Which brand is named after this gentleman?

Grundig, the german giant in consumer electronics, is named after Max Grundig.

Why 'Recession' is better than 'Depression'

Names are words. (Duh!) For a name to be impactful, the word representing it must make all the right noises, if you know what I mean. And if you don't, here's what: In the thirties, after the Great Depression of '29, people didn't want to hear the sound of the 'D' word, preferably, ever again. So, they came up with a new, kinder, more compassionate sounding one: Recession. Any economic downturn in the years that followed the big 'D' came to be termed as a 'Recession'. Essentially, recession became a euphemism for depression.

That said, the Great Depression is not the only reason people prefer recession, the sound of it, also, helps soften the blow. Or at least it did, back then. Now, though, we're in a time where some of us could do with a euphemism for the big 'R'. Whatever softer sounding word we go for, it'll help to arrive at the appropriate one once we have understood why people prefer the sound of 'recession' to 'depression'. Here's a thumb rule to acquaint yourself with and apply on all words/terms in the 'bad news' space.

The explanation, in short: Recession has two 'hard sounds' less than 'Depression'. Think about how useful this kind of 'tongue-walking-on-eggshells' becomes, literally and metaphorically, when you're looking for the right words (or word) to break the bad news. Recession, from the linguistic, oral and word navigation points-of-view, was easier to handle than 'depression'. (Just say it, softly.)

Next thing you know, we'll have a euphemism for 'recession'? (Don't we, already?) Whatever the people who decide these things proclaim it should be, we think for it to work, it'll have to drop the 'sion'. Any ideas on what the next recession will be called? Anyone for 'Hiccup'? It has no soft sounds but sounds less sombre than 'recession'. Sadly, a hiccup is too short to be seriously considered as a contender for the title of 'euphemism for recession'.

How about 'slowdown'? Ok.

Celebrity Baby Names

Aarav - Akshay Kumar's son
Alexander Pete - Naomi Watts' son
Alimayou Moa-T - Wesney Snipes' son
Anvay - Rahul Dravid's son
Arin - Madhuri Dixit's son
Aryan Khan - Shah Rukh Khan's son
Bluebell Madonna - Geri Halliewell's daughter
Cayden Wyatt - Kevin Costner's son
Charlie Axel - Tiger Woods' son
Clementine Jane - Ethan Hawke's daughter
Daisy True - Meg Ryan's daughter
Dona Ganguly - Saurav Ganguly's daughter
Emme Maribel - J.Lo's daughter
Emmy Charlotte - Ricky Ponting's daughter
Finn - Christy Turlington's son
Hania Riley - Vin Diesel's daughter
Hayes Logan - Kevin Costner's son
Henry - Heidi Klum's son
Henry Daniel - Julia Roberts' son
Henry Tadeusz - Colin Farell's son
Honor Marie - Jessica Alba's son
Isabella - Matt Damon's daughter
Jayden James - Britney Spears' son
Knox Leon - Brangelina's son
Lucia - Mel Gibson's daughter
Max Liron - Christina Aguilera's son
Maximilian David - J Lo's son
Nahla Ariela - Halle Berry's daughter
Nysa - Kajol's daughter
Oscar - Gillian Anderson's son
Pax Thien - Brangelina's son
Quinn - Sharon Stone's son
Rasha - Raveena Tandon's daughter
Ryan - Madhuri Dixit's son
Sadie Madison - Adam Sandler's daughter
Sebastian Thomas - Tommy Hilifiger's son
Shiloh Nouvel - Brangelina's daughter
Tennyson Spencer - Russel Crowe's son
Valentina Paloma - Salma Hayek's daughter
Valentino - Ricky Martin's son

Tsunamika

Lots of syllables. Lots of pits stops. Lots of history. And a nice bit of portmanteaugiri. Nice name for a tsunami-victims relief project. You could do worse than check out her products.

A movie called Talaq Talaq Talaq

I was wondering about the sensation such a movie title would cause. If an orthodox muslim were to read this aloud in front of his wife, it would lead to a divorce! I googled to see why no ever thought of this. Actually to be fair, BR Chopra wrestled with the idea, way back in the eighties. He dropped it when there were objections from islamic bodies. He later released the movie as Nikaah. Yes, the film that featured this lovely song...



Posted by Anantha.

Pawpaw

Talk about funny names. The pawpaw is a native american fruit and name of a town in the state of Michigan. It is also often called 'prairie banana' because of its banana-like creamy texture and flavor. You can read, even, more about it, here. And more.

Probably the best family of names. Ever

How wrestlers get their names

The sport of professional wrestling is punctuated with some of the more outlandish names in the history of branding. (For instance, the dashing fellow shown here goes by the delightful moniker 'Nacho Libre'!) In this post, I direct you to the riveting story behind another wrestling/er brand, the 'Rock and Roll Express'. And more.

"Have you ever wondered where some of the names wrestlers use come from? Well they can only come from two places. Either the wrestler gives himself a name or the booker/creative people do. In earlier times, a guy could get a name in 30 seconds. Now, it might take weeks to run copyright and trademark searches. The Rock and Roll Express didn't have to wait long. Click here for the story of not only how their name was arrived at but also their gimmick."

Speaking of which, who is your favourite brand of wrestler? Mine's, hands down, 'The Undertaker'. In fact, the mere mention of the name sends a chill down my spine. Talk about brand personality.

Orissa is now 'Odisha'

For more reasons than one, this is a better name. For one, it's easier to spell. For two, the 'd' in the middle gives it a nice point of emphasis stronger than the earlier 'r' and for three, 'Odisha' is how the people of Odisha pronounce 'Orissa'. So it makes sense. (Names are more memorable when spelled the way they sound. ex: Orissa v/s Odisha.) Incidentally, Oriya is now 'Odia', which in my opinion is not as memorable as 'Oriya'. (It's complicated and can be explained only in an elaborate Powerpoint presentation.) All said and done, what do names, and name-changes, like Odisha, Chennai, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram and Mumbai say about the principles of naming? Think about it.

A Tamil Name for a Swiss Watch

Just discovered this 1983-born Swiss watch. It's derived from the tamil word Kattamaram. The idea was to position it as the ideal watch for sailing.

Wave, it doesn't matter

I believe what you call a new brand doesn't count all that much when it is already backed by an old one with high equity and recall. Case in point: Wave from Google. In such cases, more than the name of the new product what matters, more than earlier, is the quality of the newly-launched product from the old stable. If, for example, Wave turns out to be shit, Brand Google takes a beating. On the other hand, had Google chosen to call 'Wave' 'Siht' and gone on to deliver yet another great product, 'Siht' would, in all likelihood, be hailed as a revolution in naming. (Sorta like 'FCUK'). That's how much names matter. Or not. Btw, don't you just love the 'Wave' logo? I do.

Strange Cricketer Names

Aiden Blizzard
John Snow
Gladstone Small
Anthony Llewyn Biggs
Allan Lamb
Rodney Hogg
Geoff Boycott
David Boon
Craig White
Marlon Black
Bill Brown
Gordon Greenidge
Peter Sleep
Rick Darling
Napoleon Einstein
Farookh Engineer
Derek Underwood
Ryan Sidebottom
Graham Onions

Feel free to add to the list...

Onion themed names

A good name for an airline?

It's called Calm Air and it indicates, very clearly, it is a Canadian airline. Nifty or what?

A surname that may not work in Chennai

Tavadia is a parsi surname. Tha-waad-dia is how it's pronounced, I guess. I googled and tried to find its meaning. Couldn't. Whatever it means, it can only spell trouble in Chennai. Tevudia means whore in tamil slang. And tevudia paiya means a bastard. So any chap with a Tavadia surname is bound to be ragged at a college in Tamil Nadu. Mind it!

Names We Like: dnL

In 2002, Cadbury Schweppes launched dnL. A 180-degree take on 7up. I think it was a fabulous idea. Unfortunately, it was discontinued in 2005. If it were relaunched today with a different taste, the brand will get enough trials by the sheer beauty of the name. I feel it was an audacious experiment, a little ahead of its time.

Mountain themed brand names

Factonama: Joomla

Joomla, the content management system brand, derives its name from the Anglicised version of the Arabic word Jumla which means 'all together'. Probably the open source origins, influenced the choice. Or may be since the name itself was a colloborative effort of so many people.

List of pen brand names

Add Gel
Aurora
Bic
Bril
Camel
Caran D'Ache
Cartier
Cello
Chelpark
Cross
Curtis Australia
David Oscarson
Delta
Ducati
Faber Castell
Fisher
Flair
Hero
Jac Zagoory
Jaguar
Jean Pierre Lepin
Jetter
Krone
Lamy
Libelle
Linc
Luxor
Mercedes
Michel Perchin
Mont Blanc
Montegrappa
Monteverde
Montex
Namiki
Omas
Papermate
Parker
Pelikan
Pilot
Porsche Design
Quill
Reynolds
Rotomac
Rotring
Sensa
Sharpie
Sheafer
S T Dupont
Stic
Today
Uniball
Visconti
Waterford
Waterman
Zebra

Sunami and Tsunami

There's a Sanskrit word called Sunami. Me thinks, it will make a great name for a naming company. Decoded it means 'well named'. But the only hitch is the acoustics. Sunami seems like a Siamese twin of Tsunami. And that can be a huge problem in India. Because the word Tsunami evokes the imagery of a cosmic dance of death. Too bad.

To all those who won't pay for names

A lot of people write to me asking for a name. I often tell them, I do pro bono work for NGOs. But I will never do charity for a business that leverages a name for profit.

My logic is simple. A name is the 1-word story of your offering. It's not easy to create a 1-word story that's never been told.

Even if one were to coin something unique for you, remember, it has to pass the memorability test. Any namer worth his namak will tell you, this is never easy. It takes a lot of effort and research.

As much effort as creating a logo or campaign. So to expect me to give it to you for free, is a tad too unfair. Right?

A Beer name Reeb

One of the most popular beers in Shanghai is named Reeb (the reverse of beer). Yes, it uses an old naming technique. But I am all for it, as mirror names have always worked. Makes the brand look clever and offers a talking point for the glugger. The only issue with the name could be the sound. Reeb's acoustics is not as good as say Tiger, Budweiser or Heineken. It's got a wimpish sound. Almost like the feeb in feeble. But who cares. At the end of the day, all that counts is it's a short, interesting name.

What is the name of the largest number?

A Googol is 1 followed by a 100 zeroes. That is 10^100. Edward Kasner popularized this concept in 1940. It's not the largest number known to mankind. Wikipedia says the Shannon Number (the exhaustive number of possible moves in a chess board) amounts to 10^120. This was computed in 1950. Long before, Kasner or Shannon, Valmiki gave us a clue about numbers not known to mankind. And Hindu wizard mathematicians had names for it. Listed below is a set of terms that should boggle your mind -

10^5: Lakh
10^7: Crore
10^12: Shanku
10^17: Mahashanku
10^22: Vrindam
10^27: Mahavrindam
10^32: Padmam
10^37: Mahapadmam
10^42: Kharvam
10^47: Mahakharvam
10^52: Samudram
10^57: Ogha
10^62: Mahaugha

Georges Ifrah mentions another set of names for large numbers in ancient India...

Koti —10^7
Ayuta —10^9
Niyuta —10^11
Kankara —10^13
Pakoti —10^14
Vivara —10^15
Kshobhya —10^17
Vivaha —10^19
Kotippakoti —10^21
Bahula —10^23
Nagabala —10^25
Nahuta —10^28
Titlambha —10^29
Vyavasthanapajnapati —10^31
Hetuhila —10^33
Ninnahuta —10^35
Hetvindriya —10^37
Samaptalambha —10^39
Gananagati —10^41
Akkhobini —10^42
Niravadya —10^43
Mudrabala —10^45
Sarvabala —10^47
Bindu —10^49
Sarvajna —10^51
Vibhutangama —10^53
Abbuda —10^56
Nirabbuda —10^63
Ahaha —10^70
Ababa —10^77
Atata —10^84
Soganghika —10^91
Uppala —10^98
Kumuda —10^105
Pundarika —10^112
Paduma —10^119
Kathana —10^126
Mahakathana —10^133
Asankheya —10^140
Dhvajagranishamani —10^421

Asankheya is supposed to have figured in Vishnu Sahasranama. It also happens to be the Hindi word for countless. It is larger than the Shannon Number. And Dhvajagranishamani beats Asankheya by a mile. So is that the largest known number? Nopes. The largest number is a never ending story. In the begining, we were told it's Googolplex (10^Googol). Then came Googolplexian (10^10^Googol). Then Googoltriplex (10^10^10^Googol). The mathematicians didn't stop. The tweaking continued. And now we're at Googoldecaplex. That's like 10^10^10^10^10^10^10^10^10^10^Googol. The only larger number I know is Anantha :-)

Element 112 to be named Heisenbergium?

The hunt is on for a new name for Ununbi (one-one-two in latin), the chemical element number 112. BBC did an interview with scientist John Hemsley, who seems to indicate a groundswell of support for naming the element after Werner Heisenberg (yes, the uncertainty principal). But till it happens, we'll never be certain.

Factonama # 11

Volkswagen's new pickup truck is called Amarok. It's has been derived from the name of the giant wolf in Inuit mythology. Unlike normal wolves that hunt in packs, Amarok is supposed to do it all alone.

Greek Alphabet Themed Names

7 billion people. 183 million domain names.

Verisign, the meticulous chronicler of the domain name grabgame, has certified that as on date, there are close to 183 million domain names in use. I feel, we've just scratched the surface. There will be an explosion of dot ins, dot coms, dot TVs, dot radios, dot shops and dot what nots in the future. Considering there are close to 7 billion people on this planet, I think the game has just begun.

