The recession has affected winemakers as well as everyone else and there is a rush on to rename and repackage wine for the thrifty consumer. Which has led to some interesting (read funny) crossover into the brown bag booze branding brigade. The New York Times has identified the lowest of the low and it's (drum roll, please) Wild Irish Rose.

This stuff is NOT good. One blogger reviews it thus: "Seriously, if given the choice between living under a bridge and having Irish Rosie to look forward to every night or simply hanging myself, I'd choose suicide without a second thought."

This really will not do the Irish wine industry much good at 18% alcohol by volume and around $2 a bottle, it is the drink of choice for the down and out. But, interestingly, many people in suits and ties seem to be buying it, as well as Jäger Bombs, which may actually be more dangerous than 'The Rose.'

For those of us looking for more savory alternatives, why not check out a new concept in wine packaging: wine in a glass.

It seems to be a hit in the UK and is used to sell quaffable units of Château Roubine's Grand Cru Classé Côtes de Provence made by the prestigious French Château Roubine. Here, you can literally buy a glass of the good stuff if you cannot afford a bottle.

Feeling a little risqué? How about some Red Leight Rosé, which some feel is "perfect for Hollywood celebrity bashes." Um, OK, maybe. Cristal has that niche wrapped up, sorry.

A quick round up of weird wine names shows a preference for down market, totally irreverent naming and branding. On one blog we have

• Bitch
• Le Vin de Merde
• Oops, Frog's Piss
• Cat's Pee On a Gooseberry Bush

Technorati Tags: Wine, Bitch, Naming, Leighton Meester

Technorati Tags: Xfinity, Comcast Name Change, Xfinity Brand Name, Rebranding, Comcast

I am always interested in the emotions that are often unleashed when a high profile company changes its name. Comcast's decision to change its name to Xfinity has been met with almost immediate derision across the blogosphere.

But why do people get so angry when some companies change their names? I can break this down to two sources of irritation.

First, it seems that if the company is struggling with customer satisfaction, the name change almost always attracts some flak. Although Comcast is not changing their company name, the Xfinity brand name will be used for its cable TV, Internet, and phone services.

The change is being perceived as a kind of mask. As Philly.com says,

Xfinity seems to position the company to compete with Verizon Communications Inc, which markets its TV and Internet services as FiOS, and AT&T, which uses U-verse. Cablevision, the New York-based cable company, sells its services under the brand Optimum.

The Comcast name just has lots of baggage, and if they want to compete, the company needs a new face.

However, Comcast also needs to continue to improve its service. Ever call them? It's a voicemail maze, and that's a kind way of putting it.

This is, "repositioning the company with consumers," according to one Comcast executive. One blogger questions whether this is a "distinction without a difference."

Sean Portnoy notes that "it's a bit of a risk to surrender a very well-known brand in the hopes of sounding like a new, cutting-edge player in the game." In other words, there's an immediate authenticity issue here.

Second, it's the Xfinity the name itself. Today the "Xfinity and beyond" jokes are myriad.

Some find the Xfinity name "strange" and "harsh."

Gizmodo really rolls up its sleeves and bashes it, sarcastically saying its "the worst, pseudo-pornographic, retro-futuristic garbage marketing dollars can buy." Ouch.

Will Comcast emerge with it XDignity? We'll have to wait and see.

Technorati Tags: Comcast, Xfinity, brand, name change

]]> http://www.namedevelopment.com/blog/archives/2010/02/comcasts_new_br.html William Lozito http://www.namedevelopment.com/blog/archives/2010/02/comcasts_new_br.html Brand NamingBrandingCompany NamingIndustry/Media and EntertainmentNamingProduct NamingIndustry/TelecommunicationsThu, 04 Feb 2010 09:20:18 -0600

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

With this move, we are seeing the spa branding take over an entire segment of the company's brand portfolio.

A Mokara is a kind of orchid that is known for its seemingly rejuvenating properties.

This is a distinctly Asian sounding name that seems perfect for a spa and, I suppose, a small hotel with a large spa attached. The Mokara brand is only two years old, I am fascinated to see the success Omni has found with it.

Will the name work? Well, it at least has meaning.

Many of the boutique hotel brands are funky sounding but a little strange.

