globe. Make-up, lights, camera, action. Hello, CNN*.
[*Adapted from: Sunrise, Day
One, Year 2000, Javed, Linkbridge 1996]
Today it’s all about searchability
controlled by spelling and cognitive associations. Listings
have gone through the roof: A two-inch directory of the past
is now a two-mile thick book. Masses with their strained memorability
are frustrated with typing twisted names with strange dashes
and slashes while evolution of brain is simply stuck slightly
ahead of Jurassic Park. The brain has no incentive to work
hard.
Positioning of a name for maximum
impact in global e-commerce is the new game. One hour on the
Net takes you through enough artwork created during the entire
last century by all the logo shops of the world combined.
No one really cares about logos. Name is what everyone talks
about, remembers, types, chats about, refers to, calls, praises
or curses. Think of Yahoo. Can you recall their logos or colors?
How about E-Trade, Amazon or Kazaa? There are hundreds of
other businesses that you are already typing in daily, simply
by name.
The Morning After The Party:
Forget the hangover, corporate
image-makers and brand agencies have only hurt themselves
by ignoring the correct methodologies required for proper
naming. Agencies asking sub-contractors to hire free-lancers
to do their brainstorming and focus groups are over. Exercises
to pool 5000 names over five months for few millions to come
up with a Phooffs are finished.
Extreme exercises with executives
locked up in a boardroom, in the dark, each with a flashlight,
making letter signs to form words while the other half tried
to decipher, now lost along with their OINGA, BOINGA names.
If this is the end of logo
design then what’s the future for Corporate Identity Services?
Corporate image-makers have only hurt themselves by ignoring
proper naming. Yet, this offers a great leadership opportunity
for providing well-executed name identity, under the guidance
of "Masters of Naming Architects". After all, there never
was a shortage of great names just lack of expertise and wisdom.
Seven Remedies* from The
Brand New Laws of Corporate Image:
1. Respect:
A name must have an alpha-character
to qualify and gain respect. Face of honesty, integrity, reliability
and credibility. No room for "Purple Frog," "PinkRhino," "Globe-a-Con,"
or "Tomorrow Inc." Sobriety must prevail because corporate
names are not beer commercials.
2. ONE Face, ONE Name:
Stand up with a happy, healthy
face. Don't try too many masks and transmit multiple personalities.
This can seriously blur the image. Advertising is wasted in
harnessing a common mind share. Is the name selling Accounting
or Space Navigation, Computers or Distilled Water? Honest
names are truly honest about what they do.
3. Current Status:
If you think you’re on top
of the world, then show it with your name. Old-fashioned names
will not attract customer's attention to your ongoing evolutions.
Glories of the past often lose their value with the changing
times. Face cyber-branding realities of tomorrow’s global
e-commerce.
4. Become A Star:
Have a star quality in your
corporate name. Its alpha-structure should be bright, clear
and shiny. Don't educate the universe on how to spell, pronounce
or remember a weird spelling or obscure origin of a blunt
klutzy name. No need to be a matchstick when it can be a flashlight.
5. Freedom To Travel:
Spread your wings and fly away.
Wander country to country with your name-Identity and explore
global opportunities. No room for difficulties of global translations,
connotations, secondary meanings, foreign obscenities, pronunciations
and all other language issues. Today, marketing is only global,
burn all the other books that say otherwise. Think locally,
but name universally.
6. Pride & Joy:
Be a leader. Set an example.
Take pride. Introduce it globally with full confidence. Why
the embarrassment? It's not stolen, or is it? Watch competitors
struggle with confusion, dysfunctionalities and embarrassing
naming stories. Shine where others hide.
7. Rightful Ownership:
If you own a corporation, why
not its name? Today, 93% of corporations do not own a global
trademark with an identical domain name. This is the easiest
thing to do. Shortages of global names are only myths successfully
established by design firms. Fix it immediately as there is
no winning without a global trademark with an identical DotCom.
{*Adapted from The Brand New
Laws of Corporate Image Javed, Linkbridge 2003}
In Summary:
At this moment, there is a
much bigger war of branding image going on out there. Corporations
are fighting for global positioning while shareholders are
frightened by the fake hoopla. For those genuine, honest and
progressive corporations of the real economy armed with realistic
goals; there are still a lot of opportunities to stay clear
of these corrupt, polluted and damaged name identities. Seek
out professional naming solutions to your marketing needs
making sure that your names are on solid ground and can pass
the Acid Test of Trustworthiness.
Twenty-one years ago, Naseem
founded ABC Namebank International, in New York and Toronto,
to solely concentrate on corporate nomenclature. Now, ABC
Namebank is an excellent source for global naming solutions,
and over two decades has acquired world-class reputation and
know-how on corporate naming and global domain issues. This
level of specialization is unmatched by any other agency in
the world. A world-renowned authority on corporate nomenclature,
author of two major books, Naseem is featured in over 100
articles worldwide, annually. Today, Naseem is invited to
speak all over the world. His talks are always very insightful,
provocative and serious and at times outrageously hilarious.
He advises CEOs of Fortune 500 and other leading corporations
on all matters of complex global naming in the e-commerce.
Mr.
Javed can be contacted at 212-697-7700 or nj@njabc.com
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