Arivazhagan - The beauty with brains

While I was commuting to my office, I chanced upon a fascinating name while gazing at one of those over-cluttered political posters that dot the Chennai outdoorscape. The name in question belongs to a congress politician. I thought, it's a beautiful coinage because it marries beauty (azhagu) and brains (arivu). I haven't come across an English equivalent. Excitedly, I googled Arivazhagan. To my surprise, I found it's a common tamil name. Then the jigyaasu baalak in me took over. I was curious to know what these guys looked like in real life. Did they turn out to be as handsome as their moms imagined them to be? I must say google images didn't reveal any Adonis. But then as they say, beauty lies.

Ambasamudram Ambani

The name of a Karunaas flick, just launched. It caught my eye the moment I saw it. Yes, it rides on Dhirubhai's name. But what adds fizz to it is the alliterative touch of Ambasamudram. When put together, Ambasamudram Ambani teases you into imagining a tale of a smalltown systembeater. I like the sound of it. That's why enakku idhu pidichurukku.

Some Bings Before Bing

Bing has zing!

Microsoft has finally chosen the bid bada Bing as the name for its search engine. This is infinitely better than the zombiesque Live Search. My gutfeel is the success of Zune would have prompted the switch to 4-letter names. To know more about this intuitive search engine, go here.

Cyclone Aila

Aila! Now that's what you call a funny name. Jokes apart, cyclone naming conventions are based on arbitrary lists of names submitted by various countries around the world. Maybe someday there will be a cyclone named 'Avinash'. That said, considering what 'Avinash' means, maybe not.

Addendum: Some dope on cyclone naming conventions that found in an aftersearch.

Rechristening of Mr. You Know Who

Mr. You Know Who, famed for gifting positions of power to his two sons, daughter, grand nephew and scores of distant relatives, is hereby rechristened as Kalaignar Kudumba Nidhi. Etymology: Kalaignar (tamil for artiste) + Kudumba (tamil for family) + Nidhi (tamil for fund).

Mister This & Mister That

A women's magazine called XX

www.doublex.com.

Where to check your domain names

If you've thought up a name, and want to check if some one's taken it or not, don't go anywhere near GoDaddy.com, Networksolutions.com or Instandomainsearch.com. I have a reason for it. What these sites do is, they block the dotcom the moment you key in the name. They do it quietly, without your knowledge, using some goddamn bot. So initially, the result will show 'dot com available'. After an hour or so, when you search, you might just discover, it's been taken. Now these sites claim that they are blocking the names for your own good. But I don't see it that way. I think it's very unethical to block some one else's domain names without an explicit declaration. It's akin to intellectual property theft. That's why you must be smart whenever you wanna check names. Visit Net4domains or Domain299. These guys are not evil. They don't book the name behind your back. They book it, only when you place the order. That's why they have my vote.

A cricketer named Onions

How would you react if your dad had named you, Onions? I bet you would have thrown a tantrum. Or at best, lost some sleep. But Graham Onions has no such problems. His Allium Cepa surname might have come in handy in getting that extra attention from the Guardian and other newspaper hacks who revel in writing headlines like 'English selectors know their Onions'. Where he wouldn't have scored is - with women. It doesn't look good when you say: I am dating Onions. Right?

Name Trivia: Blu-Ray

"The name Blu-ray Disc is derived from the blue laser (violet-colored) used to read and write to this type of disc. In part because of the shorter wavelength (405 nanometres), substantially more data can be stored on a Blu-ray Disc than on a DVD, which uses a red (650 nm) laser. A dual-layer Blu-ray Disc can store 50 gigabytes, almost six times the capacity of a dual-layer DVD, or ten and a half times that of a single-layer DVD."

Source: Wikipedia.

Chanderpaul gets his own street

New Garden Street in Georgetown, now sports a new name. It's called the Shivnarine Chanderpaul Drive,a nod to Guyana's most famous cricket son. With this honor, Chanderpaul becomes the fourth cricketer of Indian origin to have a road/street named after him. The other three being: Anil Kumble, Kapil Dev & Sunil Gavaskar.

Redneck Bank: Banking idea of the year

How does a staid boring bank get noticed in these times? Bank of the Wichitas has the solution. It's launched its internet bank under the name Redneck Bank. Ya, not kiddin. Redneck Bank for Joe the Plumber.

Just a naming idea and a tagline that says: Where banking is funner. Everything else is the basic internet bank that anyone else offers. Apparently there are 9000 banks on the internet offering the same product. Wade Huckabay of Bank of the Wichitas was looking at a way to differentiate the brand. And he hit upon the name Redneck after sifting through many unused website names.

Looks like the humour ploy has really worked for him. The bank with laughing horse as mascot (spouting the cheesy 'we want to be your mane bank') has already become popular in 45 states across the US and on the Internet.

I read somehwere that Mr. Wade faced many objections from his board. But he overruled them. I am not sure how many banks in India will approve of such a name or strategy. I personally remember being greeted with cold silence by a Bangalore-based bank when I suggested humour as a route. May be there's a lesson in this for all of us.

An agency named Republic of Everyone

Nice name, ain't it? These bunch of good-hearted ozzies started RoE, 3 years ago. The thing I like about them is they only focus on doing decent work for green, sustainable and ethical brands. Check out these blokes, here.

Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year

Shimit Amin of Chak De fame has given his forthcoming flick an interesting title - Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year. The title's so intriguing, I am certain it'll generate buzz. I like it better than the dyslexic Singh is Kinng.

Xavier Tras

Just launched a comic strip on the funny side of cricket called 'Xavier Tras'. Would love to know what readers of this blog think of it. Note: The name, not the blog.

A perfume named 786

I've always wanted to use this name for a brand, but political correctness prevented me from doing so. But now I notice someone has picked this for an Arabic-Western perfume. I wonder if the mullahs might issue a fatwa 786.

Names for the 'Cow Urine' soft drink

Not that anyone asked, but can't help think this would make for a most interesting naming exercise. So here are five suggestions from yours truly. Feel free to piss all over them. (a) Pssst, (b) Cow-wow, (c) PSS, (d) PJP, (e) Moojo

Factonama: 9rules

The site 9rules which prides itself in spotting the best content from indie blogs gets its name from a set of 9 rules, the founders set themselves. They are:

1. Love what you do.
2. Never stop learning.
3. Form works with function.
4. Simple is beautiful.
5. Work hard, play hard.
6. You get what you pay for.
7. When you talk, we listen.
8. Must constantly improve.
9. Respect your inspiration.

2-Word Brand Names

Allen Solly
Alta Vista
Axis Bank
Blue Dart
Charles Schwab
Coca Cola
Color Plus
Delhi Daredevils
Fidelity Investments
Giorgio Armani
Hot Breads
India Bulls
Jet Airways
Kenneth Cole
Louis Phillipe
Mary Kay
Merrill Lynch
Morgan Stanley
Perri Ellis
Perry Alley
Peter England
Red Bull
Salvatore Ferragamo
Share Khan
Singapore Airlines
Tata Indicom
Van Heusen
Western Union

Will add more as I get some time...

Why Aggi, why?

Agnello Dias & Santhosh Padhi are the two most admired souls in advertising in India today. When they announced they were starting their own outfit, it captured the imagination of the nation. Everyone was keenly awaiting THE NAME. We namasutrists, even had a shortlist in our heads. Now we hear, they are calling their outfit ROOTS INDIA. That's a great brief, Aggi. But not a great name. A simple online check will tell you there is already a Roots Advertising in Delhi. You can't have two Roots, can you? Also, there is a plastic precision component company by the name Roots India. As agencies, when we counsel our clients to be unique, isn't it our job to be unique? We like you, Aggi. We like you, Paddy. But we think, you should have done a little research before making your name public. In any case, best wishes for your new venture.

Just for pun

I think of myself as a fairly punny guy. Punnily enough, most people in the writing profession don't care much for puns. We think it might have something to do with the fact that coming up with a good pun takes some skill, and they aren't quite upto it. Pokes apart, here's a collection of fine, and not-so-fine, names that pun. Have pun. (Image courtesy, Torontoist. Find courtesy, the NYT Freakonomics blog.)

Atlas of True Names

Kalimedia has released a new kinda map with original meanings of names. Put together by German cartographers Silke Peust & Stephan Hormes, the Atlas has generated a buzz of sorts. Here are a few interesting etymological meanings extracted from the map:

Azerbaijan: Land of the Fire Keepers.
Baghdad: God's Gift.
Buenos Aires: Good Breeze.
Chicago: Stink Onion.
Great Britain: Great Land of the Tatooed.
Hong Kong: Fragrant Port.
Idaho: Gem of the Mountains.
Libya: Heart of the Sea.
London: Hill Fort.
Malta: Isle of Honey.
Manila: Here are Root Trees.
Mauritius: Island of the Dark One.
Miami: Great Water.
Nauru: I go to the Beach.
New York: New Wild Boar Village.
Nicaragua: Here are People.
Paris: City of Boatmen.
Persian Gulf: Gulf of the Pure Ones.
Somalia: Go and Milk.
Vancouver: From the Cowford.
Zimbabwe: House of Stones.

Names We Like: Plan B

Okay, let me clarify. This is not an unusually uncommon name. I've heard many Plan B's. But for a morning-after pill, it's maha approporiate. Why I like it is, the name is easy on the mouth and there's no unpleasantness when you utter Plan B. It's neither too clinical nor too provocative. One can slip this into a cryptic conversation, without raising any eyebrows. Don't you think 'did you try plan b?' sounds infinitely better than 'did you take the pill?' So.

What a bunch of sports

I work in sports. I used to be a sports writer. I still, on occasion, write a column on three on cricket. But, I'm no longer a paid sports writer (hey, I'm no hack). Does that exclude me from the hallowed clan of sports writers? I hope not. Because if there's one thing I love more than writing, writing blogs and writing other stuff that few people read, it's being offered up the opportunity to watch sport in the midst of thousands of passionately cheering fans and being asked to write about it. Throw in the myriad pleasures of travelling to different venues and I'd call it an perfect life. Almost. (What did you expect, perfect? Naah. Honestly, perfection is bloody boring.) As it is, I have a far, far, far from perfect life. So when I read something like this that makes me laugh heartily, it makes up, even if only momentarily, for some of the shit I have to endure on a daily basis. Here's a far from exhaustive list of really weird names for sports team. Enjoy. And, as always, feel free to add to it. (Don't know why I said that. Heaven knows no such thing is going to happen.) Image courtesy, www.faniq.com

What do you get when you invert Maytas?

Maytas Infra, the Hyderabad-based company that has been mysteriously bagging airport, port and railway projects without any prior experience, was recently in the news because of Satyam's botched up acquisition deal. I was initially a bit curious about the name. Now it all falls in place. Maytas is Satyam read the Arabic way. And you know what Satyam has been up to, right?

Factonama # 10

Asics, the shoe company, began its life as Onitsuka Tiger. In 1977, it merged with GTO and Jelenk to form ASICS Corporation. Asics is an acronym of the Latin phrase "anima sana in corpore sano" which translates to "a healthy soul in a healthy body" or "a sound mind in a sound body". Source: Wikipedia.

Remember how people remember

If this is how people who have to memorise new stuff ever so often help themselves remember names, and faces, it's something people entrusted with the task of coming up with memorable names would do well to remember. In simple English: If you know what people do to remember, you'll find it easier to come up with things people will remember. Umm ... ok, maybe the English wasn't so simple. Still, you get the drift.

Gyaanama: Marty on Brand Names that Zag

The author of Zag and Brand Gap has some very strong views on what constitutes a strong name. He's of the view that a Strong name should be:

1. Differentiated. It should stand out from competitors’ names, as well as from other words in a sentence. This is sometimes called “speech-stream visibility”, the quality that lets the eye or the ear pick out the name as a proper (or capitalized) word instead of a common word.

2. Brief. Four syllables or less. More than four, and people start to abbreviate the name in ways that could be detrimental to the brand.

3. Appropriate. But not so descriptive as to sound generic. A common mistake is to choose a name that doubles as a descriptor, which will cause it to converge with other descriptive names. Actually, a strong brand name can be “blind”, meaning that it gives no clue as to its connection with the product, service, or company it represents, yet still “feels” appropriate.

4. Easy to spell. When you turn your name into a spelling contest, you introduce more confusion among customers, and make your brand difficult to access in databases that require correct spelling.

5. Satisfying to pronounce. A good name has “mouthfeel”, meaning that people like the way it sounds and are therefore more willing to use it.

6. Suitable for “brandplay.” The best names have creative “legs”—they readily lend themselves to great storytelling, graphics, PR, advertising, and other communications.

7. Legally defensible. The patent office wants to make sure that customers are not confused by sound-alike names or look-alike trademarks. A good name is one that keeps legal fees to a minimum.

He illustrates his points with some valid examples. Go here to take a peek.

If it flows, it must be a hostel at IIT Madras.

South India's Ivy League Engineering Institution - IIT Madras, has a very interesting naming architecture for its hostels. The common thread is Indian river names. In all there are 13 hostels and they've been christened:

1. Alaknanda
2. Brahmaputra
3. Cauvery
4. Ganga
5. Godavari
6. Jamuna
7. Krishna
8. Mandakini
9. Narmada
10. Saraswathi
11. Sarayu (Girl's hostel)
12. Sharavati (Girl's hostel)
13. Tapti

I hear, four more hostels are on the anvil. They've been named: Sindhu, Pampa, Tamraparni & Mahanadi.