I still like Capella as a boutique hotel name, and this Mokara name has the same kind of musical resonance.

Technorati Tags: Omni Hotels, Makora, Spa, hotel, luxury

It seems the NFL is aggressively claiming rights on the phrase "Who Dat?" for use by the New Orleans Saints. This has knocked two small businesses ---Fleurty Girl and
Storyville. This is interesting, as the phrase has been in use for over a century, first finding use in nineteenth century minstrel shows and has been used by fans in reference to their team for decades before the mark was applied for in 1988. Although a music duo seems to have snapped it up five years earlier.

Sal and Steve Monistere recorded a version of "When the Saints Go Marching In" in the early '80s and incorporated the "Who Dat" chant into it. ... Because the song helped create the widespread use of the "Who Dat" chant, the Monisteres and their company, Who Dat, Inc., say they own "Who Dat."

If the NFL is going to win this, it has to somehow prove that the phrase is theirs. They also claim the Fleur de Lis sybol is theirs. But as far as "Who Dat" goes, they have a battle on their hands.

"To prevail in a trademark infringement case, one has to show both that the public associates a mark with your business and that you were the first to use it," said David Patron, a partner at the law firm of Phelps Dunbar.

If the NFL keeps it up, the Monisteres vow to create a t-shirt that says 'Defend Who Dat' as owned by the fans and not the NFL. The phrase, they claim, "transcends football"

As can be imagined, this is a rude shock to Who Dat Nation.

Football bloggers are notably upset about this with one blogger asking if the NFL plans on going after the Catholic Church next.

My feeling is that this is the kind of trademark that should remain with
the fans and then be phased out of usage. C'mon guys, the 80s were a very painful time in our past. Why would the NFL want the association?

Technorati Tags: Who Dat, Saints, NFL, New Orleans, Naming dispute

It is indeed the iPad, a name I would not have chosen for two reasons. First, as I wrote a week before the announcement, it looks like "iPod" and second, that word "iPad" already has been mocked on Mad TV as sounding too much like the Maxi Pad feminine hygiene product.

It seemed impossible that Apple would choose it, because they know full well how viral humor on the Internet can sway customer perception about a product.

I'm not alone in this, it seems.

This morning there is a backlash against the name that is pretty intense. CNET calls it "cringe-worthy", Gizmodo predicts a slew of Maxi-Pad jokes, and The New York Times says that it makes women "cringe" (there's that word again), reporting that the word "iTampon" is making the rounds across Twitter.

Fast Company is even more succinct: "Apple's iPad Name Not the First Choice for Women. Period." PC World is already counting the "sneers and jeers" on the Internet, wondering if this is a "Venus vs. Mars" issue.

Blogger Anne Althouse, wonders if Apple bothered to check with any women about this one.

Or men. Let's face it, what guy wants to buy a product that sounds like it's a Wi-Fi sanitary napkin?

It also seems that Apple doesn't have any iPad-related domain names yet, either.

As if that was not bad enough, the name also may lead to a big fight with Fujitsu, because the Japanese company has sought a trademark on the name since 2003.

Since 2002, Fujitsu has been manufacturing a handheld computer called the iPad. Although Fujitsu lost its trademark rights last year, Masahiro Yamane, the PR head of Fujitsu, still believes they have the rights to the iPad name.

All in all, it is really hard to believe that Apple could not have seen this coming. I have rarely seen such quick, vitriolic backlash against a product name. I have never, ever seen such intense mockery aimed at Apple.

And while I am an Apple fan and we are a Mac shop, I might add that their past naming mistakes (cough, Lisa, ahem, Newton) perhaps not coincidentally were attached to doomed products.

Steve, what were you thinking?

Technorati Tags: iPad, Fujitsu, Maxi Pad, Naming dispute, Mac

Well, if I had gotten it right, I'd be on the first flight to Atlantic City. However, I was wrong. At an 'invite-only' press conference in San Francisco, Steve Jobs just announced the new name: iPad.

It looks like an inflated iPhone, and apparently acts like one With a 9.7" screen, and at a miniscule 0.5 pounds, this "truly magical and revolutionary" device will sweep the nation.

