Merriam's Naming

Geomentum in the News

Lisa Merriam — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:50:34 +0000

Merriam Associate’s client Geomentum is in the news with a new president, Lisa Bradner. Read about the new appointment here.

Merriam Associates created the Geomentum name a year ago when Interpublic consolidated several large local media-buying and marketing services units including newspaper buying agency NSA Media, Wahlstrom, a specialist in Yellow Pages and local search, and out-of-home expert Outdoor Services. Geomentum controls over $2 billion in traditional local media.

The Geomentum name was created to begin to tell the company’s brand story of hyper-local media analysis, planning and management. More than a media buying company, Geomentum’s expertise and technology helps marketers use highly detailed local-level information across media (including traditional print, out-of-home, mobile, and local Internet) to impact sales success across tens of thousands of neighborhoods. Geomentum helps marketers “own the neighborhood.”

Congratulations to Geomentum turning one year old August 5th.

Cinderella’s Carrousel Renamed Prince Charming Regal Carrousel

Lisa Merriam — Thu, 27 May 2010 22:27:43 +0000

Renaming Gone Wrong
Disney is renaming the Cinderella Golden Carrousel. Effective June 1, the attraction will now be known as the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel. No reason for the change has been cited. Could it be that Disney is looking to attract more boys to the over-princessed park amusements? If so, this name change is misguided and is already upsetting park goers and Cinderella fans.

How the Carrousel Renaming Blunders
My bet is Disney will spin the Carrousel name back to Cinderella as fast as you can say “bippity boppity boo” because:

Disney has of offended tradition. Some brand names are so beloved and ingrained that they should never be touched.
Disney is messing with Continuity. Continuity drives the theme park business. Parents bring their kids to Disney World so their kids can experience the same wonder that they experienced, changing a signature experience this way hurts that continuity.
Disney is trying to brand around a non-entity. Cinderella is a known and worshipped character. Prince Charming has no story, no personality. He doesn’t even have a name. The rats have bigger roles than he does. (And didn’t a different prince of the same name also woo Snow White?)
Cinderella is iconic to the Disney brand. The company logos don’t feature Prince Charming’s castle–it has always been The Cinderella Castle (though legally speaking, through rules of primogeniture, the structure belongs to the prince and she gets to live there only by virtue of her marriage).
Changing the name doesn’t change the product. Boys aren’t going to suddenly clamber to get on this ride just because of the name change. The scenes painted on the ride remain the same. The story Disney made up and released with the name change is not one that kids will experience. It is utterly irrelevant to them. As irrelevant as the name.

Important Renaming Considerations
Have a clear strong customer-driven reason to change and know how the proposed new name will be viewed by the public. That means research and test, test, test. The benefits have to outweigh the cost. It goes without saying, the new name has to be better than the old. Cinderella is one of the world’s iconic brand names–old Prince What’s-His_Name.

P.S. This Isn’t The First Name Change for the Carrousel
The attraction is a true antique. It was made in Philadelphia in 1917 for the Olympic Park in Maplewood, New Jersey, where it was known as the Liberty Carrousel. Walt Disney bought it in 1967, moved it to Orlando, restored it and renamed it the Cinderella Golden Carrousel.

Toyota Doublespeak: Spinning Possible Recall

Lisa Merriam — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:04:30 +0000

When a corporation uses slippery doublespeak, particularly for brands with trust trouble, they double down on the damage they do to their reputation.

Who does Toyota think they are fooling when they try to paint the new recall of the Tundra as a “heads up” to dealers of a “special service campaign”? Toyota is reeling from waves of recalls and the appearance of being reluctant to deal with their problems. People are already wary that Toyota is trying to cover up mistakes. By using doublespeak or a regulatory fine point, Toyota confirms their suspicions that Toyota is being less than honest.

Our recent video interviews with consumers reveal they are willing to give Toyota the benefit of the doubt, but how far can Toyota push this goodwill before it is gone?

Building back lost trust in Toyota will take time, meticulous service, swift and decisive responses to every issue, and the strictest adherence to truth. Trying to avoid the word “recall” by spinning with the term “special service”, shows that Toyota is more interested in spinning than being forthright. The brand is bound to suffer.

Renaming a Congressional Political Maneuver

Lisa Merriam — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:13:49 +0000

Companies try to find names that fit with products and that generate true and motivating associations. In politics, the opposite is more often true. Politicians of both parties seems particularly attracted to doublespeak. Take note of the new Democratic strategy of replacing the word “Reconciliation” with “Simple Majority”. What is behind the renaming of this tactic?