Think about it, Donna

When Donna Karan decided to shorten her name, I am sure someone whispered into her ear that DK might sound like Decay. May be that's why she went in for DKNY. But now, emboldened by her success, she seemed to have decided to milk her name. Hence DK Men. Dunno how many guys would want the smell of Decay? Rotten stuff Donna. Might as well call it, DKaran Men or Donna for Men. What do you say, Donna?

Factonama # 9

Delsey, the No.2 luggage manufacturer in the world had its origin in the Delahaye company which, in 1911, specialized in the manufacture of cameras, typewriters and record players. Mr. Delahaye and the Seynhaeve Brothers joined forces in 1946 to set up Delsey. Their individual and joint experience lead to them setting up a department producing moulded plastic "travel items" in 1965. This resulted in the introduction of the first Delsey hard-side suitcase. Courtesy: Wikipedia.

Factonama # 8

Lieven P. Van Neste is the man who owns the most number of domain names in the world. Some say this Belgian natural medicine doctor has well over 200,000 domain names in his kitty. Originally, his intention in amassing the names was to sell and make enough money for his wellness resort. One wonders, whether he ever achieved his goal. The easiest way to find out is to make a bid for one of his dot coms.

Instore labels now in vogue

The meltdown has started affecting people's buyer behaviour. Instore labels have caught the shopper's fancy. Same quality for less, seems to be the mantra now. MSNBC has filed a story on this trend. I don't particularly like the headline they've used. Gives an impression that brand names don't work. The fact of the matter is, a brand is much more than its name. And brands are struggling now only because they are not able to cogently communicate their value perception. Store labels are just exploiting this value gap. If store labels opt for better brand names, their chances of being lapped up is even more.

Eureka, here's another Mysskin!

Mysskin, the director of Anjathey, didn't want to be one more Raja. So he chose to rename himself after Prince Lyov Nikolaevich Myshkin, the protagonist of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's The Idiot. Looks like, it has set off a trend in Kollywood. The debutant director of Madurai Sambavam is said to be a gentleman named Eureka! At this rate, Karunanidhi will have to soon announce a tax sop for those who choose Tamil pseudonyms.

Gyaanama: Steve Baba on Domain Names

The name Steve Baba has something going for it. It makes him seem like a realised soul with a 10-foot blonde beard and a 10 mega watt aura. Jokes apart, Steve is a Ph.D in Economics and the reason why we've featured him in Namasutra is his free and very handy ebook titled How to Select and Buy an Elite Domain Name. The book makes some interesting observations. Sample these extracts:

A domain name can either make you look like a fly-by-night email spammer or an established company. A company with a domain name like AmericanWidgetsOnline.net, tells people that they could not obtain the .com, could not obtain AmericanWidgets.com or American.com.

Generic names such as Hotels.com are not entitled to any trademark protection. Ownership of the .com name can only prevent people from using the same exact domain name. Others can use Hotels.NET, Hotel.com (singular) and so on. On a positive note,
since no one owns generic names, trademark lawsuits are unlikely.

When buying a used car, one could look in the paper for the prices of similar cars. There are publications summarizing the price of used cars. Both buyers and sellers know the prices of similar cars. In contrast, a domain name speculator is comparing your offer with what he thinks someone may offer him in the future. This is often
optimistic, wishful thinking. A speculator may have read that a domain name sold for $100,000. But this is like a beginning novelist hearing that another novelist earned $100,000 and expecting the same, when most novelists get a tenth of that if anything.

Amateur do-it-ourselves naming often leads to discovering "fool's gold" domain names. "We found this great name, and it was free." This reminds me of someone who had his wife make his TV commercial for free, but wasted $100,000 broadcasting the third-rate commercial. An inferior domain name is a drag on all your other efforts.

Assume that you are only going to spend $1,000 to $5,000 for a domain name. If someone else had trademark rights to the name – in a different industry – and really wanted the domain name, they should have been able to obtain the domain name by paying the same $1,000 to $5,000. Or they could use a legal procedure to recover the name from a cybersquatter for $1,000-$5,000. One would assume that no other trademark owner wants the domain name, but this is only an assumption. But as long as you have legitimate trademark rights for one industry, another trademark owner in a different industry can’t take the domain name from you.

If a great domain name compared to a good domain name will increase sales 2% and the margin is 50%, then a great domain name is worth 1% of sales.

Piqued enough to read more? Go here.

Sound barrier

Was reading my fellow namasutrist's (?) most informative find on material names, the preceding one, when I had this epiphany of sorts. I haven't researched it all that much, hardly actually, but I have a theory on names, which needs more than a bit of time to prove. (And perhaps a lot less to disprove.) Still, I'm going to put it out for those of you who care enough to think about these things. Take a nuther look at these names (I've aligned them into two categories for the purposes of my fledgling theory): in the first corner we have Lycra, Velcro, Tyvek, Formica, Kevlar, Spandex and in the other corner Teflon, Nylon, Cellophane, Styrofoam, Tweed, Linoleum. Maybe it's not that obvious, but put very, very simply what I'm saying is this: 'Hard' sounds like, for instance, 'k' suit a particular kind of product better and soft sounds, like 'ph', for instance, work better for another kind of product. Moving forward, the next time you visit a 'fine dining' resto, yeah, those places where they give you very little for way too much, look carefully at the menu card. I'd be surprised if you found too many dishes with 'hard' sounds in their names. Next, go to a hardware store. There's a distinct likelihood you'll find more 'hard' sound names there. The human mind attaches certain product qualities to the sounds built into a brand name. A brand name that doesn't consider these aural quirks of the brain, trained perhaps to feel this way over years of brand-naming, will be attempting to fight an uphill battle to make an impression. My hypothesis is certain sounds make more sense for certain product categories. Perhaps it's a naming theory someone might find worthwhile to research and debunk. It involves a far bit of research all right. Something I'm too hard-pressed to undertake gratis. (What to do, we all have our day jobs that take up the majority of our time.) Image from here.

Gyaanama - Material Naming

Lycra, Velcro, Teflon, Tyvek, Nylon, Cellophane, Styrofoam, Formica, Tweed, Linoleum, Kevlar and Spandex - they don't sound like puppy names, do they? There's a technical ring to it. Why have people named Velcro as Velcro? Why not Zipnot? Peter Karlen of Neonym dissected this very issue in a lovely piece for Brandchannel. Digest it if you want some raw material on naming materials.

While we were lost in our world # 1

A lot has happened in the last few weeks. Betty James, the lady who gave the Slinky toy its name, is dead. Polaroid has launched a mobile printer called PoGo. And Anheuser-Busch & InBev have merged to form a new entity, Aninbev. A big thank you to Name Wire for keeping us in the loop.

Factonama #7

Henry Saint Clair Fredericks (born May 17, 1942), changed his name to Taj Mahal. An internationally recognized blues musician who folds various forms of world music into his offerings. A self-taught singer-songwriter and film composer who plays the guitar, banjo and harmonica (among many other instruments), Mahal has done much to reshape the definition and scope of blues music during his 40+ year career by fusing it with non-traditional forms, including sounds from the Caribbean, Africa and the South Pacific. He said the idea to change his name to 'Taj Mahal' came to him in dreams about Gandhi, India, and social tolerance. Seems particularly relevant, or irrelevant (depends on your frame of mind), in times like these. (Text and image from here.)

Factonama # 6

Detachment 88 is the name of the Counter Terrorist Squad of Indonesia. Formed after the 2002 Bali bombing, it is funded, equipped, and trained by the United States. The number '88' is taken from the largest number of casualties suffered by a country in the Bali bombings incidents. In that incident, 88 Australians lost their lives. The number '88' also has some other meanings. The number '8' represents continuity since this number does not show the beginning and the end like other numbers. The number '8' also looks like police handcuffs. Source: This site.

Lowe renames itself. Yet again.

First it was Lintas. Then Amiratti Puris Lintas. Then they decided to call themselves Lowe. Then Frank Lowe walked out of the agency. Still they chose to stick with Lowe. Now Lowe India has decided just Lowe ain't working. So they've opted to call themselves Lowe Lintas (or at least that's the name as of this nanosecond). My gut feel is, Lowe will be eased out sooner or later. And the agency will be back to Lintas. A rather strange journey, this. From Lintas to Lintas.

Names We Like # 5

I watched this lousy Eddie Murphy movie where he plays a spaceship in human form. Meet Dave is the name of the flick. The only thing I remembered after wasting 120 minutes of my time was the name of one of the production houses that financed this project. The name brought a smile to my face and raised my expectations from the movie, a bit. And that's why I like Guy Walks Into A Bar. It's got wit written all over.

The Big S

Doesn't roll of the tongue quite as easily as the 'Big B', does it? My point precisely. Well, not quite mine but kinda connected to the point I'm about to make. Those of you who have read 'Freakonomics' by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner might recall what this post is about to shine the light on: How much do baby names impact their chances of success later in life. And those of you who haven't might feel inclined enough to read this fascinating old piece from Slate that I unearthed while exploring for material on the said subject matter. Speaking of which, I wonder how much farther I might have gone had my mother chosen to name me 'Übermaniam'. Not very, I'm sure. The weight of expectations, and the umlaut, would have been just too much to bear. (And spell.) As it is, 'Avinash' is a lofty enough branding to live with. That said, it does make for a good story to tell the few people who bother to ask me what it means. And when they, rarely, do, I promptly proceed to saddle them with not just what it means but also why I was 'Hindued' so. Tell me about it. No, actually, ask me about it and I'll tell you.

A puppy called 'Condom'

Imagine this: You walk into a friend's place and you see that he's gotten himself an adorable little puppy. (Yeah, much like the one in the picture.) Naturally, the first thing you're going to ask him is what the little critter is called. He tells you it's called 'Condom'. Of course you do a double take and ask him whether he's serious. He tells you with a straight face that he indeed is. How comfortable would you be to call out its name? It's true. There is a puppy that goes by the name 'Condom'. And you can find out more about it here.

Mountain names not trademarkable

In an interesting pronouncement, the Registrar of Trademarks of India has declared that Mountain names 'are not acceptable for registration as trademark for agricultural and natural products'. That means Dadi Balsara's Mount Everest mineral water is in trouble. Also in deep fix is Himalaya herbal products. I feel, this legal wrangle ain't over yet.

When not to hyphenate your name

Got a hilarious forward from adlist. This reminded me of this. Enjoy!

How to fight the recession with just a name.

Laid off? Don't worry. Scrap your savings or whatever is left of it. Rent some space. Start a shop in the domain you're comfortable with. Now you might wonder, who the heck is gonna pay for promoting your store? Well, you can promote your store with zero budget. Wanna know how? Simple. Just find a good name for your store. The store name will act as your advertisement. But remember, the name must be edgy. You must either hate it or despise it. Don't get safe in these times. A controversial name will work like magic. Opt for something like Black McCain, Dirty Pope or Britney's Cups. And watch the consumers queue up with glee. That's how you melt the meltdown.

Names We Like #4

Play to find out. And ask to find out why.

Would you shop at The Ridiculous Book Store?

That's the name of a Gulfport, Mississipi-based second hand book store. It's a provocation name that is meant to grab you by the gut. Either you like it. Or you don't. It brings to mind cheap pricing and a weird collection. When you see this shop sign, it's bound to intrigue you into the store. That's why, TRBS gets my nod.

Short names are stronger?

While traveling back to Bangalore from Chennai by train, I noticed something I found quite interesting. Most brand names of cement in India are not longer than 6 letters. The next thing I know my mind is working furiouser than a steam engine to try and draw some kind of connection between these two seemingly unrelated phenomena. And here's what it came up with: is there then some merit in assuming that for any brand name to communicate the qualities of 'strength', and the like, it's better off being short? How many 'long' names can you think of for products that are supposed to convey 'strength'? Yes, I do realise most brand names will tend to be short. Obviously this is an exploration into a subset of an overall branding pattern.

Abdul Peter Iyengar & other secular names

We had a MAD magazine clone at ITBHU. It was called Graffiti. Founded by a Digen Verma kinda legendary alumnus named Surajit Roy, the defining thing about Graffiti was the mascot. He was ingeniously baptized as Abdul Peter Iyengar, an apt summation of the melting pot nature of ITBHU. Years later, the nation woke up to an Ashish Winston Zaidi - a UP pacer who got more publicity than wickets, all thanks to his name. Are there any more equivalents? Amar Akbar Anthony won't count as it's the name of a trio. Think. Think. I am sure you can pluck out something for posterity.

Ryan Sidebottom: Aint' it over the top?

Cricket's a funny game. It never ceases to throw up characters with quirky surnames. Who can forget the adorable Rick Darling? Or for that matter, the small-necked Gladstone Small. Some names used to set me thinking. What if, Marlon Black were white and Cameron White, black. Would the world have seen them differently? Will a guy like Stuart Campbell always get himself into a soup? Would David Boon have been spoofed as David Bane if he had totted up a string of zeroes? Did Rodney ever Hogg the limelight? And did Stuart ever break the Law? Interesting questions spawned by very interesting names.

A restaurant named Don't Fuck Around!

Sangeetha's has a restaurant in RA Puram. For some strange reason, they've called it Okadey. Anyone with a little knowledge of tamil slang will tell you 'okka' is 'to fuck' and 'okkadey' can only mean 'don't fuck around'. I was quite amused when I saw the shop sign. I wonder how Sangeetha's didn't spot this potentially scandalous name. Photo courtesy: Deepan Ramachandran.

Blackcomb, Vienna or Windows 7?

