November 10, 2008
A Domain Name Brand Naming Controversial Sale
Naming and branding is becoming a whole lot trickier thanks to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers' decision to sell an unnumbered amount of new domain name suffixes. This flood of new domain name sales is expected to lead to major companies having to spend extravagantly just to protect the integrity of their brand names online.
Marriott and New York Life are already expressing their displeasure over the rules that could force banks to buy up all domain suffixes like ".hotels" or ".bank."
It's a controversal subject that I have written about before and will not go away.
There is no doubt that finding available domain names is difficult with 70 million domain names already taken, including all 3 to 4 letter combinations as well as most, if not all, of the words found in the dictionary. In fact, some groups now focus on purchasing expired names for reuse.
Since some people see domain names as an investment, over 80% of the registered domain names out there do not even have a site attached to them and are just waiting for a large corporate buyout.
It is debatable what the cost will be to companies or even what the effect of this rush of new suffixes will ultimately be, but it is frightening to think of some of the possible outcomes.
For instance, malicious programmers could easily create a bogus New York Life site with a new suffix like ".insurance" and start collecting private info from unsuspecting consumers.
It looks like the Internet is "going to get alot crazier." Anyone with a couple hundred dollars to spend will suddenly be empowered to grab a branded domain with a new suffix.
These new domain name regulations will certainly have a direct effect on the management of a company's brand naming which will likely create an entirely new set of challenges for people in the naming business.
We at Strategic Name Development will be watching these events with great interest and preparing ourselves accordingly.
Technorati Tags: Domain Names, Brand Naming, Naming, Domain Suffixes, Internet Corporation, Branding
Posted by William Lozito at 8:08 AM
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October 21, 2008
Buckypaper: A Naming and Branding Strength or Weakness?
I have no idea why the inventors of so many new, interesting products seem to actually go out of their way to get silly names appended to their inventions. Today's case in point is Buckypaper.
Yes, you read that right. Buckypaper.
No, this is not really nubbly sandpaper, nor is it dental paper for buck teeth. In fact, this isn't paper at all. Buckypaper is actually "The tube-shaped variation of the buckminsterfullerene molecule" which can be dispersed in liquid and turned into a very, very strong film that's 10 times lighter, but 500 times stronger than steel. Say hello to new planes, cars and homes made of this interesting material.
Did I mention that buckminsterfullerene is referred to as "buckyballs," so nicknamed by its Nobel Prize Winning discoverer?
That's right, the miracle substance of the next generation starts out life as buckyballs and then evolves into Buckypaper. 
Although surprisingly, this might not even be the silliest prototype name I have seen this month - the (probably fictional) High Five-o-Meter gets that label - but it is close. A second runner-up is The Insecta, the product name for a new concept car that looks sort of like a . . . well, you know.
Hey, at least the Insecta has a name, the new, incredible eBook reader by Plastic Logic is still in the midst of its own product naming process.
However, in the case of Buckypaper, a bad name might actually be far worse than no name at all. You definitely won't see me stepping into an airplane made out of Buckypaper any time soon.
Technorati Tags: Buckypaper, Buckminsterfullerene, Buckyballs, The Insecta, Concept Car, Naming and Branding, High Five-o-Meter, Product Naming, Naming
Posted by William Lozito at 11:11 AM
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October 2, 2008
Weather or Not, A Brand Name That's Cloudy
Steve Ballmer recently announced that Microsft will soon be launching a new OS called "Windows Cloud," for developers who want to write applications for cloud computing. Although the system most likely will not be called "Cloud" by the time it's released.
This move demonstrates that Microsoft clearly wants to be part of the "cloud computing" phenomenon; a phenomenon that has elicited a huge response across the Internet, mostly because it's so hard to define.
Larry Ellison is already denying the existence of clouds while others feel that cloud computing is "overhyped," even though few of us feeling the hype can, hand on heart, say that we understand what it actually is.
GNU founder Richard Stallman says cloud computing is a "trap" (well he would, wouldn't he? This is the fellow who says it's "worse than stupidity" to use Gmail).
My feeling? Cloud computing is here to stay, but this may be a case where the product name preceded the product in a big way. The best thing about it, from a naming perspective, is that the name itself has got us curious, and even arguing about it. I have already written about how the "Cloud" name has had trademark issues as eager developers try to make this particular product name theirs and think up a product or application for it later.
But by actually calling the new OS "Windows Cloud," Microsoft helps bring clarity and credence to an otherwise cloudy phenomenon.
Technorati Tags: Cloud, Microsoft, Cloud Computing, Brand Naming, Product Naming, Product Name, Windows OS, Steve Ballmer
Posted by William Lozito at 9:58 AM
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September 25, 2008
Has the T-Mobile G1 Brand Name Become a Nightmare?
As you probably already know, the T-Mobile G1 smartphone started out with the code name the Dream.
Seems like the G1 dream has become more of a nightmare in terms of product naming.