Reconciliation Seems a Strategically Fitting Name
On the face of it, calling the processes of passing the healthcare bill with 51 votes “Reconciliation” seems like a good naming choice. For a country hungry purportedly hungry for bi-partisanship, the meanings of that name are a strong strategic fit. Reconciliation means bringing differences into harmony, settling disputes, becoming friends again.

Dictionary Definitions Don’t Matter in Naming
But marketers know that the actual definition of a name doesn’t mean a thing. It is the associations that matter. Over the course of the last several months, the parliamentary process called “Reconciliation” has become associated with strong-arm tactics, a my-way-or-the-highway arrogance, shutting out the opposition, “the nuclear option”, even “Rahm-ming It Through”. The real world meaning Reconciliation has come to mean the opposite of the dictionary meaning. Hence the strategic need to rename.

Rhetorical Benefits of the New Name “Simple Majority”
The rhetorical benefits of the new name for passing healthcare through parliamentary maneuver are many. “Simple” means:
· Easy to understand
· Not artificial
· Modest
· Uncomplicated
· Free of deceit
These are great associations for a complex, contentious bill topping 2000 pages that few have read and ever fewer understand. Even better, these meanings try to free the strategy from the complexity and cynicism of back room deals and the intricate rules of Congress. Add the basic playground fairness of “majority rules” to the idea of “Simple Majority”, and it looks like you’ve got a winning name.

Genuine Name or Doublespeak
Naming works when it is genuine. Marketers—and politicians are marketers as much as they are anything—do long-term irreparable damage to their reputations and their ability to earn profits (or votes) when they fail to be truthful. When naming descends to doublespeak, the brand suffers. Just ask Richard Nixon, King of Doublespeak, who will be forever known as Tricky Dick and worse.

In his groundbreaking book Doublespeak, author William Lutz defines doublespeak as language that misleads rather than leads, that pretends to communicate, but really doesn’t, that tries to avoid or shift responsibility, and communication that conceals, limits and prevents thought. Not a wise strategy for brand building.

The Customer is Not Stupid
People are cynical, connected, informed and empowered to broadcast their opinions far and wide. Companies are rapidly learning there is no place to hide and that doublespeak hurts. People will find your missteps and “misspeaks” quickly and will spread the news at warp speed. Just ask Toyota suffering from their mishandled approach to recalls, and Apple on new information of underage workers at their manufacturing plants in China. The customer is not stupid and not silent.

Brands that lie can lose market share. Politicians can lose elections. Rather than being smart strategy, healthcare strategists might just be underestimating voters and outsmarting themselves.

Renaming a Political Maneuver

Lisa Merriam — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:09:19 +0000

Creating a great brand name means finding names that fit with products and that generate true and motivating associations. In politics, the opposite is more often true. Politicians of both parties seems particularly attracted to doublespeak. Take note of the new Democratic strategy of replacing the word “Reconciliation” with “Simple Majority”. What is behind the renaming of this tactic?

Dictionary Definitions Don’t Matter in Naming
But marketers know that the actual definition of a name doesn’t mean a thing. It is the associations that matter. Over the course of the last several months, the parliamentary process called “Reconciliation” has become associated with strong-arm tactics, a my-way-or-the-highway arrogance, shutting out the opposition, even “Rahm-ming It Through” or the “Nuclear Option.” The real world meaning Reconciliation has come to mean the opposite of the dictionary meaning. Hence the strategic need to rename.

Rhetorical Benefits of the New Name “Simple Majority”.
The rhetorical benefits of the new name for passing healthcare through parliamentary maneuver are many. “Simple” means:

Easy to understand
Not artificial
Modest
Uncomplicated
Free of deceit

These are great associations for a complex, contentious bill topping 2000 pages that few have read and ever fewer understand. Even better, these meanings try to free the strategy from the complexity and cynicism of back room deals and the intricate rules of Congress. Add the basic playground fairness of “majority rules” to the idea of “Simple Majority”, and it looks like you’ve got a winning name.

In his groundbreaking book Doublespeak, author William Lutz defines doublespeak as language that misleads rather than leads, that pretends to communicate, but really doesn’t, that tries to avoid or shift responsibility, and communication that conceals, limits and prevents thought. Not a wise strategy for brand building.

People are cynical, connected, informed and empowered to broadcast their opinions far and wide. Companies are rapidly learning there is no place to hide and that doublespeak hurts. People will find your missteps and “misspeaks” quickly and will spread the news at warp speed. Just ask Toyota suffering from their mishandled approach to recalls, and Apple on new information of underage workers at their manufacturing plants in China.