After toying with codenames like Blackcomb and Vienna, Microsoft has settled for the pedestrian Windows 7. Explains Mike Nesh, VP-Windows, "The decision to use the name Windows 7 is about simplicity. Simply put, this is the seventh release of Windows, so therefore Windows 7 just makes sense. Coming up with an all-new 'aspirational' name does not do justice to what we are trying to achieve, which is to stay firmly rooted in our aspirations for Windows Vista, while evolving and refining the substantial investments in platform technology in Windows Vista into the next generation of Windows."

Mahabharatha names and their meanings

That great epic had some very colorful characters. I've always wanted to know what their names meant without dipping into Maneka Gandhi's book of names. Now that I've found out, I thought I'll share it with you...


Yudhishtra = one who's committed to the ideal.
Bhima = one who knows no fear.
Arjuna = clarity of pure devotion.
Nakula = one who's free from pain.
Sahadeva = equal to the gods.
Duryodhana = defender of evil.
Ashwattama = one with the obstinacy of a horse.
Bhishma = one who rules fear.
Dhritarashtra = blind ambition.
Draupadi = enemy of offenders.
Drona = one who injures his foes with weapons.
Drupada = one who stands like a wooden pillar.
Karna = one who thinks of himself as the doer.
Kripa = one who does and gets.
Kunti = one who removes the deficiency of others.
Pandu = he who is without prejudice.
Sanjaya = he who is victorious over all.
Abhimanyu = one who is imperishable.

If you had pored over the meanings, you'll discover that Dhritarashtra, Draupadi and Drona's names serve as cryptic codes for their characters. So obviously it's the work of a seasoned author.

Names by George Lois

While I was reading up on George Lois (the original dude of advertising), I discovered two brands named by him. Both, a little ahead of their time. Enjoy...

Name trend forecast

The downturn will result in a dumbing down of names. More and more marketers will seek self-explanatory names that cue Value, Budget, Economy...get the drift, right? Inhouse brands will be the preferred option at retail stores. All this means only one thing: lesser naming assignments :-(

The Disease of Naming Diseases

Mike Adams made a valid point, recently. Are disease names willfully chosen to obscure and mystify the disease? Doesn't Sluggish Immune System Disease sum up cancer better than Cancer? Isn't Fatty Food Choice Disease more easily discernible than High Cholesterol? When you go through the disease list, you might actually agree with Mike. The idea of naming in this sensitive field is not to create a brand name, it's just meant to clarify. I am afraid, the exotic names being bandied about just don't do the job. May be it's time for a rethink.

Names that stuck

God Shamgod, Dick Trickle, Nathan Boob, Alexander Semin, Angry Anderson and some more of the best names of all time according to these guys. I'm sure you have your set of favourite names too. I'm also sure you won't be chartable enough to share them with us. As always, I look forward to being proved wrong. After all, as my friend and partner in crime Anantha says ... well, never mind what he says about me. This is about some really funny names I took the trouble to dig up and share with you. Enjoy. And how will all this help you come up with a great name for your company? Well, if you ask us we'll tell you exactly why these names make the kind of impact this other article talks about. Incidentally, can you tell me who the guy in the picture is? Trust me, going by the name, it's very guessable.

Factonama # 5

The most famous Esperanto word is Mirinda. It means amazing/awesome/wonderful. It is widely believed that the founder of Mirinda knew Esperanto. So quite a few people think that Mirinda is the best known Esperanto brand name. Can you think of any other Esperanto brand name?

How Crazy Mohan thinks up his crazy plays.

Playwright, screenwriter and funmeister Crazy Mohan shares one quirky trait with me. Both of us think of the title first and then write the script. It's always worked for me. So I can totally understand why it worked for him. Such is the power of a title. It contains the seed of your concept. Take Jurassic Baby, Alauddinum 100 Watts Bulbum, Marriage Made in Saloon and Crazy Thieves in Palavakkam. All of these titles have intrigue value and offer a new context for whipping humour with a gag-a-minute sitcom. The fantastic thing about the title-first approach is, if you think the comedy ain't working, you can always craft another story with the same title. As I said earlier, such is the power of a well-thought title.

Frank 'Lefty' Rosenthal and other gangster names

I'm a huge fan of gangster names. (Don't ask why.) The reasons, if you still insist on asking me, are pretty obvious. What's not to like. They're distinct, they communicate the unique quality about a particular gangster and they make you smile. Attributes that are eminently useful to have in a brand name. Shown here, Frank 'Lefty' Rosenthal and his sisters. (Yeah, right.) He died recently. Here's a bit about him: 'GAMBLERS usually go on until they have run out of both luck and money. Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal went on until he was blown up. But then Lefty was not your usual sort of gambler.' For more on Lefty and his exploits, read the rest of his obituary here. Meanwhile, Googleji and myself have unearthed some links on what makes for a good gangster name. (You'll find them all at the end of this post.) They're instructive in that most of the qualities that go into making a good gangster name apply to product brand names too. Jokes apart, you could learn a thing or two about brand names from gangsters. And us. (Picture courtesy Getty Images.) Link love.

Hot is no longer hot shit

Hot This. Hot That. How many times have you been assaulted by names that desperately latch on to the Hot prefix in an attempt to sound cool? The compilation below should once and for all, hopefully dissuade future namers from adding to this cliched genre...

The (N+1)th name

If you're stuck for names, here's a genre that will come, very handy. Think of a number. Say 7. What's the first thing that strikes when you think of 7? Seven Deadly Sins. Name your brand Eighth Deadly Sin. Yeah, it's that simple. Remember, this formula works best for categories that are receptive to somewhat creative names. Attached below are some classic amplifications of this genre:

Where Barack Obama becomes An Bin Rong

If you want to know the Chinese equivalent of your name, there's now a fun tool to play with. If you're bored like me, try it. Here are a few samplers: John McCain -> Meng Zhi Heng, Sarah Palin -> Peng Sheng Rui, Sonia Gandhi -> Guo Xi Nuan, Muthuvel Karunanidhi -> Kong Mu Tian, and Jayalalitha Jayaram's is Zhang Zheng Yi. The only hitch with this software is each time you type in the name, it gives a different result. I haven't figured out why. But I guess, the idea is not to get serious. So I won't.

Names on your mind

'It is what every advertiser would have dreamed of - brand names have a unique impact on our brains. Brand names engage the "emotional", right-hand side of the brain more than other words, new experiments suggest. And they are more easily recognised when they are in capital letters.' More such gyan on how brand names affect our brains can be found in the rest of this quite old, but immensely fascinating, article from the New Scientist.

Obviously, this business of naming is a lot more serious than some of us would like to believe. So the next time you ask us to come up with a brand name, think of what it does to your brain. Not pocket. (Image courtesy)

An Ale Named Arrogant Bastard

I am in love with this name. It's shameless, provocative, unpretentious, clear-headed and a swell choice for a strong tasting ale. It's a classic case study name that gives the brand an advertising story from day zero. The 'You're not worthy' tack wouldn't have bubbled to the surface if AB hadn't been picked. Launched in 1996, by California-based craft brewery Stone Brewing Company, this proudly bitter beverage has its share of devout gluggers. What they've bought into is part-product, part-imagery. And why won't they. Which egoistic sonofabitch wouldn't like to hang around with a brand like Arrogant Bastard? Picture courtesy: Wikipedia. For more on the brand, visit their website.

1000 names of Vishnu

Hindus have a unique tradition of eulogy. Every god is appeased with flattering name-calling. The supreme god Vishnu was showered with a thousand names by the wise old men of vedic times. To a novice, the Vishnu Sahasranama (Vishnu's thousand names) might seem like one more nama-sutra like compilation. But in the eyes of a giant like Adi Shankara it was something more profound. Since we are mercenary namers, we shall just stick to the literal meaning of the name list. And leave the interpretation to the masters. The reason why I've posted the Sahasranama is some of us are Sanksrit-challenged. The names can give us a hint of how a new Sanskrit name can be welded together. Before you pore over the list, say a big thank you to this site for painstakingly putting it together...

Nmes in SMS

Is the about-to-be launched version of the 'Mountain Dew' bottle the first brand name to be communicated in 'Smese' (the language of SMS)? Check out the way it is written and from the looks of it, it seems to have gone down pretty well with the 'commenting' crowd. Could this be the start of a new trend in naming? Why not. Imagine a product targetting kids; say a children's magazine. How interesting it would be if they chose to communicate their brand name in 'SMese'. Of course the grown-ups wouldn't approve. Which is precisely why it's likely to work swimmingly well for the young 'uns. We think more brands should try to strut their stuff in 'SMese'. It mkakes for a more personal conversation with consumers. And now for the obligatory question to elicit a reaction: Any other brand names in 'Smese' that you can think of? (No, not come up with, but think of that already exist.)

List of Indian Rock Band Names

IIIrd Sovereign
5 AM
13 AD
Acrid Semblance
Agnee
Amidst the Chaos
Asian Heat
Asura
Atmosfear
Aurko
Avial
Batallions
Bhayanak Maut
Bhoomi
Black
Blackhole Theory
Blacklight Infinity
Blind Image
Blood & Iron
Bloodmaze
Brahmastra
Brute Force
Fossils
Cactus
Cassini's Division
Catharsis
Chaos
Chandrabindu
Cranium
Crimson Wood
Cyanide
Dark Crucifix
Decibel
Descant
Devoid
Dhwni
Dry State
Enthrall
Euphoria
Exodus
Extramentals
Feedback
Fossils
Frequency
Garden of Thorns
Grungy Morphines
Half Step Down
HFT
Hollow Caust
Ichor
Indian Ocean
Indus Creed
Insomnia
Joint Family
Junkyard Groove
Kashti
Killer Tomatoes
Kryptos
Lakkhichara
Legacy
Level 9
Levitikus
LBG (Little Babooshka's Grind)
Mantra
Menwhopause
Microtone
Moksha
Molotov Cocktail
Motherjane
Musafir
Native Tongue
Nemesis Avenue
Neolithic Silence
Nerverek
Null Friction
Oikyotaan
Old Saying Jungle
Orange Street
Oritus
Overdose
Pentagram
Pin Drop Violence
Parikrama
Prakalp
Pralaya
Prestorika
Psychomotor
Public Issue
Redemption
Reincarnation
Rock Machine
Ruhh
Rudra
Sceptre
Scribe
Septic
Sephiroth
Shakuni & The Birds of Prey
Shoestring
Silk Route
Skinny Alley
Skrypt
Sledge
Soul Burn
Souled Out
Stiff Neck Syndrome
The Banned
The Hobos
Them Clones
Thermal And A Quarter
The Salvation Crusade
The Superfuzz
Trademark
Tripwire
Turn
Umeed
Undying Inc.
Vinapra
Wehem
Whitenoiz
Who's Jim?
Zanskar
Zero
Zero Gravity

What does Aegan mean?

When I first heard the name Aegan, I had a waddafuk moment. Why on earth would a tamil film be named after the Aegean Sea? Intrigued, I googled for the etymology of Aegean Sea. It threw up a little story on a Queen named Aegea (meaning The Pole in Greek). That didn't seem convincing. My mom came up with a better explanation. She said it may have a Sanskrit origin. May be it's a short form of Ekalavyan. Just when I was about to take her word for it, I read an interview with Ajith, today. He let the kitten out of the bag. Aegan is one more name for Lord Shiva. It means All in one. When he uttered those words, I was like, why didn't I think of it. Anyways, that's the story.

When a catchy name can hurt...

Movie naming is a tricky business. The catchier the title, the greater the expectations from the film. And expectations is a very heavy burden to carry. A lot of directors have learned this the hard way. Titles like EMI (Easy Monthly Installment), M3V (Mudhal Mudhal Mudhal Varai), Snakes on a Plane are a little too catchy. Either they explain the story in a pithy way or they have no connection at all to the plot. Good titles avoid being catchy. They intrigue (North by North West), provoke (Blackmail), offer the premise in an interesting way (Strangers on a Train), introduce a new phrase into public lingo (Dial M for Murder) and sometimes lower your expectations by opting for the seemingly innocuous (Birds). May be, some day the movie industry will wake up to this realisation.

Go ahead, copy

When you don't have enough money. When you have a huge market waiting to give you their money. When you want to hit the ground running. When you don't want to make people remember one more thing. When you are lucky enough to be operating in a market like India or China. When you don't have to worry too much about being slapped with a law suit. When you don't want to waste your time with a naming company. Or when you just want to be like Google, launch a soundalike brand. To piggyback is an old and quite successful marketing tactic. And strategy. We think it also works in Naming. Don't agree with me? Fine, agree with someone 'respectable'.

Is Maya the most famous Sanskrit brand name?

I have this theory that, this century, we are gonna see a lot more Sanskrit brand names as namers the world over have sucked the juice out of Greek and Latin. I'll dwell upon this in another post. Meanwhile, let me state what I have discovered. I can't think of a universally recognised Sanskrit brand name. The only one that came to my mind is the Oscar-winning VFX software Maya. Christy Turlington's Sundari is not yet international. And there are not too many challengers from India. So am I right if I declare Maya as the most popular Sanskrit brand name?

A whole lot of hot air

When Nike, and Michael Jordan, launched the 'Air' series of basketball and running shoes, which eventually came to be known as 'Air Jordan', it was perhaps the first brand - apart from airlines and sappy pop bands like Air Supply - to use the word 'air' as a brand name or extension. A combination of Jordan's extraordinary ability to 'fly', some great advertising and the presence of a crucial 'benefit' in the 'air' suffix meant that the 'air' in the Nike worked like a charm and sold many millions of pairs of shoes for them. Does the 'air' in the MacBook Air work quite as well for Apple? I think it does.

