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A Truly Universal Name
June 30, 2016 In Blog, Names and Naming Systems, Naming, Universal By @MarshallStrategy

A Truly Universal Name

There is wide frustration with how difficult it is to find a name that is legally available and protectable in any product category or geographic market.

As a challenge, our brand naming team set out to see if we could create a name for a product or a company that would be legally available in every product category worldwide.

And we have succeeded! The name we created is:

Qwxzyo   

Pronounced QWIX – zee – oh

There are several reasons why a name like this could provide strategic advantage:

  • It is completely distinctive
  • The iconic letter Q is memorable
  • It is surprisingly easy to pronounce
  • The unexpected letters have impact when assembled this way

When companies have global ambitions to build a multinational, diversified empire, the ability to own an idea worldwide gets tougher and tougher. The coined-word route is a viable direction to consider.

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One word is critical to M&A Success – CULTURE
June 2, 2016 In Acquisitions, Airlines, Branding, Corporate, Cultural, Identity, Identity and Brand Strategy, Mergers, Technology By @MarshallStrategy

One word is critical to M&A success – CULTURE

We learned last week that Hewlett Packard Enterprise is merging its enterprise services unit with Computer Sciences Corp (Read the full story). This is a perfect opportunity to talk about the consequences of mergers on identity and brand, and how having a solid strategy for both is key in your merger’s success.

Research has shown that as many as 83 percent of mergers fail to achieve their original business goals. Brand value, or goodwill, suffers right along with business value, often destroying the appeal and premium that might have inspired the acquisition in the first place. Why is this? Because culture, and the purpose behind each organization being combined, is often ignored in favor of the numbers.

These deals are put together by attorneys and investment bankers, who fail to consider the cultural implications of the merger. These people think in terms of “synergy” and 1 + 1 = 3, when the real goal should be 1 + 1 = 1.

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Why One Identity is More Powerful than Many
April 14, 2016 In Blog, Branding, Higher Education, Identity, Identity and Brand Strategy, Logos, New Work, Positioning Strategy, Sports By @MarshallStrategy

Why One Identity is More Powerful than Many

Many organizations – whether corporations, non-profits, or educational institutions – develop broad stables of identities to segment their offerings to different audiences. Some of them succeed with this strategy, but many of them do not. Our client, The University at Buffalo (UB)’s recent success can help explain why a singular identity lends more collective strength to an institution than can a handful.

UB is an AAU institution, which means it has been carefully selected to sit among only 61 peers in the American Association of Universities. It is the largest and most comprehensive research university in the SUNY system, and has multiple nationally ranked departments. Over the years, however, UB has had multiple names, and adopted specialized identities for athletics and other departments. These changes had a dampening effect on awareness, appreciation and internal pride.

Now, the university is committing to a singular identity, backed by a strong and unifying brand strategy, and is already reaping huge rewards in local pride and national momentum.

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February 12, 2016 In Blog, Higher Education, Scientific By Marshall Strategy

Global Teamwork Achieves Scientific Breakthrough

In Marshall Strategy’s work with leading researchers at Caltech, UC Berkeley, UC San Francisco, UC Santa Barbara and Rockefeller University, it has become obvious that today’s most important issues require not just brilliant people, but people who have the skills for working with others productively.

For the first time, scientists have observed ripples in the fabric of space-time gravitational waves, arriving at the earth from a cataclysmic event in the distant universe, opening a new window on the cosmos, and confirming Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. This was only made possible by large groups of people working together and points out the importance for universities to not only impart knowledge, but to impart the skills required for working with others successfully. This applies to all significant areas of human endeavor.

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