Brands that lie can lose market share. Politicians can lose elections. Rather than being smart strategy, healthcare strategists might just be underestimating voters and outsmarting themselves.

Renaming Operation Iraqi Freedom

Lisa Merriam — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:10:04 +0000

When we think of brand names, we most often think of companies and products—but the U.S. military is also in the business of branding. The Pentagon has just announced “Operation Iraqi Freedom” is being renamed “Operation New Dawn”. The Obama administration states the new name will take effect starting September 1st to coincide with the planned troop withdrawals from Iraq. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates says the new name will “recognize our evolving relationship with the Government of Iraq,”

Lest you think this name change is the latest example of President Obama’s deft hand with public relations, realize the U.S. military has a long history in the naming business. The 1991 Persian Gulf War started as Operation Desert Shield. When the invasion hit full tilt, the name morphed to Operation Desert Storm. As things died down, the efforts subsided into Operation Southern Watch and Operation Northern Watch.

Military naming has often been contentious—as most things in war are. The battles of the War Between the States, the War of the Rebellion, the War for Southern Independence, the War of Northern Aggression, Mr. Lincoln’s War, the War to Save the Union and War of Secession, and even The Late Unpleasantness, also known as the Civil War, mostly have two names; a southern name and a northern name. That is why some people talk about the First Battle of Manassas (the town) and some talk about the First Battle of Bull Run (the river). Some refer to the Battle of Sharpsburg (the town) and others talk about the Battle of Antietam (the river).

The Pentagon’s naming efforts haven’t been wholly successful from a marketing sense. Ultimately it is the public that infuses brands with power. That is why Coca-Cola embraced “Coke” as a brand after customers created and used that nickname. Similarly Federal Express embraced its popular FedEx moniker. What the Pentagon named Operation Overlord is known to most people simply as D-Day.

What Makes a Good Name?

Lisa Merriam — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:51:15 +0000

Picking a good name is an important first step in creating a brand. In her book, Merriam’s Guide to Naming, Lisa Merriam discusses a number of criteria. In this video she highlights the most important quality of a good name.

Client Testimonial: Renaming Proxios

Lisa Merriam — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:41:01 +0000

Fast growing, innovative companies can sometimes outgrow their brands.

“Our name became constraining,” said Frank Butler, CEO of Proxios, a fast-growing company using cloud computing technology to create affordable and reliable alternatives to traditional in-house information technology and phone systems. “Our old name Super-Server did not have broad appeal and it was dated.”

Fast growing, innovative companies can sometimes outgrow their brands.

Merriam Associates gave this company a new identity that better fit their reputation and future aspirations. Our research showed that their competitors were all saying the same things and using the same colors, in the same way. Plus, in talking to customers and prospects, we found what truly made them special. Over and over, customers talked about how responsive the company was in understanding the intricacies of each business, in customizing solutions to fit, in answering questions quickly, and in resolving problems.

“We always thought we were a technology company. What we discovered in this process was that customers could not care less about technology,” Frank continued. “What they want is results. They could care less how we do it.”

Informed with that insight and a solid creative brief, we considered hundreds of concepts and tested dozens of candidates through our proprietary process. We recommended the name Proxios because of its deep meaning that is directly relevant to the promise the company makes to their customers.

Proxios derives from the Latin word “proximus”. That word has many meanings including “nearness”, “closely connected” and “close relationship”. The variant “proxios” literally means “freely”. We felt the word perfectly summed up the value proposition:

A close relationship with clients

Keeping them closely connected to applications and data no matter where they are

So that they are free of the headaches and risks of running their own information technology systems

The name is just the first step in creating a brand. We designed a new logo that raises the company above the visual cliches so common to the category. And to tell the Proxios brand story, we wrote copy and designed a visual system that unified the look of all the company’s marketing communications pieces. The new Proxios brand gives the company a solid foundation for fast growth and national expansion–and the stature of innovative and responsive company.

Frank concludes, “It was a remarkable process. It had a magical effect on our company.”

Short Names – Are They Better?

Lisa Merriam — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:02:16 +0000

The advice you hear all the time is “pick a short brand name”. What’s so great about short? Lisa Merriam, author of Merriam’s Guide to Naming gives three reasons why a long name might be better.

Meaning in Brand Names

Lisa Merriam — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:35:21 +0000

People get hung up trying to describe the product or encapsulate the brand positioning in a name. That’s asking a lot from a few words. Lisa Merriam, author of Merriam’s Guide to Naming discusses the meaning in brands and brand names.