Apple, I believe, is the Nike of personal computing. Like Nike, it has always been about path-breaking style and revolutionary product developments coming together to deliver a clearly superior product to its consumers. That's why 'Air' is the appropriate brand name for the world's lightest personal computer from Apple. Just like it was the right name for the world's lightest shoe, from Nike. Right, so would 'Air' work just as well if it were tagged to an offering from Microsoft? Obviously not anymore. But what if Microsoft had launched the world lightest operating system (hypothetically speaking, of course) and chosen to call it Microsoft Air? I think not.

I think that after Nike usurped the word 'air' for itself, it needed a company like Nike to take the 'air' back from for other uses. A company like Apple. Not Microsoft.

A family of fiery names

Discrete Logic (the Montreal based company that was swallowed by Autodesk in 1999)is a well-chronicled pyromaniac. I mean, look at the names of their products: Flame, Flint, Fire, Inferno, Riot, Stone, Spark and now Combustion. Considering that all these are brands of editing/effects/compositing software do aid in creating films that set the silver screen ablaze, methinks these are marvelously apt.

Factonama # 4

The Danish butter brand Lurpak debuted as Lur Mark in 1901. Lur is a Scandinavian wind instrument. It has been immortalised as the visual mnemonic in the Lurpak logo. Wikipedia informs us that any instrument that receives sound is referred to as a lur, today. For example, a telephone handset is called telefonlur.

Names We Like # 3

This online shoe store has clocked a stellar performance in the last 10 years. People still keep raving about its 'pay-your-employees-to-leave' policy. I like the brand for its name. Derived from the Spanish word for shoes, Zappos is a 2-syllable contraction of Zapatos. Phonetically, it's a nephew of the uber-cool sounding Zappa. And imagery wise, it might conjure up visions of a wizard with his magical wand. This brand is a classic example of a literal yet exotic name. In the sense, those who know Spanish will know it means shoes. And those who don't know might assume it's a foreign brand. My one teensy issue with the name is it sounds kidulty and not adulty enuf. But I guess, that adds to the likability. Given the constraint of being a mass brand, I think it's a good choice.

Factonama # 3

This is an image of the Siachen Glacier picked from the Himalayan Club website. Discovered in 1907,apparently Siachen means the place of roses in the Balti language. A reference some people attribute to the abundance of Himalayan wildflowers found in the valleys below the glacier. Ironically, Siachen is also the highest battleground on Earth. That makes it a curious mix of guns and roses.

Factonama # 2

Long before Horace Smith & Daniel Wesson got together to found Smith & Wesson, they founded another firearms company by the name Volcanic Repeating Arms Company. This was in 1852.

Names We Like # 2

When you work on a name that's already famous, you run the risk of being labeled, a plagiarist. But when you add a little touch of imagination to your source name, there's always the scope for magic. I call such names Remix Names. C2B2 is one such creation. It's a nod to the 1968 movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang which was in turn a nod to the children's book of the same name by Ian Fleming. For an animation flick aimed at kids of the Jetix generation, I thought Cheenti Cheenti (Hindi for Ant Ant) is an apt title. It uses 2 words that's part of the every day vocabulary of every North Indian kid. And as the plot is about Black Ants vs Red Ants, the name makes eminent sense. Me thinks, the catchiness of the name will ensure the movie is a multiplex magnet. I also feel, the film will do well in the DVD circuit as the title leaps at you the moment you look at it.

Indian surnames & their meanings

Will keep updating this list as and when I get some time...please feel free to contribute...

Agarwal = Derived from Agarwala or 'a descendant from Agroha' (the ancient name of Hissar city). Agroha had 18 districts - Garg, Mangal, Kucchal, Goyan, Goyal, Bansal, Kansal, Singhal, Jindal, Thingal, Airan, Dharan, Madhukul, Bindal, Mittal, Tayal, Bhandal, and Naagal. All of these names are synonymous with Agarwals.
Ahluwalia = A descendant of a person from Ahlu (a village near Lahore).
Ahuja = A descendant of Ahu. Does anyone know anything about Ahu?
Arora = A descendant from Aror (today's Rohri in Sind).
Bandopadhyay = Venerable teacher.
Banerjee = Teacher from the village of Bandoghat.
Bharadwaj = One who has strength or vigour.
Bhat/Butt = Priest or Scholar.
Bhattacharya = Priest & teacher.
Chaturvedi = Learned the 4 vedas.
Chattopadhyay = A teacher with roots from the Chatta village in Bengal.
Chopra = Descendants of warrior Chaupat Rai.
Dhawan = Messenger on the field of battle.
Dubashi = Person who knows two languages = Translator.
Dutta = Drived from Aditya or Sun.
Dwivedi = Learned in 2 vedas.
Gill = Lake/Moisture/Prosperity.
Guha = Another name for Lord Kartikeya.
Gupta = Ruler/Protector.
Iyer = Derived from Tamil word Ayya which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word Arya which means Noble.
Iyengar = One who has undergone the 5 purification rituals.
Jain = Follower of Jainism. Which is derived from Jina (one who overcomes).
Jha = Reciter.
Johar = Sanskrit for Jewel.
Joshi = Practioner of Jyotishi or astrology.
Kakkar = Strong.
Kapoor = Descendants of Moon.
Kaul = Means well-born. Derived from Sanskrit word Kula.
Kaur = Princess.
Khan = Turkish in origin. Means Chief/Ruler.
Khanna = Derived from Khanda (sword).
Khatri = Punjabi version of Kshatriya (ruler). Khanna, Kapoor, Seth, Mehra, Malhotra, Chopra and Walia are all Khatris.
Kocchar = Armour.
Krishna = Dark.
Mahajan = Means literally Big People. Perhaps an indicator of status.
Malik = Arabic word for King.
Mehra/Mehrotra = Descendants of Mihr (Sun).
Mishra = Mixed or blended.
Mukhopadhyay = Main Teacher.
Nehru = One who lives on the bank of a Nehr or canal.
Patel/Patil = Village headman.
Rana = Ruler. Some speculate it's the male version of Rani.
Saini = Head of army.
Sethi = Derived from Sanskrit word Sreshti (Merchant). Incidentally Shetty/Chettiar has the same roots.
Shah = Persian word for Monarch.
Sharma = Joy/Protection.
Shukla = Bright.
Singh = Derived from Sanskrit word Simha which means Lion.
Tagore = Anglicised version of Thakur (Lord).
Talwar = Swordsman/Sword.
Tandon = Warrior or sun.
Trivedi = Learned in 3 vedas.
Verma = Shield.

List of Theronyms

Theronyms are brand names derived from animals. Here's my list of brands that have used this technique...

Bison (Inner wear)
Black Dog (Scotch Whisky)
Camel (Cigarettes)
Cheetah Fight (Matchsticks)
Cobra (Beer)
Corgi (Publishing)
Crane Paaku Thool (Betel Nut)
Crocodile (Apparel)
Deer Brand (Basmati Rice)
Dolphin (Car)
Dove (Soap)
Eagle (Thermos)
Elephant (Cables)
Firefox (Browser)
Gator (Internet advertising)
Haathi Cement
Hush Puppies (Shoes)
Impala (Car)
Jaguar (Car)
Kingfisher (Beer)
Lion Dates
Mountain Goat (Beer)
Mustang (Car)
Lacoste (Apparel)
Office Tiger (BPO)
Pelican (Publishing)
Penguin (Publishing)
Peregrine (Investment banking)
Puma (Sport gear)
Red Bull (Energy Drink)
Reebok (Shoes)
The Famous Grouse (Scotch Whisky)
Tiger Balm
Tortoise (Mosquito coils)
Turtle (Apparel)
Yak & Yeti (Hotel)

Please add to the list.

Congress Kadalebeeja

This CK (short for Congress kadalebeeja) Bun is extremely popular in Bangalore. It's a buttered, lightly toasted masala bun loaded with spicy, crunchy peanuts and quite yummy. Anyone has any theories on where the 'Congress' in the name comes from? Here's one I'm not so sure of. That said, it is very funny.

Kinda like Paris Hilton

Hands up (and comments down), everyone who can tell me who the men shown in the picture are? Clue: Theirs is a brand so popular it has become the de facto name for the product category. And if you know the answer, can you give me the names of 38 other people who are like them? All is revealed in this most engaging slide show of the story behind 39 of the world's leading brands named after people: Trivial pursuit. Warning: It doesn't work in Google Chrome. Warning: It doesn't work in Google Chrome. (That's just in case you didn't believe me the first time I said it.)

Naf said

Shown here, Ad for the Naf Naf Spring collection. The naf-naf is saying, "Pink is my fetish." Almost everybody knows the story of The Three Little Pigs and how the big bad wolf huffed and puffed and blew their houses away—all houses except one. But it seems that only the French named the little pigs — Naf Naf, Nif Nif and Nuf Nuf — and 35 years ago, brothers Gerard and Patrick Pariente decided to name their clothing store after the pig that built the house made of stone and survived the wolf — Naf Naf. Greedy for more? Go to the source.

I tell you, these fucking Chinese

A brand of condoms named after football ace David Beckham has taken the Chinese contraceptive market under its sway. Although the Beckham contraceptive is not being endorsed by the former England captain himself, its makers claim that the users will 'score in the bedroom like David does on the pitch'. (Actually, he doesn't score all that much ... on the pitch.) This brand now sells more than any other brand in the country. (Source: Google)

A gross name that doesn't stink

Pet odor/stain relievers usually opt for straightforward, off-putting names like Urine-Off and Urine Gone. But I liked this one. It rolls off the tongue well. It rhymes. And the best part is: it don't stink. A brand owned by the Four On The Floor company, this name surely has legs.

Factonama # 1

In 1957, the Wooster Rubber Company decided to go in for a name makeover after 37-years of existence. They decided to step out of the clouds of obscurity by embracing their most famous brand name as their company name. They called themselves Rubbermaid Incorporated.

42 Classes of Trademarks in India

The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything is precisely the number of classes of Trademarks in India. Now, why the hell should you know all the classes? Well, a knowledge of classes is essential to avoid pesky litigations from potential competitors. Any half-decent brand in India registers itself in as many classes to prevent getting into a tangle. For example, HLL's Ayush is registered under 3, 5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 16, 21, 25, 28, 30, 32, 35 & 42. If someone throws at you a class number, you must at least know where to look it up, right? That's why this post. The 42 classes are as follows:

1. Chemical used in industry, science, photography, agriculture, horticulture and forestry, unprocessed artificial resins, unprocessed plastics, manure, fire extinguishing compositions; tempering and soldering preparations; chemical substances for preserving foodstuffs; tanning substances; adhesive used in industry

2. Paints; varnishes; lacquers; preservatives against rust and against deterioration of wood; colorants mordents; raw natural resins; metals in foil and powder form for painters; decorators; printers and artists

3. Bleaching preparations and other substances for laundry use; cleaning; polishing; scouring and abrasive preparations; soaps; perfumery; essential oils; cosmetics; hair lotions; dentifrices

4. Industrial oils and greases; lubricants; dust absorbing, wetting and binding compositions; fuels(including motor spirit) and illuminants; candles, wicks

5. Pharmaceutical, veterinary and sanitary preparations; dietetic substances adapted for medical use, food for babies; plasters, materials for dressings; materials for stopping teeth, dental wax; disinfectants; preparation for destroying vermin; fungicides, herbicides

6. Common metals and their alloys; metal building materials; transportable buildings of metal; materials of metal for railway tracks; non-electric cables and wires of common metal; ironmongery, small items of metal hardware; pipes and tubes of metal; safes; goods of common metal not included in other classes; ores

7. Machines and machine tools; motors and engines (except for land vehicles); machine coupling and transmission components (except for land vehicles); agricultural implements other than hand-operated; incubators for eggs

8. Hand tools and implements (hand-operated); cutlery; side arms; razors

9. Scientific, nautical, surveying, electric, photographic, cinematographic, optical, weighing, measuring, signalling, checking (supervision), life saving and teaching apparatus and instruments; apparatus for recording, transmission or reproduction of sound or images; magnetic data carriers, recording discs; automatic vending machines and mechanisms for coin-operated apparatus; cash registers, calculating machines, data processing equipment and computers; fire extinguishing apparatus

10. Surgical, medical, dental and veterinary apparatus and instruments, artificial limbs, eyes and teeth; orthopedic articles; suture materials

11. Apparatus for lighting, heating, steam generating, cooking, refrigerating, drying ventilating, water supply and sanitary purposes

12. Vehicles; apparatus for locomotion by land, air or water

13. Firearms; ammunition and projectiles; explosives; fire works

14. Precious metals and their alloys and goods in precious metals or coated therewith, not included in other classes; jewellery, precious stones; horological and other chronometric instruments

15. Musical instruments

16. Paper, cardboard and goods made from these materials, not included in other classes; printed matter; bookbinding material; photographs; stationery; adhesives for stationery or household purposes; artists' materials; paint brushes; typewriters and office requisites (except furniture); instructional and teaching material (except apparatus); plastic materials for packaging (not included in other classes); playing cards; printers' type; printing blocks

17. Rubber, gutta percha, gum, asbestos, mica and goods made from these materials and not included in other classes; plastics in extruded form for use in manufacture; packing, stopping and insulating materials; flexible pipes, not of metal

18. Leather and imitations of leather, and goods made of these materials and not included in other classes; animal skins, hides, trunks and travelling bags; umbrellas, parasols and walking sticks; whips, harness and saddlery

19. Building materials, (non-metallic), non-metallic rigid pipes for building; asphalt, pitch and bitumen; non-metallic transportable buildings; monuments, not of metal.

