March 17, 2010
Canon Changes the Face of Domain Naming and Branding with .Canon
This is interesting news in naming and branding.
Canon has applied for the .Canon generic Top Level Domain (gTLD), which Antony Van Couvering of Circle ID says breaks the "thin brand line" of near universal opposition to the practice of companies buying these domain names.
The fact is, it's the "worst kept secret in the industry" that top brands are quietly acquiring their own domains from ICANN to smoke out cybersquatters, throwing costs to the wind.
This makes Canon one of the world's first companies, and certainly the biggest brand, to say "uncle" and buy its own domain name, making the future Canon home page Canon.Canon.
Many bloggers question the wisdom of this move, saying that the intuitive domain name still ends with ".com" But this may change over time, and Canon is not taking chances.
According to DomainNews.com, "The new gTLD system is expected to allow a company name, brand name, geographic region, or service type to be used as a gTLD within website and e-mail addresses."
The installation of the system is set to begin by the end of 2011.
It just seems logical that a large company with a lot of brand equity would want it's own domain, and not have it bought by some kid in a basement or a shrewd competitor.
Technorati Tags: Canon, Domain Names, Branding, Naming, Photograph, ICANN
Posted by William Lozito at 12:46 PM| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
March 12, 2010
Punch Ya Daddy Naming Continues to Live On
I'm not sure if this is good news or bad news, so I'll just put it out there: "Punch Ya Daddy" seasoning can keep its (ridiculous) name.
I wrote about the seasoning war simmering between "Slap Ya Mama" and "Punch Ya Daddy" last year. The makers of "Slap Ya Mama" Cajun seasoning, Walker & Sons, slapped "Punch Ya Daddy" with a trademark infringement lawsuit last year.
Now, a federal judge has ordered "Punch Ya Daddy" to change its logo and packaging, which is very similar to that of "Slap Ya Mama" and "damaging the plaintiff's business".
The judge ruled that "Slap Ya Momma" is a term that is "quite common" whereas "Punch Ya Daddy" is not, so as far as the naming goes, there is little likelihood of confusion.
The term "Punch Ya Daddy" came from when the toddler son of the maker of the stuff, Kirby Falcon, said "I'm going to punch ya, Daddy".
"Slap Ya Mama, on the other hand, is a term down in the Bayou that means you like something so much you want to "Slap Ya Mama With joy"
As for me? I'm slapping my forehead at the idiocy of it all.
Technorati Tags: Punch Ya Daddy, Slap Ya Mama, Naming Dispute, Bayou, Cajun
Posted by William Lozito at 8:46 AM| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
March 11, 2010
A New Look for Can Do Canines™ to March into the Future
For the past few months, we at Strategic Name Development have been partnering with Hearing and Service Dogs of Minnesota (HSDM) to create a new, more all-encompassing name and logo for their steps into the future.
HSDM is a non-profit organization located in New Hope, Minnesota, and for over 20 years, Hearing and Service Dogs of Minnesota has been enhancing the quality of life for people with disabilities by partnering them with specially trained dogs. Since the company's inception, they have placed over 300 service dogs to people with disabilities. All at no cost to those in need.
However, the organization was growing far beyond its original scope. They were moving to a newer, much larger facility where they can train three times as many dogs as before. Now, HSDM is placing dogs with people in need across the Midwest, not just in Minnesota.
And the dogs' skills are growing as well. They are being trained to do much more than just help those that are deaf or profoundly hard of hearing. Now the dogs can assist people with mobility challenges, diabetes complicated by hypoglycemia unawareness, seizure disorders, and autism. Most recently they have recommitted to serving the needs of disabled returning veterans.
Clearly, the organization needed a new name, and the 'can-do' attitude of the volunteers, the employees, the sponsors, and of course, the canines was perfect inspiration for just that.
As a result, Can Do Canines™, was born.
Al Peters, the organization's executive director said,
I am confident that the new name, Can Do Canines™, reflects much better the people we serve, our volunteers and entire team that makes these special partnerships possible. Each person has to say, 'I can do it' in order for them to be successful."
We at Strategic Name Development were very happy to provide pro bono services for the project; the partnership could not have been any smoother. We are confident Can Do Canines will enjoy much continued success in the future.
Technorati Tags: Can Do Canines, Assistance Dogs, Hearing and Service Dogs, Company Renaming
Posted by William Lozito at 12:36 PM| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
March 10, 2010
The Unfortunate Saga of Risqué Domain Naming and Branding Continues with the Sale of Sex.com
The domain name Sex.com is up for grabs.
That's right, potentially the most expensive domain name in history is in foreclosure and will be sold at auction, with bids starting at a cool $1 million. It was sold for $14 million in 2006, which was a record then until Insure.Com went for $16 million.
I have previously written about how the domain name Sex.com has been poorly managed, and even swindled from previous owners. Now, the story seems to have continued its downward spiral.
It will be sold "as is" in the equivalent of a foreclosure sale and should generate a lot of interest, as it can apparently generate $15,000 of revenue a day if managed correct.
Sex.com is one of the top five most profitable domain names on the web today, the others being Fund.com, Porn.com, Poker.com and Business.com.