The iPad has all the same functionality as an iPhone. Jobs ran apps, as well as showed a portion of the Disney Pixar movie Up during the conference.

With the e-reader market poised to flourish this year, the iPad, with all its capabilities, should jump to the head of the class.

If used to its full potential, there is speculation that this device could single-handedly save the struggling newspaper and publishing industries. It would be a shot in of adrenaline for publishers around the country, and possibly the globe.

The iPad looks like a blast. It's priced reasonably well too. Look for the iPad to launch the Year of the Tablet in 2010.

Technorati Tags: Apple, iPad, Steve Jobs

]]> http://www.namedevelopment.com/blog/archives/2010/01/oops_looks_like.html William Lozito http://www.namedevelopment.com/blog/archives/2010/01/oops_looks_like.html Brand NamingIndustry/Consumer ElectronicsMarketingNamingProduct NamingWed, 27 Jan 2010 12:54:38 -0600 There's a potential trademark dispute brewing between HTC, the Taiwanese cell phone maker, and ShoreTel, the Sunnyvale, California-based Internet Protocol phone system provider.

HTC's new tagline is, "Quietly brilliant."

ShoreTel's new tagline is, "Brilliantly simple."

The trouble is, both companies compete in International Class Code 9, and 37. International Class Codes divide consumer goods and services into similar categories and are primarily used to file trademarks.

In the United States, ShoreTel has a jump on HTC since they filed earlier on June 8, 2009, and actually were just allowed the slogan by the US trademark office.

But internationally, HTC filed for a trademark application for its "Brilliantly simple," slogan which the US and other country trademark offices have not ruled on yet.

I think, ShoreTel's trademark filing of "Brilliantly simple," has a good chance of trumping HTC's "Quietly brilliant," in both the US and globally, since ShoreTel can claim that they had every intention to file "Brilliantly simple," globally.

It will be interesting to see how this potential trademark clash will play out.

Technorati Tags: HTC, ShoreTel, Quietly brilliant, Brilliantly simple, tagline

At 10 AM Pacific time we will finally get to know what on earth Apple plans on calling it's new tablet computer at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center.

I am still betting on iSlate, as is the iSlate.us site, which yesterday asked the horrible question: What if there is no iSlate? And even if there is one, what if it's not called iSlate?

Gizmodo leads us through the myriad of rumors around the device, reminding us that the device is generally being referred to as a "tablet" although the code name is K48.

Engadget tried to sell us all on the idea that iTablet is the obvious name by showing an email supposedly sent out by Apple with an iTablet file heading, but has since recanted.

Wired has just published a fascinating article suggesting that the event might not be about tablets at all but instead about content management.

I'm are really wondering what this is going to be called.

I am standing by iSlate, as are the bookies (yes, people are betting on this, I am not one of them).

I am also rejecting Doonesbury's suggestion that this will be called the "Jesus Tablet". Steve Jobs doesn't walk on water. Yet.

Technorati Tags: Apple, iSlate, tablet, Mac, Cupertino, Steve Jobs, product naming

For example, they decided to rename Charmin bathroom tissue. The new name? Cushelle. This comes after the takeover of P&G's European tissue operations by SCA, Europe's largest private forest owner. The Cushelle brand comes with a koala bear mascot and the assurance that this is "Formerly Charmin" and the "Same Great Product."

Before you laugh, consider that SCA changed the name of Bounty, another recently acquired P&G brand name, to "Plenty" and grew its European market penetration from 26.5% to 34.7%.

Most people in the USA can still recall Mr. Whipple admonishing customers not to squeeze the Charmin, making this an iconic name in household branding in this country.

However, the same associations do not transfer overseas, where soft bathroom tissue was a relative novelty back in Whipple's day.

Also consider that the name "Charmin", to some, is almost synonymous with wasteful rainforest destruction.

According to Marketing Magazine , "The name Cushelle was selected for its sound, which reflects the product's softness," an SCA statement said. The company describes its new koala icon as a 'softness magnet'."

The new brand is meant to retain Charmin's "friendly, fun, family image." The challenge, according to one blogger, is turning this into a "must have" product. P&G did this years ago in the US, but will it work as well across the pond? We will have to wait and see.