20. Furniture, mirrors, picture frames; goods(not included in other classes) of wood, cork, reed, cane, wicker, horn, bone, ivory, whalebone, shell, amber, mother- of-pearl, meerschaum and substitutes for all these materials, or of plastics

21. Household or kitchen utensils and containers(not of precious metal or coated therewith); combs and sponges; brushes(except paints brushes); brush making materials; articles for cleaning purposes; steelwool, unworked or semi-worked glass (except glass used in building); glassware, porcelain and earthenware not included in other classes

22. Ropes, string, nets, tents, awnings, tarpaulins, sails, sacks and bags (not included in other classes) padding and stuffing materials(except of rubber or plastics); raw fibrous textile materials

23. Yarns and threads, for textile use

24. Textiles and textile goods, not included in other classes; bed and table covers.

25. Clothing, footwear, headgear

26. Lace and embroidery, ribbons and braid; buttons, hooks and eyes, pins and needles; artificial flowers

27. Carpets, rugs, mats and matting, linoleum and other materials for covering existing floors; wall hangings(non-textile)

28. Games and playthings, gymnastic and sporting articles not included in other classes; decorations for Christmas trees

29. Meat, fish, poultry and game; meat extracts; preserved, dried and cooked fruits and vegetables; jellies, jams, fruit sauces; eggs, milk and milk products; edible oils and fats

30. Coffee, tea, cocoa, sugar, rice, tapioca, sago, artificial coffee; flour and preparations made from cereals, bread, pastry and confectionery, ices; honey, treacle; yeast, baking powder; salt, mustard; vinegar, sauces, (condiments); spices; ice

31. Agricultural, horticultural and forestry products and grains not included in other classes; live animals; fresh fruits and vegetables; seeds, natural plants and flowers; foodstuffs for animals, malt

32. Beers, mineral and aerated waters, and other non-alcoholic drinks; fruit drinks and fruit juices; syrups and other preparations for making beverages

33.Alcoholic beverages(except beers)

34. Tobacco, smokers' articles, matches

SERVICES

35. Advertising, business management, business administration, office functions

36.Insurance, financial affairs; monetary affairs; real estate affairs

37.Building construction; repair; installation services

38.Telecommunications

39. Transport; packaging and storage of goods; travel arrangement

40. Treatment of materials

41. Education; providing of training; entertainment; sporting and cultural activities.

42. Providing of food and drink; temporary accommodation; medical, hygienic and beauty care; veterinary and agricultural services, legal services, scientific and industrial research, computer programming; services that cannot be classified in other classes.

Matsushita renames itself as Panasonic

Imagine a father choosing to rename himself after his successful son. Doesn't happen in real life. But in the marketing world, it's a common practice. Matsushita is the latest to be bitten by the renaming bug. Panasonic means Everything Sound. But some of the products of Panasonic have no connection with audio, like say ovens, irons, vacuum cleaners, digital cameras, washing machines, electric cookers and massage loungers. So does the name change make sense? If you take a literal view of things, no it doesn't. But luckily for Panasonic, it's a coined word. Not many know its meaning. And that helps. Videocon enjoyed the same advantage. The name has a strong video cue. Still the company uses the same brand name to plug washing machines and what not. For all those who pooh-pooh coined names, these are cases in point. A coined name lets you straddle categories. An instantly decodable name like Mobile Store limits you to mobiles.

Names with memes

One of the theories I've been quite influenced by is that of 'The Selfish Gene', popularized by Richard Dawkins. (Yes, the engaging intellectual, militant atheist and fascist 'Darwnizer') (Darwin+Sermonize). In that he talks about memes. Put simply, memes are stories. And names that come with a story attached to them can add or take away from the equity a brand lends to a product is something I have been saying for sometime now.

Here's a rather more involved take on the same thing, said differently: "When children acquire the name “George Washington” they typically acquire the associated descriptions “first president of the U.S.”, “man who had wooden teeth.” When they acquire “Santa Claus” they associate with the name “jolly fat man who lives at the North Pole” or “man who brings presents on Christmas day.” The negative existential “Santa Claus does not exist” expresses no literal truth. Still it pragmatically imparts truths: truths such as that there is no jolly fat man who lives at the North Pole and wears a red suit or that there is no one who brings presents to the world’s children on Christmas Day. These things, though not literally semantically expressed by the negative existential sentence, are true." More such absorbing insights can be found there.

Extract Ctrl x, Ctrl v'ed from: 'Names That Name Nothing' by Frederick Adams. Professor of Cognitive Science & Philosophy, University of Delaware.

Any takers for this guy, moron?

I researched and researched. But could not find one brand in this world with the name moron. So I decided to do something path breaking. What if I create a concept fashion brand called Guy Moron? Will it click? Will anyone proudly sport this tag? The rational me says, no way dude. Why would anyone proclaim their idiocy? The irrational me says, of course they will. There are some folks out there who revel in self-deprecation. This brand is for them. This brand is for me. I mean, I'd rather wear a Guy Moron tee than one with Armani emblazoned on it. The more I think of it, the more exciting it sounds. It makes a great gift item. Girl friends who were dumped could gift their Exes, a Guy Moron. Stand up comedians will get a free laugh by just wearing one. The label is a camera magnet. Anyone will want to snap you up if you tuck yourself into a Guy Moron...the possibilities are immense...don't you see it?

Is Vertu really a top-end name?

Nokia's own Patek Philippe equivalent of mobile phones is Vertu. Every phone costs a bomb. But does the name ignite any imagery in your mind? Nopes. Not at all. Vertu is French for virtue. It's a name like Wondera or Magnifique. It states the obvious and stops short. There's no hint of exotica. No story value. To be brutally honest, it's flat as a pancake. Compare it with any premium brand you can think of, I am sure, Vertu will lose the premiumness battle, hands down. Wonder why, Nokia chose this name. The only explanation I can think of is - apart from being 5-letter, 2-syllable words, Vertu and Nokia share the same numerology score (5)! Can you come up with something more convincing?

Why your baby needs us

Because when you leave it to the machines or people who think like machines (read: big name branding companies), this is what you are likely to end up with. That's why, to quote Unantha, "If you want a name for your company, brand, kitten or illegitimate child, do write to namasutra@gmail.com". Or else, you might just end up being shilled a bunch of names like Pistoer, Dlvil, Nlcleynde, Stenglad, Venj, Phaviker, Abeaerber, Lamorth or Zerkk for your baby. All nicely packaged in a powerpoint presentations. Of course.

Supernames for Superheroes

We love our heroes. (Some, a little more than the others.) My favourite is Batman. In fact, I prefer the name 'Dark Knight' to 'Batman'; 'Batman' just sounds ... well, batty. 'Dark Knight' on the other hand - besides being a 'second-level' name - is more befitting the caped crusader's exploits. (Don't you think?) All of which brings me to a list of 'Superhero' names this gent has lovingly compiled and categorized for us. It makes for interesting reading. In other related developments: I discovered I'm 'Chrome Cat'. What Superhero are you?

A Name That Helps by Claude Hopkins

Ad man Claude Hopkins wrote this piece, way back in 1923, in his book Scientific Advertising. While you may not subscribe to his views entirely, read it out of respect for a great advertising mind...

"There is great advantage in a name that tells a story. The name is usually prominently displayed. To justify the space it occupies, it should aid the advertising. Some such names are almost complete advertisements in themselves. May Breath is such a name. Cream of Wheat is another. That name alone has been worth a fortune. Other examples are Dutch Cleanser, Cuticura, Dyanshine, Minute Tapioca, 3-in-One Oil, Holeproof, Alcorub, etc. Such names may be protected, yet the name itself describes the product, so it makes a valuable display. Other coined names are meaningless. Some examples are Kodak, Karo, Mazda, Sapolio, Vaseline, Kotex, Lux, Postum, etc. They can be protected, and long-continued advertising may give them a meaning. When this is accomplished they become very valuable. But the great majority of them never attain that status. Such names do not aid the advertising. It is very doubtful if they justify display. The service of the product, not the name, is the important thing in advertising. A vast amount of space is wasted in displaying names and pictures which tell no selling story. The tendency of modern advertising is to eliminate this waste. Other coined names signify ingredients which anyone may use. Examples are Syrup of Figs, Cocoanut Oil Shampoo, Tar Soap, Palmolive Soap, etc. Such products may dominate a market if the price is reasonable, but they must to a degree meet competition. They invite substitution.

They are naturally classified with other products which have like ingredients, so the price must remain in that class. Toasted Corn Flakes and Malted Milk are examples of unfortunate names. In each of those cases one advertiser created a new demand. When the demand was created, others shared it because they could use the name. The originators depended only on a brand. It is interesting to speculate on how much more profitable a coined name might have been. On a patented product it must be remembered that the right to a name expires with the patent. Names like Castoria, Aspirin, Shredded Wheat Biscuit, etc., have become common property. This is a very serious point to consider. It often makes a patent an undesirable protection. Another serious fault in coined names is frivolity. In seeking uniqueness one gets something trivial. And that is a fatal handicap in a serious product. It almost prohibits respect. When a product must be called by a common name, the best auxiliary name is a man's name. It is much better than a coined name, for it shows that some man is proud of his creation. Thus the question of a name is of serious importance in laying the foundations of a new undertaking. Some names have become the chief factors in success. Some have lost for their originators four-fifths of the trade they developed."

What does Gandhi mean?

Baby name sites insist that the name Gandhi means Sun. I had my doubts. Because there is this tamil word for Sunflower called Suryagandhi. If Surya means Sun, clearly gandhi can't. So I delved into the Capeller Sanskrit dictionary and I found that Gandhi means smelling of or perfumed with. That's interesting. Because Rajiv Gandhi will mean smelling of lotus.
Now that sounds more BJP than Congress, right?

Urdu poet pen names & their hometowns

Quite a few Urdu poets of the past chose distinctive pen names woven around their home towns. Abdul Hayee chose to be Sahir Ludhianvi (Sahir from Ludhiana). There are many more such examples...

NOTE: Real name and home town, in brackets.

Majrooh Sultanpuri (Asrar ul Hassan Khan, Sultanpur)
Khumar Barabankvi (Mohammed Haidar Khan, Barabanki)
Akbar Allahabadi (Syed Akbar Hussain, Allahabad)
Jigar Moradabadi (Ali Sikandar, Moradabad)
Firaq Gorakhpuri (Raghupati Sahay, Gorakhpur)
Safi Lakhnavi (Syed Ali Naqi Zaidi, Lucknow)
Josh Malihabadi (Shabbir Hasan Khan, Malihabad in Pakistan)
Shakeel Badayuni (Shakeel, Badayun)
Asad Bhopali (?, Bhopal)
Waseem Barelwi (?, Bareilly)
Zia Jalandhari (?, Jalandhar)
Hafeez Hoshiarpuri (?, Hoshiarpur)
Danish Aligarhi (?, Aligarh)
Hasrat Jaipuri (Iqbal Husain, Jaipur)
Shad Azeemabadi (Syed Ali Mohammed, Azeemabad, Patna)
Shadab Lahori (Shadab Khan, Lahore)
Ayaz Jhanswi (?, Jhansi)
Meraj Faizabadi (?, Faizabad)
Adeeb Saharanpuri (?, Saharanpur)
Khamosh Gazipuri (?, Gazipur)
Nazeer Banarsi (?, Banaras)
Qamar Jalalabadi (?, Jalalabad)
Rai Rampuri (?, Rampur)
Rahat Indori (?, Indore)
Noor Bijnauri (?, Bijnore)

Chemical Element Names & Their Meanings

Antimony = Anti Monos = Greek for Opposed to Solitude.
Argon = Greek for lazy.
Arsenic = Persian for Yellow Mineral
Astatine = Greek for unstable.
Barium = Greek for heavy.
Berkelium = A reference to University of California, Berkeley.
Bismuth = German for White Mass.
Bromine = Greek for stench.
Cadmium = Latin for Calamine.
Caesium = Latin for Sky Blue.
Calcium = Latin for Lime.
Carbon = Latin for Charcoal.
Chlorine = Greek for Yellowish Green.
Cobalt = German for Evil Spirit.
Dysprosium = Greek for Hard to Get at.
Helium = Greek for Sun.
Hydrogen = Greek for 'to beget water'.
Iodine = Greek for Violet.
Krypton = Greek for Hidden one.
Lanthanum = Greek for 'to lie hidden'.
Lithium = Greek for Stone.
Manganese = Latin for Magnet.
Neodymium = Latin for New Twin.
Neon = Latin for New.
Nitrogen = Greek for Native Soda Forming.
Osmium = Greek for 'a smell'.
Oxygen = Greek for Acid to bring forth.
Phosphorus = Greek for Light Bearer.
Platinum = Spanish for Little Silvr.
Praseodymium = Green Twin.
Radium = Latin for Ray.
Rhenium = Latin for River.
Rhodium = Greek for Rose.
Rubidium = Latin for deepest red.
Selenium = Greek for Moon.
Silicon = Latin for Flint.
Sulfur = Arabic for Yellow.
Tellurium = Latin for Earth.
Tungsten = Danish for Heavy Stone.
Xenon = Greek for Foreigner.

A Rajnikant Name Oddity

Rajnikanth is perhaps the only actor with the most number of movies to be named after his lead character in the movie. To my knowledge, he's done at least 12 movies, where I've spotted this trend...

SIVAJI - Sivaji Arumugam
BABA - Baba
PADAIYAPPA - Padaiyappa
ARUNACHALAM - Arunachalam
BADSHA - Badsha/Manickam
MUTHU - Muthu
VEERA - Muthuveerappan
ANNAMALAI - Annamalai
PANDIYAN - Pandiyan
MR. BHARATH - Bharath
BILLA - Billa
JOHNNY - Johnny

Can you dispute my assertion? Is there any other actor with this record?

