“Insert the proprietary Landor Naming Process Tool into the anal canal and twist until it grabs the membrane. Continue twisting another half turn, then steadily pull the proprietary Landor Naming Process Tool out of the canal. Extract 10 inches of membrane, tie the membrane off and cut.”

As with any process, the only true measure of success is what comes out the other end.

Says Blandor the Imponderable: “Oh deer! Perhaps I should butt out….No! My auricular has been opened, laid bare for all to observe! This time, no amount of blandiloquence will assuage this insolent corporate sabotage! And furthermore, we use a much larger mammal in our current work”

Blue Sky Logistics Changes Name To Blue Sky Technologies

June 2, 2008

Blue Sky Logistics, Inc., a real-time supply chain visibility software provider, has changed its name to Blue Sky Technologies, Inc. The name change is expected to help shippers better identify the company’s role in the supply chain marketplace.

“With the word ‘logistics’ as part of our name, we found ourselves often being confused with being a third-party logistics provider or 3PL”, explains Steve Hensley, president, Blue Sky Technologies, Inc. “We would get phone calls for moving truckloads from point A to point B or we would get asked to manage a warehouse for a potential client. These are not our core competencies. Since our role is to help customers though visibility dashboard technology to better leverage their existing investments in supply chain infrastructure, changing the name seemed like the logical thing to do.”

It’s always nice when ditching the name “Logistics” is seen as the “logical” thing to do, and in this case a belated admission that the name “Logistics” is illogical, which is the only logical conclusion. And we couldn’t agree more that it is soooooo annoying to get calls for moving truckloads from point A to point B, as we have long-since moved to a Points L, Y and N moving strategy. Such are the logistics of the naming racket.

A bold, risky move this name change. So how has it played out in the marketplace?

“The reaction from our customers to the name change has been very favorable,” added Hensley, “They agreed that the new name better describes the solutions that we offer in bringing dashboard methodology to supply chain visibility. For these customers, we have helped them get additional value from current investments in their supply chain rather than scrapping what they had and start over. Our objective is to always help clients find fresh use of the assets they already have in place.”

We too are always working to help our clients find fresh use of their assets, so we couldn’t agree more.

For those of you keeping score at home, here is a synopsis of this breaking news: A non third-party real-time supply chain logistics solutions technologies provider with core competencies of leveraging visibility dashboard technology to bring dashboard methodology to supply chain visibility has logically jettisoned “Logistics” from its name to avoid being confused with third-party 3PLs. Got it?

Thanks to Logistics Online, “A VertMarkets Marketplace for Industry Professionals”, for bringing us the Blue Sky press release. I bet you didn’t even know there was a “VertMarkets Marketplace” out there, did you?

Tips for picking a brain:

1. Do not pick if the skin is too green–it’s not ripe yet.

2. The brain should be viscous and phlegmatic, yet hold up to a good thumping. Not too firm, not too soft.

3. The end that was twisted from the brain stem should be pliable when you poke your thumb through the outer membrane. If you can’t break the membrane with your fingernail, the brain was picked prematurely.

4. Smell is the most reliable indicator of freshness.

5. Have fun with it, but keep it platonic.

]]> http://www.snarkhunting.com/2007/08/wordlab-company-product-namin/feed/ 9 http://www.snarkhunting.com/2007/07/the-company-names-of-naming-companies-name-taxonomy/ http://www.snarkhunting.com/2007/07/the-company-names-of-naming-companies-name-taxonomy/#comments Wed, 25 Jul 2007 01:37:51 +0000 Steve http://www.snarkhunting.com/2007/07/the-company-names-of-naming-companies-name-taxonomy/ Behold the companies in our very own industry, naming company names in the company of the names of other naming company names.

Are we biased in our opinion? Absolutely. We believe strongly that the name a naming company names itself is a clue to the kinds of company names they believe in. And if a naming company cannot manage to give itself a distinctive, memorable name that sets itself apart from the slew of competitors you see here, a company name that can evolve into a strong brand within the industry and come to represent more than just the goods and services being offered, how can they possibly convince others that what they fail to do in their own company name they can somehow magically do for their clients?

So a call to arms is in order: Namers, name thyself well! Because you’ve got company.

Naming Safety Tip # 1: When engaging in a naming exercise, ALWAYS LIFT WITH YOUR LEGS. This will greatly reduce the possibility of a Learnia.

Says Blandor the Imponderable: “I love a good Learnia, in fact it is a smashing result! Though it does sound derivative of my own work— little matter, imitation is flattery after all. Le Bon Mots!!!”

Zenmark Brand Engineering, Inc. announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has received and acknowledged the company’s patent application filing for its invention of a unique and innovative creative development process in the area of product, service, and company naming. Zenmark’s Verbal Identity Engineering (Patent Pending) process has proven to revolutionize the naming industry by applying a rigorous and repeatable methodology to the often unstructured and undisciplined process of brand name creation.

Here is a quick comparison of the results Zenmark Brand Engineering, Inc. has harvested from their “Verbal Identity Engineering (Patent Pending Process)” and the results of their competitors. The names of the naming companies are in bold; the names each has created using their own process are not so bold:

Zenmark Brand Engineering, Inc.: Amicore, Afaria, Applimation, Azenity, Certiport, Coalogic, Palaterra, Phyve

Interbrand: Certance, Lumiq, Syngenta, Xignux

Brighter Naming: Cataligent, Concuity, Epizon

Master McNeil: Activant, Contivo, Covigo, Covansys, Comergent, Conexant, Omniva, Optivo, Optimos, Spansion

NameStormers: Adeptra, Arconix, Asurent, Calibria, Cambium, Ledgent, Resilien, Solidium, Vyzo

Nambase: Decise, Evolutia, Praxi, Primaxis, Prinergy

Catchword: Cysive, Delinea, Tavant

Idiom: Encysive, Predicant, Qorus, Theravance, Stratify, Wherify, Vivera, Viterion, Vivonic

Lexicon: Geneer, Generon, Luxeon

Metaphor: Actional, Anadigm, Diversa, Enlight, Optis, Sageo, Viador

NameLab: Cognos, Equant

Landor: Acterna, Agilent, Astrium, Avolar, Calibrus, Cendian, Certegy, Clarica, Innovene, Onity, Midea, Paxonix, Solekia, Solutia, Spherion, Uniqa

On what evidence will the patent office decide that Zenmark Brand Engineering, Inc. has a process that is uniquely different than its competitors? By asking all of the naming companies listed above to supply their processes for comparison? Unlikely. Surely not from comparing the resulting names, as that would lead anyone to the conclusion that all of these naming companies have exactly the same process in place.

If Zenmark Brand Engineering, Inc. is granted a patent on this revolutionary naming process, where does that leave its competitors? Out of business.

Such are the perils of morpheme addiction.

The article makes some salient points that are just as relevant for the names of products and companies as they are for the products and companies themselves. Here are a couple excerpts:

The old rule was this: Create safe products and combine them with great marketing. Average products for average people. That’s broken. The new rule is: Create remarkable products that the right people seek out.

Most companies play it safe with names that sound just like everybody else’s, and then spend millions on advertising to convince consumers “no really, we’re different.”

Playing it safe. Following the rules. They seem like the best ways to avoid failure. Alas, that pattern is awfully dangerous. The current marketing “rules” will ultimately lead to failure. In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is failing. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible.

As in, what was the cool car you saw on TV last night? Was it a Savana, Sedona, Sephia, Sienna, Solara, Sonata, or a Spectra?