The concerns I raised about the G1 name in my earlier post have intensified. It turns out that T-Mobile's new phone limited the bandwidth to 1-GB of data per month.
I then thought to myself, gee, might it be called the G1 because of the 1-GB limit? Maybe so, maybe not, but T-Mobile has rescinded the 1-GB limit, so I wonder if they will now call this phone the G1 Unlimited or the G1 Plus.
It is probably very unlikely that the G1 referred to the 1-GB limit, but I'm also reminded of another reason G1 is such a poor name. The G1 phone runs on the G3 network, which only adds to the aforementioned confusion.
At the risk of sounding self-serving, and I don't mean to be, my guess is that the G1 name was lobbied for by the T-Mobile engineers who worked on it.
Technorati Tags: G1, T-Mobile G1, 1-GB, Product Naming, G3 Network, Google, Dream Phone
Posted by William Lozito at 5:15 PM
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Will Apple's Brick Product Code Naming be a Smash Hit?
The award for the clumsiest product code name goes to Apple this week for its secret something that the blogosphere is now gleefully referring to as "Brick."
The "Brick" is designed to, you guessed it, smash Windows with its sheer Appleness.
Many bloggers are wondering what the "Brick" is, but it is most likely just software updates. Although there are rumors that it might be a new Mac Mini or a new dock (these would actually look like bricks, I suppose).
The funny thing is that the word "brick" does not carry positive connotations in relation to technology. "Bricks" are usually useless devices, such as clunky cell phones or slow computers. The word "brick" is also a slang term for "bummer," like, "That movie had a brick of an ending." So "brick" would be a less than ideal code name for a new MacBook, for instance.
Even more tantalizing, giving the current economic climate, is that the "Brick" is simply a large price reduction for MacBooks. This would indeed throw a real brick at Windows.
The Brick gets unveiled on October 14th (we think), so be sure to keep an eye out to see if lives up to its name, or doesn't.
Technorati Tags: Brick, Apple, Windows, Code Naming, MacBook, Software, Product Naming, Naming
Posted by William Lozito at 8:03 AM
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September 24, 2008
What do you think of the T-Mobile G1 brand naming?
The new Google phone is out and it has been named the "G1." Well, let me be more precise.
This is a Google-powered phone sold by T-Mobile USA that uses the vaunted Android operating system. It's official name is actually the "T-Mobile G1" leading one blogger to ask "G1, Gphone, Tphone - what will you call your Google phone?"
To confuse matters even further, HTC, the Taiwan based manufacturer of the phone, code-named it the Dream. I've rarely seen a technology device referred to by so many names.
When I first saw the term G1, I immediately thought that this must be for an old product. Why?
I was immediately reminded of:
- Apple's G-Series of Towers which ended in the discontinued G5
- Then there is the Pontiac G5 and G6
- Oh, did I mention that ASUS has a G1 and G2 laptop
- Finally, maybe this is a little bit of a stretch, but I was also reminded of the George Foreman G5 grill
While I agree with New Gadgets and Gizmos that the T-Mobile G1 Phone is not an iPhone killer, I strongly disagree with the assertion that iPhone will become a genericized brand, like Kleenex, Xerox and Band-Aids.
Just as Apple tightly controls third party developer software for the iPhone, it has a track record of vigorously defending its brand trademarks.
Technorati Tags: G1, T-Mobile G1, iPhone, Google, Pontiac, George Foreman, Computers, Cell Phones, Android
Posted by William Lozito at 8:06 AM
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September 9, 2008
What Name Would You Give to Plastic Logic's New Electronic-Reading Device?
Top Ten Reviews wonders who in their right mind would unveil a really cool electronic gizmo to the public "without the catchy name already chosen?"
The well named company, Plastic Logic, is about to learn about the plasticity of product naming thanks to its newly unveiled Electronic-Reading Device. We can only hope that this name, with its weird dash, is just a place holder.
This product, which uses a technology called "electronic ink", is a lightweight, magazine size electronic reader that is going to be given its own name by bloggers and fans before Plastic Logic officially gives it a moniker. If you doubt me, take a look at the way the bloggers have dubbed it an e-Newspaper reader. Or should it be an E-Newspaper because its electronic ink is made by E-Ink? Heck, maybe its just an electronic newspaper reader.
Although, this thing may actually work for reading things other than a newspaper. In fact, it can do far more than just display newspapers, it's a competitor to Kindle and Sony Reader Digital Book and as such can handle documents, magazines and books in addition to the Wall-Street Journal and New York Times.
But because it has not been introduced with a real name, it is already being shoved into its own niche by eager writers and fans.
This reminds me of the hype around the iPhone, which was named by Apple lovers long before it was introduced, and even before Apple had secured the final name.
However, I'm reminded of one of the Laws of Branding - If you don't define yourself, someone else will (this applies to politics as well).
Technorati Tags: Plastic Logic, Electronic-Reading Device, Newspaper Reader, Kindle, Sony Reader Digital Book, Newspaper, New Product Naming, Digital Reader
Posted by William Lozito at 8:07 AM
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