Brands named after places

Kingston, Chowpatty, Champagne, Scotch (Okay, maybe I'm stretching things a bit here), Incredible India, Made in USA ... and more such places that are also brands. Different kinds of marketing strategies, intentional and otherwise, have contributed to turning the above places into brands. Where I spend a part of my working week, there's an Indian fast food joint called 'Chowpatty @ BTM'. Clearly, it's riding on the brand values people have come to associate with 'Chowpatty'. But what if 'C in Mumbai' goes to the dogs? Will that hurt 'C @ BTM'? Fortunately, there are more important things to think about.

By the bye, this might the first post on 'brands named after places' on the Internet. In other words, if you are 'wiki' enough to add to this list, you'll be part of hisotry in the making.

'Wiki enough': Term which means 'to be magnanimous enough, big hearted, contributing enough ... towards a social cause.' (Like 'Nama Sutra'.)

More Fucking Cowbell

That name intrigued me. It's an ad band from McCann Erickson. I read about the band here. Then I wikied More Cowbell and I got the cultural context. Good fucking choice, guys. It feels very good when you utter it.

Big deal over naming rights

Did you know that the struggling-to-stay-alive Citigroup paid $400 million for the naming right to the New York Mets’ stadium in 2006? That's a staggering figure, ain't it? I learned that and more while glugging this news item with my early morning cuppa. Knowing the avaricious tendencies of BCCI, I am sure this naming rights gig will hit India soon. Look at the pots of money that can be minted. Eden Gardens can become Anil Ambani Gardens or Nano Stadium or Dalmiapuram or even Dawood Ibrahim Stadium depending on the bids. The puritans will be up in arms. But has BCCI ever cared about sanctity? If they knew there's a scope for making thousands of crores of rupees, Mr. Lalit Modi will take the first plane to Sotheby's or Christies to auction the stadia names. I believe this naming rights thingy was tried out once before in 2002 in South Africa. Dunno how well the experiment fared. With the IPL hoopla, city jingoism and all that, you never know, this may be the Next Big Thing for Sharad Pawar Incorporated.

SB Master's masterstroke

Whodafuck is SB Master? you may ask. Well, she's the founder of Master-McNeil, the naming company that owns the domain name naming. Actually, that's not their only claim to fame. They've named a lot of brands including PayPal. Master-McNeil was founded in 1988 by a lady named SB Master (haven't figured out her initials). Now, here comes the interesting part. Instead of playing with names like Masterminds or Masterstroke, our lady plucked McNeil from thin air and attached it to her surname. In her own words, "I chose 'McNeil' largely because it had a substantial sound. From day one, potential clients have always assumed we were big and important, even though we weren't when we first started. So it's been a very effective name for us." Smart. Don't you think? I picked this trivia from a 10-year old article in Mother Jones. Go read it.

Names We Like #1

The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (北海道日本ハムファイターズ Hokkaidō Nippon-Hamu Faitāzu?) are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League. They take their name from the major shareholding company's name "Nippon Ham", which is a corporate name of Nippon Meat Packers, Inc.. Until 2003, the Fighters were one of three teams calling Tokyo their home, but in 2004 moved to Sapporo, the largest city on the island of Hokkaidō. With that kind of pedigree, what's not to like. It's a lot better than 'Chandigarh Lions' or 'King's XI'. Someday soon, we'll be compelled to do a Chennai Veerans vs Chennai Super Kings post. And that, my friends, will be a sad, sad day.

'Name' in a what's

Chalti ka naam gaadi, Badhti ka naam daadi, Naam, Gumnaam (clearly, one from before our time), The Namesake, In the name of the father, My name is Anthony Gonsalves, The man with no name (understandably not one of our favourites), Mera naam joker, Tere naam ... and that's just a smattering of movies I can name off the top of my head that have the word 'name' in them. From the looks of it, it must be a pretty useful plug. Hmm ... wonder why nobody has branded anything 'NAME'. Ask an expert how many words the English language contains and this is what you're likely to end up with. Luckily, the answer to the question which are the world's 500 most frequently used words is a lot simpler.

But of even greater relevance to 'namasutrists' like us is the fact that 'name' is the 126th most commonly used word of the many hundreds and hundred thousands that emerge from the fertile, fluid wellspring of the English language. That's why it makes eminent sense to leave the business of naming to professionals. Like us.

How creative can ad agencies get?

Sometime back, Adweek rightly moaned that ad agencies and law firm names are beginning to sound eerily alike. That might have been the case with the pre-2000 agencies. The new ones are making adventurous choices. I've put together, the most comprehensive list of 'creative' ad agency names. Just run your eye through the list. There are some fun names out there. If there's a Mother in London, there's a Bigdaddy in Amsterdam, a Grandmother in Mumbai, and a Baby, again in London. There are 3 types of frogs: Sagefrog, Strawberry Frog and Greenfrog. For every Monkey, there's a Rabbit, Mongoose, Zebra, Giraffe, Holy Cow and even Mad Dogs. My own agency, tops the list by virtue of enjoying the number advantage. Dang! Lost the advantage. Just discovered an aussie firm called 1house...

016
1house
1pointsize
3 Fish in a Tree
6 Days
7Field
10 ml
17
32nd December
52nd
180 Amsterdam
180 Degree
303
361 Degrees
760 Media
9zero9
1000 mercis
A Fish in Sea
Acknowledgement
Acne
Adam & Eve
Add Agency
Adendum
Adhesive
Adrenaline
Agitprop
Aha!
All Sorts
Alphabet
Alt.
Ambition
Amoeba
And
Angel
Anthem
Anti Advertising Agency (spoofs 'invasive' outdoor advertising)
Antidote
Arrowred
Atlas
Audacity
August
Baby
Beehive
Be Positive 24
Big Fish
Bigdaddy
Birddog
Black Cat
Black Coffee
Blackbeltmonkey
Blacksheep
Blank Slate
Blast Radius
Bleach
Blink
Blue Barracuda
Blue Crayon
Blue-C
Bluerock
Boy Meets Girl (No longer around)
Bread, Butter & Jam
Bonsai
Boo!
Boutique5
Brahma
Breed
Brownchild
Carnage
Carpe Diem
Cartwheel
Carve
Catalyst
Catch
Che
Chemistry
Cherry
Chlorophyll
Collective
Consider This
Contagious
Contract
Cranium Studio
Crayons
Creative Juice
Critical Mass
Cuba
Cunning
Curious
D2E (Down 2 Earth)
David & Goliath
Deep
Deep Sea
Delete
Denmark
Desire
Doctor Propaganda
Dogstar
Doublelix
Draft
Eew!
Eight Eleven
Element 79
Elvis
Epicenter
Evidently
Facts n Fiction
Farm
Feed
Feel
Fifth Estate
Figuratively Speaking
Fin
Firedog
FirstBase
Fish Eye
Flo
Floh
Fountainhead
Four
Four Corners
Frank
Fred
Fresh Lemon
Fresh Lime
Fresh Page
Fresh!
Fuel
Giraffe
Glue
Goldforest
Goldwire
Good Results
Grandmother
Grasshoppers
Greenfrog
Greenlight
Grey
Happy
Hat
Hatch
Here & Now
Hive
Holy Cow
Hoo-Ha
House of Blues
Hurray
Hydrogen
Hypenotic
Ignition
i-Level
Immaculate
Indigo
Inferno
Ink
Jam
John Doe
Junior
K2
K4
Kaos
Karmarama
Known
Kut
Last Exit
Lavender
Lean
Lemon
Lemonade
Lemon n Chili
LevelTwo
Lexicon
Litmus Blue
Little Yellow Duck
Look
Loop
Loud
Mad Dogs & Englishmen (No longer around)
Marmalade
Maroon Island
Marvellous
Maverick
Mercury
Modernista!
Mojo
Mongoose
Monkey
Moonshine
Mother
Mudra
Munday Morning
Muse
Mustard
My Agency
Mystic Monkey
Naked
Night & Day
Nitro
O2
Ocean
Octopus
Odd
Oddfellows
Odd Scouts
One Two One
Orange
Orangehammer
Orchard
Oxygen
Ozone
Peak
Pepper Square
PhD
Phoebus
Pickle
Pie
Plan B
Platypus
Point B
Poke
Poppadam
Pure
Pyper
Pyro
Quadrant
Quick Silver
Rabbit
Radical
Rainmakers
Red
Red Route
Red Sky
Redblue
RedStone
Rediffusion
Red Urban
Resolution
Richter7
Rife
Rubber Cheese
Rubecon
Ruby
Sagefrog
Saints & Warriors
Salt (Chennai)
Salt (London)
Seven Squared
Seven Stones
Shop
Shout
Silence
Six Inches
Smudge
Soda Art
SomeOne
Souk
Sputnik
Square
St Lukes
Steak
Stimulus
Strawberry Frog
Surge
Swim
TAXI
Temple
Tequila
The Black Ink
The Concept Farm
The Engine Room
The Flea
The Furnace
The Jupiter Drawing Room
The Piper
The Red Brick Road
The Rooster
The Surgery
The White Agency
The White Room
Thirteen Degrees
Thirty Three
Tibet
Traffic
Trapeze
Tribal
Tribe 10
Triton
Tug
TwentySix
Two West
Two9Two7
Umbrella
Umovoacavalo (Portugese for 'one egg on top of a horse')
Underwired
Untitled
Uproar
Vitamin
Vitamin V
Vivid
Weapon7
Welcome to Orange County (still around?)
Wexley School for Girls (Dabitch's contribution)
Whirligig
Why Axis
WOC (Winds of Change)
Wonderberry
Yellow
Yes Yes, Why Not
Zebra
Zeus
Zig
Zion & Zion
Zulu

NOTE: If I've missed out some names, it might be because of oversight or lack of knowledge. Kindly pardon my ignorance and add on to the list.

A palette of crosses

Charity organisations have a fixation for crosses (or in some cases, crescents). The established practice is to affix a prefix before the cross. And usually the prefix is a colour. A dipstick study reveals that most of the colours have been taken. All that remains is hue prefixes. What I mean is, if you want an Azure Cross, Amber Cross or Fuchsia Cross, it may still be available. Meanwhile, here's a list of coloured crosses for your reference...

Scientists as Brand Names

When you run out of names, just pick your nephew's science text book and randomly pick a scientist's name and you can bet your arse that the client will love this option. I've done it a couple of times and lived to regret it. I am sure, some of you might have done this too. Anyways, here's a collection of names I could spot on the net that uses the names of the usual suspects...

How Metallica were attracted to Death Magnetic

A lot of serious branding thought went into Metallica's latest album, Death Magnetic. Brand Identitymiesters Turner Duckworth were roped in to package the album CD and apparently, they were even allowed the freedom to choose the title of the album. As David Turner says, "At the point of our very first meeting with the band they hadn't settled on an album title or finished all the songs. I always tell clients that you start with the product and then create a name and that's the theme you build your marketing around. But they couldn't decide between four potential album names. I spoke to James (Hetfield), who writes all the lyrics, and got him to talk a bit about each song. And when he'd gone through them all I immediately saw that one of their titles tied them all together. Many of the songs were about death, not just the negative side of it but the strange attraction death has and also the theme of life, redemption and something more than death. So there was attraction and repulsion, and life and death, all contradictory things. One of the titles they were playing around with was Death Magnetic and I thought it was perfect because it really seemed to tie the songs together." For more on this topic, visit Creativity Online.

Why Kishore Kumar?

So you know who I'm referring to in my previous entry and take the trouble to find that song I was talking about. You know, you people really ought to be a little more helpful. No comments. No feedback. No contributions. No kudos. No marriage proposals. Two guys can't create a naming version of wikipedia. Now go find me that song! Please.

Found it! The song is 'Hum the, woh the' from Chalti ka naam gaadi. Thank you.

A baby named CISCO?

What's that song by Kishore Kumar about going to Japan and ending up in China ... I'm so bad at remembering songs ... or for that matter anything. I wonder why ... hmmm. Neways, so brought it up 'cause I was going Googling for 'eponymous brand names' and coming up with zilch when I chanced upon this little gem of an entry about babies named after brands. "It's hilarious. And sad. I'll save you the commentary. Little wonder she looks pissed. Enjoy.

Gyaan: Do numbers work as brand names?

Chris Garnell explored this issue in depth in 2005. He's rightly identified that numbers give you that zara hat ke aura and nothing more. I am a staunch advocate of alphanumeric names. I feel a word prefix breathes life into a cold number. Take Elle 18 for instance. It evokes a lot more the plain numerical name 18. Anyways if you wish to weigh the pros and cons, go to brandchannel for Garnell's piece.

What's the meaning of Rooh Afza?

Hamdard launched Sherbat Rooh Afza in 1907. Even the blokes at Hamdard don't seem to know how their founder Hakeem Abdul Majeed chanced upon the name. One theory is it's the name of a character from a 13th century book named Masnavi Gulzar-e-Nasim. Since the purpose of this post is not to pinpoint the origin, we shall not dwell on this now. Instead, we shall shift focus to the meaning of this urdu phrase. Rooh is soul in Urdu. And Afza means that which nourishes. So the rose syrup actually means that which nourishes the soul.

What KLPD means to the Dutch

KLPD is a rather colorful and popular abbreviation in India. It refers to the act of letting down the excited weenie. Funnily, KLPD has a different connotation in Netherlands. Expanded it reads: Korps Landelijke Politiediensten (Dutch for National Police Services Agency). An elite police force! Can you believe it?

