Names and Naming Systems

Wayne Huezinga autonation marshall strategy

A Tribute to Wayne Huezinga

We first met Wayne Huezinga when he asked our help in creating the identity of a new venture he was starting. When we asked about the venture, he said he planned to consolidate the largest unconsolidated industry in America, used cars. He pointed out that the annual sales of used cars was equal to half the sales of new cars. He also said that the average family could no longer afford the average family new car, so they were leasing cars instead of buying them. This meant that there would be a lot of formerly leased cars on the market when the leases expired within 2-4 years, with low miles, that he could buy and sell at a great discount.

He planned very large lots, with a great range of selection. He was not going to have sales people. Instead, he would have consultants to help customers figure out what kind of car was best for their needs and what would be the best way to pay for it. He was going to have fixed prices, the same for everyone. He would give you a firm price for your trade-in whether you bought a car from him or not.

We said, “Wayne, a lot of used car lots are owned by local businessmen who you will put out of business.” He replied, “Used car dealers take advantage of buyers, especially women. They misrepresent their cars, manipulate their pricing and don’t stand behind their product. They are ranked below politicians in honesty. They deserve to be put out of business.”

We named the new business AutoNation and within four years it was the largest auto dealer in America.

So, when you go to any car dealer in the future, new or used, you can thank Wayne Huenziga for bringing transparency and integrity to the industry.

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Ten Principles for Renaming, from Alina Wheeler’s Designing Brand Identity V | Marshall Strategy

Ten Principles for Renaming

We’re pleased to be included in the fifth edition of Designing Brand Identity, by Alina Wheeler. This comprehensive guide to brand identity is a valuable resource for designers, marketers, CEOs, brand builders and internal teams. For the new edition, we contributed a list of key principles of brand naming to consider when renaming your product or a company.

Ten Principles for Renaming

by Marshall Strategy

  1. Be clear about why change is needed. You should have a compelling reason, and clear business benefits, for going through the name change process. Making a strong case for change – whether legal, market-based or other, will help rise above emotional issues and enable a more successful and meaningful effort.
  2. Assess the impact of change. A name change is more complicated than creating a new name because it affects established brand equity and all existing brand communications. You should conduct a thorough audit of equity and communication assets, to fully understand how a name change will affect your investments and operations.
  3. Know what your choices are. Depending on your reason for change, it can be very difficult to consider change in the abstract. It is much easier to commit to a change when you have alternative names to consider that solve your communication issues.
  4. Know what you are trying to say before you name it.  Naming is a highly emotional issue that can be hard to judge objectively. By first agreeing on what your new name should say, you concentrate your efforts on choosing the name that says it best.
  5. Avoid trendy names – By definition, these are names that will lose their appeal over time. Choosing a new name simply because it sounds “hip” or “cool” generally results in names that wear quickly.
  6. “Empty Vessel Names” require filling. Made-up or meaningless names will require more investment to build understanding, memorability and proper spelling than names that have some inherent meaning. Compare the immediate meaning and relevance of names like Google and Amazon to empty vessels like Kijiji and Zoosk.
  7. Avoid names that are too specific. This may be the reason you needed to change  in the first place. Names that identify a specific geography, technology or trend might be relevant for a period of time, but in the long run they could restrict your ability to grow.
  8. Understand that a new name can’t do everything. Names are powerful tools, but they do not tell the whole story. A name change alone – without rethinking of all brand communications – could risk being seen as superficial. Consider how new taglines, design, communications and other context-building tools should work with the new name to build a rich new story that you can own.
  9. Ensure you can own it. Check patent and trademark offices, common law usages, URL’s, Twitter handles and regional/cultural sensitivities before you decide, and make the investment to protect your name. This is best done by an experienced intellectual property attorney.
  10. Transition with confidence. Make sure you introduce your new name as part of a value-oriented story that conveys clear benefits to your employees, customers and shareholders. The message “we’ve changed our name” on its own generally falls flat. Commit to the change with confidence and implement as quickly and efficiently as possible. Having two names in the market at the same time is confusing to both internal and external audiences.

If you wish to make a meaningful statement, a name change is not enough. The name should represent a unique, beneficial, and sustainable story that resonates with customers, investors, and employees.

Philip Durbrow, Chairman & CEO, Marshall Strategy

Companies change their names for many reasons, but in every case, a clear rationale for change with strong business and brand benefits is critical.

Ken Pasternak, Managing Director, Marshall Strategy

Notable Renaming

Old Name

New Name

Anderson Consulting Accenture
Apple Computer Apple
Backrub Google
The Banker’s Life Company Principal Financial Group
Brad’s Drink Pepsi Cola
Ciba Geigy + Sandoz Novartis
Clear Channel iHeartRadio
Comcast (Consumer Services) Xfinity
International Business Machines IBM
Datsun Nissan
Diet Deluxe Healthy Choice
Federal Express FedEx
GMAC Financial Services Ally Financial
Graphics Group Pixar
Justin.tv twitch
Kentucky Fried Chicken KFC
Kraft Snacks Division Mondelez
Lucky Goldstar LG
Malt-O-Meal MOM Brands
Marufuku Company Nintendo
Mastercharge Mastercard
Mountain Shade Optic Nerve
MyFamily.com Ancestry
Philip Morris Altria
Service Games SEGA
ShoeSite.com Zappos
TMP Worldwide Monster Worldwide
United Telephone Company Sprint
Ask Marshall About Renaming for Your Business
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A Truly Universal Name

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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Yosemite National Park

Yosemite Has Lost Its Brand

Although we understand the critical importance of trademarks in preventing others from profiting from your intellectual property, we are disappointed in the move by Delaware North to try to extract $51 million from the National Park Service for a shortlist of iconic location brand names in Yosemite Park. To us, Delaware North is holding these properties for ransom from the American people, for a few historic names that will have little to no value anywhere else.

Let’s back up a minute – last year, Delaware North lost the contract to run hotels and concessions at Yosemite National Park. Shortly thereafter Delaware filed suit, claiming that the Park Service (or its new contracted vendor) no longer has the right to use the familiar and iconic names of historic park facilities (Ahwahnee Hotel, Curry Park, Badger Pass, the Yosemite Lodge at the Falls, and Wawona Hotel). It turns out the Park service had never trademarked the names, so Delaware North took advantage of the situation and trademarked them themselves. Rather than pay a ransom to use the names, The Park Service has agreed to create new names for the facilities.

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High-Risk Naming: Can Google Trademark “Glass”?

High-Risk Naming: Can Google Trademark “Glass”?Google, which we’ve held up as an example of both good and bad when it comes to branding and brand naming, recently applied for a trademark for the word “Glass.” Not Google Glass, just Glass. Not surprisingly, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is not going to give in so quickly. Everyday terms, such as glass, are usually not ownable by any one company, especially when they are descriptive of the product or service itself.

Trademarking Generic Terms
Generic terms are typically difficult to trademark, and for good reason. They are undifferentiating and cause confusion in the marketplace. The reason Apple was able to trademark an everyday word was that a word for a fruit does not in any way describe computing hardware. Glass, however, describes the appearance, apparent composition and function of the Google product. (Although, as this Mashable article attests, the product is not actually made of glass)

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