Technorati Tags: Charmin, Cushelle, tissue, Whipple, European, product naming

This comes after a website called ps3arc.com was registered, although nobody can confirm if Sony registered it. PSP World suggests that this be called the "Sony Fuse" or the "Sony Muv" or else the "Playstation Shift".

We do know that Sony has registered playstationarc.com , leading me to think that VG247 has it right, the Arc name is a keeper.

PSX Extreme describes the Arc as, "Having two wand-like, Wii-like pieces, each of which is topped with a tracking device in the shape of a ball. It's why people have been calling it the 'ice cream cone controller.'"

The appearance of the thing has already created some ridiculous bogus names, which you can read about here. Trust the gaming geeks to make these puerile connections. Look out for it this spring.

Technorati Tags: PS3, Arc, Controller, Motion, Sony, video game

With the state in a frenzy over the upcoming NFC Championship game between the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints, the local sports radio station, KFAN, suggested these cities be called "The Paul," "The Cloud," and "Louis Park," during the week leading up to the game on Sunday. Not having the intention to be taken seriously in their renaming efforts, they may have gotten more than they wished for.

Despite opening day being nearly 4 months away for the Saint Paul Saints, a minor league baseball team in Minnesota, they are temporarily changing their name to "The Paul" to show their hometown support. In addition, it is possible they will be wearing jerseys with the name "The Paul" for a game in the upcoming season.

In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see a few "The Paul" t-shirts around the Twin Cities this weekend.

Skol Vikes!

Technorati Tags: Vikings, Jimmy Buffett,

The brand names associated to the Superbowl are myriad.

The game itself is "presented" by GMC Sierra, but Bridgestone "brings in" the Who at halftime. But possibly the most amusing naming coup of the game goes to Sun Life, who has tacked their name to the stadium just in time.

The Sun Life naming replaces the Jimmy Buffet inspired Landshark naming, which was in place for less than a year.

I loved the Landshark naming, which was named after the Anheuser-Busch lager sold under Buffet's Margaritaville brand. It was funny, irreverent, and somehow it complimented the Dolphins brand name.

Right now, the stadium is officially "Dolphin Stadium" (not "Dolphins Stadium", interestingly) and has been since January 5th.

Sun Life is a Toronto-based insurer whose name, I must admit, sounds pretty good in Miami.

This is an outright effort to build the brand name in the US. They have a 10 year deal that costs "half what major league stadium sponsorships fetched before last year's financial meltdown."

As the Globe and Mail points out, they are paying only $4 million a year for naming rights, while

In comparison, Citigroup dropped $400-million in 2006 to sign a 20-year marketing deal with the New York Mets baseball team. Bank of America Corp. started paying $7.5-million a year in 2004 to have its name on the home of Carolina Panthers football stadium in Charlotte, N.C., while in Philadelphia, rival insurer Lincoln Financial drops $6.7-million annually for the rights to the home of the NFL's Eagles.

The name change took official effect on January 20, just in time for the Pro Bowl next week. The Landshark name may be gone, but Buffet's fight song will remain, it seems.

Here is the chronology of the naming of Sun Life Stadium, courtesy of the SunSentinel.com.

• Aug. 16, 1987-Aug. 25, 1996: Joe Robbie Stadium
• Aug. 26-Sept. 9, 1996: Pro Player Park
• Sept. 10, 1996-Jan. 9, 2005: Pro Player Stadium
• Jan. 10, 2005-April 7, 2006: Dolphins Stadium
• April 8, 2006-May 7, 2009: Dolphin Stadium
• May 8, 2009-Jan. 5, 2010: Land Shark Stadium
• Jan. 6, 2010-Jan. 19: Dolphin Stadium
• Jan. 20, 2010: Sun Life Stadium

Now we just wait to see what the future holds for the south beach stadium.

Technorati Tags: Landshark, Jimmy Buffett, Dolphins, Sun Life, stadium, naming rights, Miami, Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, NFL

]]> http://www.namedevelopment.com/blog/archives/2010/01/sun_life_snags.html William Lozito http://www.namedevelopment.com/blog/archives/2010/01/sun_life_snags.html Brand NamingIndustry/Media and EntertainmentNamingNaming RightsIndustry/Sports and RecreationFri, 22 Jan 2010 08:07:38 -0600