An organic food brand named 24 letter mantra

Hyderabad-based Sresta Natural Bioproducts has opted for a curious sounding alpha numeric name. Curious because, they could have opted for a name like Sresta. Thankfully, they didn't. Apparently the 24-letter mantra is Bhumir Apo Analo Anilo Nabha (The 5-elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Air & Ether). Although the name has story value, I find the rationale, a bit contrived. If this was the mantra, wouldn't you have picked 5wordmantra as the brand name? 5wordmantra is shorter and cues 5 elements better than 24lettermantra. The only explanation for the choice could have been numerology. I tested this hunch of mine by tallying the number score of 'Sresta Natural Bioproducts Pvt. Ltd.' and 24-letter mantra. Guess what? Both add up to 9!

A cricket team named 'Allahakbarries'

I was once part of a cricket team that called itself 'The Bradmans'. Quite predictably, we didn't have much of a bowling attack. You'll find many an oddly-named cricket team if you have a look around. Perhaps you'd care to and share them with us. In the meantime, here's a 'funny name' story.

"Sir James Barrie (the nattily-dressed gent pictured here) creator of Peter Pan, was one of the most enthusiastic cricketers Scotland produced. He was once asked to describe his bowling and replied that, after delivering the ball he would go and sit on the turf at mid-off and wait for it to reach the other end which, he said, "it sometimes did". Sir James loved the game so much he formed his own side and named it the Allahakbarries, in the mistaken belief the Arabic term "Allah Akbar" meant "God Help Us".

Further into the piece we discover: Others in Barrie's side included Arthur Conan Doyle, AA Milne, PG Wodehouse, EW Hornung and Rudyard Kipling. To think, in one team, the creators of Sherlock Holmes, Dr Watson, Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Winnie the Pooh, Eyeore, Raffles, Jeeves, Wooster, Mowgli and Baloo. It must have made for some wonderful after-match repartee.

For the rest of this quirky single by Richard Brook, go here.

Longest movie titles ever

Continuing the interesting thread opened up by our fellow namer, I shall link you to Listology's super collection of the longest movie titles. The longest title apparently has 32 words and 160 characters! The longest Indian movie title has 20 words and is: Shree Shree Rajadhiraja Shree Shree Madana Kamaraja Shree Shree Vilasa Raja Shree Shree Madhubana Raja Shree Shree Krishnadeva Donga Raja. This telugu flick just managed the 6th slot in Listology. The longest Hindi movie I can think of is Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon. In Tamil it must be Rajadi Raja, Raja Marthanda, Raja Gambira, Raja Kulothunga Kaathavaraya Krishna Kamarajan. And the longest English movie title in recent times has been: Borat - Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Phew! Quiet a mouthful, right?

Not useful enough for inclusion

According to the Guinness Book of World Records; When they were asked whether this might be considered for 'the world's longest domain name'. I suppose every other entry in the august book of records is of earth-shattering importance.

Others Guinness might not want to consider for similar reasons can be found here, here, here and I suppose in every nook and corner of the Internet galaxy. Please feel free to share. (After all, this is angling to be the 'namapedia' of the net.)

Hair salon names that made the cut

Here's a shortlist of Hair Salon Names that I found interesting.
Point to note, for most of these guys, the name serves as their advertisement...

A Cut Above (Waterford, Connecticut)
Ali Barber (Hamburg, Germany)
Bangs & Bows (Mount Pleasant, South Carolina)
Blood, Sweat & Shears (Chicago, Illinois)
Bounce (Chennai, Tamil Nadu)
British Hairways (South Tower Street, Nevada)
Curl Up 'N' Dye (Las Vegas, Nevada)
Cut & Dry (Hull, Massachussets)
Cut Loose (Houston, Texas)
Director's Cut (Yorkshire, UK)
Eclipz (Casper, Wyoming)
Edward Scissorhands (Sacramento, California)
Foxy Vixen (South Melbourne, Australia)
Goldilocks (Las Vegas, Nevada)
Grateful Head (Toronto, Canada)
Great Clips (Minneapolis, USA)
Hairoshima (Los Angeles, USA)
Headlines (Liverpool, UK)
Head Masters (Kensington, London)
Hot Heads (Muncie, Indiana)
Inn Style (Ontario, Canada)
Julius Scissor (Philadelphia, USA)
Little Big Heads (Cheshire, UK)
Lockworx (Lansing, Michigan)
Mane Attraction (Phoenix, Arizona)
Medusa's Lair (Perth, Australia)
Not So Plain Jane's (Manchester, New Hampshire)
One Step A Head (in Charlotte, North Carolina)
Rhubarbers (Rochester, UK)
Scissors Palace (Cleveland, Ohio)
Shear Delight (Tampa, Florida)
Shear Genius (Perry Hall, Maryland)
Sophisticuts (Alpena, Michigan)
Suite 303 (Manhattan, New York)
The Cutting Edge (Ontario, Canada)
The Hairetic (Minneapolis, USA)
The Locks Smith (Leicestershire, UK)
Vanity Box (Tampa, Florida)
Wave Lengths (Galveston, Texas)
Zedi (Victoria, Australia)

Wonder why, no one's started a salon with the name Pidungi :-)

List of Wal-Mart instore brands

Sam's Choice - Premium beverage, food & snacks.
Great Value - Sliced bread, frozen vegetables, canned foods,light bulbs & grocery products.
Athletic Works - Gym shorts & sports equipment.
Faded Glory - Classic American clothing and shoes.
Kid Connection - Toys & clothing.
Life - Men's underwear.
Metro 7 - Woman's apparel.
No Boundaries aka NoBo - Teen apparel & home accessories.
Puritan - T-shirts, undergarments & socks.
Simply Basic - Family-oriented beauty line.
Get It Together - Houseware and furniture.
HomeTrends - Small furniture, small appliances and home office products.
Canopy - Coordinated solutions for rooms.
Color Place - Paint.
Durabrand - Home electronics.
Equate - Personal care & OTC drugs.
EverStart - Automotive batteries.
Holiday Time - Christmas frills - decoration, cards, gift wraps etc.
ilo - DVD/MP3/LCD player & monitors.
Ol'Roy - Dog food.
Ozark Tail - Outdoor equipment.
ReliOn - Healthcare equipment.
Spring Valley - Vitamins & nutritional items.
Special Kitty - Cat food.
Super Tech - Motor oil.
White Cloud - Disposable diapers.

Culled out from Wikipedia.

Mustache Warthog Palin

Is what Sarah Palin might have named yours truly if she were unfortunate enough to be my mom. To find out what you might have been christened under her barracuda gaze check out the 'Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator'.

A box of Godgyfu. Or Godiva?

Definitely 'Godiva'. Sounds better. Much, much better. 'Godgyfu' sounds Japanese. Not that I have anything against the Japanese or anything. It's just that, they're not known for their chocolate-making skills. Surprisingly, it's something they still haven't found a way to take apart and copy.

'Godgyfu' also makes me think of 'Podgyfu'. Not a good memory if you're trying to sell chocolates. Also, 'Godgyfu' is not easy to pronounce. End of 'Godgyfu' story.

'Godiva' wins this one hands down. It makes the sayer open up and say 'aa', always a good thing when you're in the vaguely sexual space of chocolates. 'Godiva' also sounds Swiss, French, Belgian and all those wonderful European places that make the most heavenly chocolate. Importantly, 'Godiva' takes the mouth through the 'o', 'i' and 'a' sounds and when a name makes the sayer utter these most basic, most expressive 'intonations' in a product the reminds people of sex, know this, you're onto a good thing. Unlike in the case of 'Godgyfu'.

Lots in a name

Why do people change their names? (I have a cousin who has three names. One given at birth. Another on her school leaving certificate. And a third after getting married.) How much does the new name have to do with becoming famous? (My cousin is far from famous.) Would these people have been just as well-known had they stuck with their birth names? 'Godgyfu'? I don't think so.

a. Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr
b. David John Moore Cornwell
c. Godgyfu
d. Francois Marie Arouet
e. Angelo Siciloano
f. William Frederick Cody

Answers to the above and more such questions can be found here. It's a nice little site that showcases famous name changes. A work in progress. Enjoy, if you haven't already.

Terra kya hoga, kaalia?

Ad agency Mudra has launched a special unit for rural marketing and guess what they've called it? Terra (the latin word for Earth). Now why on earth would you go Latin if you're supposed to be the expert in integrated rural marketing? I am assuming, by rural, Mudra is not referring to global villages. Their operating ambit is clearly India. So, why didn't they opt for a Hindi/Sanskrit/Hindustani sounding name? Doesn't Mitti capture the flavour better than Terra? Or say Des. May be, Mudra didn't want to get dehaati. But if you're not proud of being dehaati, what's the point of starting a division that focuses on the same? Daiya re daiya, inka kya hoga, bhaiya?

Name Wars: Twitter vs Yammer

I Twitter and I quite enjoy it. Luckily for the naming folks at Twitter, they didn't have to fight too hard to put their brand inside my head. They were the first movers.

Were.

Now, they have Yammer for company. Natural question from our point of view: how does 'Yammer' compare with 'Twitter' in the business of name calling?

When it comes to alliteration, Twitter wins with one alliterative letter more. Yes, simply speaking, alliteration is good when you're looking for a memorable name. Or plank to hold forth from. (Like so. Notice the multiple alliterations of 'alliteration'?) On the 'alliterative' front, Twitter is one alliteration more than 'Yammer'.

When it comes to other things, they're remarkably similar. Both are 'er' ending names. Both mean pretty much what they allow people to do with their applications. Both words are verbs. Neither is a portmanteau or a neologism. 'TT' sounds are just as good as 'MM' sounds. And vice versa.

So what makes 'Twitter' a better name than 'Yammer'?

Apart from the product - Twitter is easier to become part of and they have the first-mover advantage. Yammer hasn't, at least for the time being, managed to provide a better version of Twitter to us - it also sounds better ... more personal ... dignified. 'Twitter' makes us think sweet-sounding birds. Yammer, big mouths.

For the time being, I'm staying off 'Yammer'. Because the way the name makes you say it, affects how many people buy into it.

Link of the week

The 50 best pun stores. Very punny, indeed.

Gyaan: How big is the naming industry

As of 2006, the number of registered domain names on the internet was 120 million. In 2003, this number was 60 million.

This means, every three years, the number of registered names, double. In 2006 alone, the number of registered domain names was close to 35 million.

Applying a modest growth rate of 20%, one can expect the number of names that will be registered in 2008 to be 50 million. 50 million names is a big market.

Let’s assume that only 1% of these names come from naming companies. So make that 500,000 names suggested by naming companies.

The cheapest rate any dirt cheap naming company will charge for a domain name is $ 100. Logical deduction: the naming industry is at least a 50 million dollar industry.

Now this figure could be way below the actual size, because we haven’t included the fee the naming company charges for trade marking the name & researching it. So we can safely double the figure and estimate the size of the industry to be at least $ 100 million dollars.

Gyaan: Numerology & Names

Does it make any sense to apply numerology to brand names? A significant section of risk-takers seem to think so. Before we disagree, let's apply the principles of numerology to a few famous brands and see if the numerologists are right or wrong...

MICROSOFT
Name score is 46. Microsoft's number is 1. The characteristics of number 1 are initiating action, pioneering, leading, independent, attaining, individual. Usually the number 1 person is a skilled executive with keen administrative capabilities. Such people are known to be egoistic,self-centered, overly aggressive and have a tendency to dominate.

GOOGLE
Name score is 34. Google's number is 7. The characteristics of number 7 are analysis, understanding, knowledge, awareness, studious, meditating. The hallmark of the number 7 is a good mind, and especially good at searching out and finding the truth. The type of person that can really get involved in a search for wisdom or hidden truths, often becoming an authority on whatever it is you are focusing on.

APPLE
Name score is 23. Apple's number is 5. The characteristics of #5 are expansiveness, visionary, adventure, the constructive use of freedom. Endowed with the wonderful characteristic of multi-talents and versatility, you are good at presenting ideas and knowing how to approach people to get what you want. Your popularity may lead you toward some form of entertainment or amusement. Whatever you do, you are clever, analytical, and a very quick thinker.

HARLEY DAVIDSON
Name score is 67. Harley's number is 4. The characteristics of #4 are: a foundation, order, service, struggle against limits, steady growth. Your destiny is to express wonderful organization skills with your ever practical, down-to-earth approach. You are the kind of person who is always willing to work those long, hard hours to push a project through to completion. A patience with detail allows you to become expert in fields such as building, engineering, and all forms of craftsmanship.

COCA-COLA
The characteristics of #8 are: Practical endeavors, status oriented, power-seeking, high-material goals.You have outstanding organizational and administrative capabilities. You have the potential for considerable achievement in business or other powerful positions. You can expect to receive the financial and material rewards. You have the skill and abilities to establish or operate a business with great efficiency. You have good judgment when it comes to money and commercial matters, and you understand how to build and accumulate material wealth.

CONCLUSION: Except for Harley, all the other brands seem to display characteristics of the number that rule them. Truly eerie is the Google bit about searching and Microsoft's dominatrix trait. Simply put, numerology works.

NOTE: Number characteristics have been extracted from Paulsadowski.com.

Gyaan: It's Complicated

In the future, more and more companies will go in for an online presence. Heck, as 'Neuromancer' Gibson said, "The future is upon us." Speaking of which, coming up with a name for an online entity is a different challenge.

Basic naming question: Are names for online brands very different from their offline citizenry? Next question: If so, why?

This list of top 10 social media sites is a revealing microcosm of naming trends in the online world and clearly highlights the contrasts between branding choices in the two spaces. YouTube vs Time Warner, Google vs Head & Shoulders, Bebo vs Baby Shoppe. As they say on FB, "It's Complicated."