Campus Equity
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As a North Carolina native, I’ve always considered the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to be synonymous with “UNC.” It was the first public university in the United States, and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century. The institution itself owns the trademark for UNC, as well as the domain name.
The University of North Carolina family of schools actually has 16 different university campuses, most with disparate brands. Some institutions utilize a brand extension approach to identify themselves as part of the University of North Carolina family, including Asheville (UNCA), Charlotte (UNCC), Greensboro (UNCG), Pembroke (UNCP), and Wilmington (UNCW). But with other constituents of the University of North Carolina family adopting a different style of naming (Appalachian State, NC State, East Carolina, etc), it looks like the system needs some consistent brand standards. Does the brand extension approach for some universities imply that they are simply an additional campus of the main school and not their own entity? And do those universities that distance themselves in naming structure from the UNC family heritage do a disservice to their students and alumni?
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Taco Terrier
While I was on the verge of purchasing a puppy it got me thinking about puppy names. I could go with the standard cool name like Bruiser, to the more traditional name like Baxter, to the type of breed. Each breed of dog has its own characteristics, attributes and benefits, similar to that of a brand. Now, a dog that was once considered just a cute mutt has transitioned into its very own brand category … a “designer breed”, which has me completely baffled. Just to give you an idea of how many of “designer breeds” exist, I compiled a list of registered names from the ACHC.
- Yorkshire Terrier + Poddle = YorkiePoo
- Jack Russell Terrier + Poodle = Jack-A-Poo
- Labrador Retriever = Labrodoodle
- Chihuahua + Dachshund = Chiwinie
- Poodle + Westie = Wee-Poo
- Bulldog + Pug = Buggs
- Pomeranien + Poddle = PomaPoo
- Affenpinscher + Chihuahua = Affenhuahua
- Affenpinscher + Poddle = Affenpoo
- American Bulldog + Boxer = Bulloxer
- American Bulldog + Mastif = MastiBull
- Alaskan Malamute + Siberian Husky = Alusky
- American Eskimo + Cocker Spaniel = Cock-A-Mo
- American Eskimo + Shih Tzu = Shih-Mo
- American Rat Terrier + Boston Terrier = Brat
- Beagle + Jack Russell Terrier = Jack-A-Bee
And two of my personal favorites…
- Basset Hound + Miniature Schnauzer = Bowzer
- Chihuahua + Toy Fox Terrier = Taco Terrier
…believe me the list goes on and on
Moreover, I have noticed that in the corporate world, the “breeding” of two brand names often takes a more conservative approach to naming.
MillerCoors (perhaps “Cooller” possibly could of work due to the environment in which their product lives).
Thomson Reuters (Reuterson ehh maybe that is just a bad last name, ie Tom Reuterson).
Is this good "brandalosophy"? Or should a new name be developed opening the door to refined characteristics and benefits giving birth to a new “designer brand?”
By: Nick Irwin
Mad Addiction
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The hit A&E Series Mad Men won accolades this year for TVs Most Outstanding Drama Series. Its base premise is about a fictional 1960s New York City advertising agency Sterling Cooper and its executives.
Even being a fictional show mostly centered on the personal lives of the characters, we still get a glimpse into branding and advertising conception during the 60s. What I enjoy most about this newfound addiction of mine are the brands featured as clients of the agency. American Airlines, Heineken, Maidenform, Cadillac and Kodak are just a few. I’ve also learned that some of these mentioned do pay for the placement in addition to their advertising spots during the show.
Although the show takes place over 50 years ago when there weren’t as many legal trademarking challenges to overcome, it still portrays creativity on a personal level, even while dealing with the transitional social challenges of those times. For those of us fortunate enough to be working in the branding industry, there's a sense of pride in watching the perspective of what it must have been like then, but also how things have changed. Pairing that with the intriguing lives of the characters has made this show one that I can’t ever miss.
By: Kelly Wilson
Addison Whitney creates Welvista name for CommuniCare
CommuniCare, a non-profit healthcare network based in Columbia, South Carolina, recently engaged Addison Whitney to develop a new corporate identity after announcing plans to expand the organization nationally. Addison Whitney created the name Welvista for CommuniCare. The name change was announced on October 1st 2008. For more information please www.welvista.com.
Contributed by Laine Beyerl
Spinning your wheels for the right name
It was the mid 1950s and the Ford Motor Company had a new mid-level car to name. They spared no expense, hiring an ad agency to produce over 6 thousand name possibilities, and engaging poet Marianne Moore to create several more.
But the developers of the car simply could not agree, and after all outside names were rejected, the family name Edsel was finally chosen.
The car went on to become one of the most remarkable commercial failures of its time. Of course, the name (which, according to market research, evoked words such as “weasel” and “dead cell”) wasn’t the soul reason for the brand’s downfall. Still, sometimes it pays to play it safe.
The $99 Brand Name
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In an effort to reduce the intimidation factor at the beginning of a new project, we often tell our clients that while they may not realize it, every one of them has naming experience. We’ve all named something in our lives, be it a pet, a child, or a nickname for our car or a friend. What I didn’t know is there is, in fact, a structured way for all of us to be professional namers. Clicking through a recent email that breached my spam filter, I came across a new competitor for Addison Whitney: NameThis.com.
This site offers “three world-validated names for your thingamajig in 48 hours”…all for the bargain price of $99. Eighty percent of this fee is distributed back to participating site members, meaning those who helped create or influence the winning names actually get paid for their ideas. Of course, there is no guarantee that the customer submitting the naming request is going to like the winning candidates or that they’ll be legally viable. If you were starting a new business, would you be willing to spend $99 to give a group of average citizens a shot at naming your company, product, service or website?
Contributed by: Ashley Hollingsworth
The Knight and The Hare
My recent wedding presents me with a personal re-branding opportunity and a potential new revenue generating stream for Addison Whitney. I face a question that thousands of others do after marriage- Do I take my husband’s name, hyphenate or keep my current name? Could Addison Whitney solve this dilemma for me and thousands of other retired Bridezillas?
Below my current brand name and potential new brand name are run through an abbreviated review process.
Zipzor
Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Receives Approvable Letter From the U.S. FDA for ZIPSOR(TM) Capsules.
Contributed by Laine Beyerl
IKEA: You buy it, you pronounce it
The ground has been officially broken: IKEA (pronounced "eye-KEY-uh") is coming to Charlotte.
The Swedish mega-store is known for its affordable home furnishings, tasty meatballs, and distinctive Scandinavian names. And while the word-nerd in me gets jiggy at the sight of products named POÄNG and BESTÅ ENÖN, some may think that IKEA simply enjoys seeing us clumsy Americans struggle with three extra letters in the alphabet.
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