The Sex.com domain name has been mismanaged, of course, and is surrounded by clouds of legal skullduggery. It is claimed that one of the previous owners had the name stolen from him, and commenced a ten-year manhunt to find the culprit.
DOM Partners, a New Jersey lender is foreclosing the domain and will auction it on March 18, at the New York law firm, Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf.
Ecoconsultancy has a great post up entitled "Six things you can learn from Sex.com's failure," and number one is: A great domain only goes so far.
I have to agree.
It takes more than a name to make a product or a domain name shine. However, we at Strategic Name Development can say, a great name never hurts.
Technorati Tags: Sex.com, Domain Name, Auction, Ecoconsultancy, Foreclosure,
Posted by William Lozito at 9:34 AM| Comments (1)
| TrackBack
March 3, 2010
Topeka Changes it Naming to Google...for The Month of March
I was amused to see that Topeka, Kansas has renamed itself "Google, Kansas," at least for this month.
The mayor is trying to attract the attention of the Internet giant's Fiber for Communities program that would make local Internet connections 100 times faster.
There are no plans to change the name permanently. Topeka is a Native American word meaning 'a good place to grow potatoes' although the area is better known for its soybean crops.
The move is part of a plan to keep Topeka's young people at home but it has attracted some unfair derision across the blogosphere. Techcrunch starts out by saying "We're Not In Kansas Anymore. Well, We Are - Google, Kansas," but notes that the benefit could be "huge" and that the city has changed its name before.
For a brief time in 1998 the city became "ToPikachu" after the Pokemon character. So the Google name is "100 times more sane". PC World riffs the same thought saying "Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Topeka anymore."
Networkworld takes a darker tone, saying that this is yet more example of 'Google groveling,' with the requisite Wizard of Oz quote: ("There's no place like Google; there's no place like Google ..." ).
Oh, calm down. The Think Big Topeka website points out why this name change is a great idea because the upside of having that kind of Internet connection and close association with Google would certainly put "Topeka on the global map".
If a 31 day name change can do all this, I say why not?
Technorati Tags: Google, Kansas, Topeka, name change, Names, Topikachu,
Posted by William Lozito at 4:06 PM| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
February 25, 2010
The 2010 Waste Management Phoenix Open Embraces Trashy Naming and Branding
There's really no way to sugar coat this one so I'm just going to put it out there: The official corporate sponsor of the Phoenix Open is Waste Management.
That means the new name of the game is The 2010 Waste Management Phoenix Open. They are replacing FBR Capital Markets (which admittedly wasn't the sexiest sponsor name, either).
Time to let the jokes fly.
For starters, you can get wasted there (insert laugh track). Others say the name is "nice and trashy" but, "Trash talking aside, the golf tournament draws more crowds and raises more money for charity than any other PGA event," according to April Stolarz of College Times.
The good thing is that the sponsor gets it. They know it sounds more than a little strange but they are rolling with it. They are putting hundreds of recycling receptacles around the course and "60 solar-powered waste-compactor units." Plus, "The number of plastic cups handed out will be reduced from previous years. Tickets will be printed on recycled paper." They even note that they have "recycled the 'Phoenix' name into the name of the tournament," which FBR had tossed.
The point is that the company is going to get a great deal of exposure and is aggressively integrating its name and its core values into the tournament.
I can't trash talk that.
Technorati Tags: Waste Management, Phoenix Open, golf, PGA Tour, Name Change
Posted by William Lozito at 8:04 AM| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
February 3, 2010
Satanic Naming, Gipper Haunt Contra Costa Mt. Diablo
What happens when your local mountain has a Satanic name? Some Contra Costa residents in California are trying to change the name of Mt. Diablo because it is "profane and derogatory."
The effort is spearheaded by Oakley resident Arthur Mijares, who has suggested the mountain be renamed "Mt. Reagan" after former President Ronald Reagan.
Now, I have to wonder, is having a mountain renamed after you a good or bad thing? Would the Reagans see this as kind of a backhanded compliment? As in, the first person this guy thought of when he wanted to give a better name to "Devil Mountain" was The Gipper?
Mijares is serious. He feels that many of the social ills in the area are due to the mountain's name, although at least one local official thinks the fellow is a "crackpot."
Mijares is already on the local Alcohol & Other Drugs Advisory Board. He brings to the job a deep faith and an experience as a recovered addict. He's also brought his name change fight to the United States Board of Geographic Names.
One problem is that the devil seems to be everywhere. The Diablo name is on the local high school for instance, leading one irritated graduate to say "I went to Mt. Diablo, home of the devils. I'm not a bad person and I highly believe in God, but come on."
An editorial in the Contra Costa Times also notes that if the mountain is renamed, there are some other renaming challenges ahead: "How about Reagan Valley? Reagan Unified School District? Reagan High School? Reagan Elementary? Reagan Boulevard? Reagan Health Care District?" All of these bear the Diablo name at the moment.
So far the powers that be have been pretty negative about the name change, and to truly voice displeasure, there is a Facebook group you can join if you think this is a silly idea. I'm tempted.
Technorati Tags: Mount Diablo, Mount Reagan, Oakley, California, satanic, naming dispute
Posted by William Lozito at 9:41 AM| Comments (0)
| TrackBack