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Speed Dial: 60-Second Marketing Insight Newsletter
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Beyond Apple iPad Name Jokes... Will the New iPad Be a
Success?
Beyond iPad Name Jokes:
Three Tips on Naming a Product
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It was big news when Apple announced the iPad on January
27th, but the buzz wasn’t about Apple’s new technology- - it was about the product's name.
While consumers giggled & groaned, the media enjoyed
headlines like"
The iPad is a Really Bad Name.
Period" as it gleefully covered "PMS: Pad Mockery
Syndrome."
All iPad name jokes aside, surveys from Mashable, Poll
Daddy, and others suggest that Apple has earned enough consumer trust that
people will suspend judgment until they can experience the new iPad for
themselves. If it performs well, the naming issue will
dissipate.
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Advice on Naming a Product: Three Quick Tips You Can Use Right Now
Even so, I find three key
insights on naming a product from "The iPad Incident":
1) The Problem: Ambiguity. So what is an Apple iPad, anyway? Speaking as a consumer, I'd say “it’s this flat
laptop-y thing that stores books & other stuff but it can't replace my iPhone since
it doesn't make calls."
Apple’s
website tells me it’s their “most advanced technology in a magical & revolutionary
device", "the best way to experience the web, email, photos, & video”, and “it’s hard to believe we could
fit so many great ideas into something so thin.” After all that, doesAppleeven know what an iPad
is?
- The Solution: Keep working until you can communicate your idea in one informative-yet-engaging
sentence.
2) The Problem: Insularity. In a recent TV interview, author/ consultant Laura Ries noted that “Apple,
unlike most companies, doesn’t do a lot of research. It’s a focus group of one. If Steve Jobs likes it,
then they go with it.” Interesting; I admire Jobs’ vision, passion, & results, but he is
neither omniscient nor infallible.
- The Solution: Convinced you're right when it comes to naming a
product?Prove it by using a representative sampling of objective
outsiders.
3) The Problem: Conformity.The iPad is yet another entry in Apple’s 'i' series (iPod, iPhone, iPhoto, iTunes).
While consistent branding like this adds recognizability and credibility, if the servant
becomes the master, the results are sub-optimal.
- The Solution: If it feels like you’re forcing a fit, challenge the rules:“who says” it has to
be done only one way, especially when you're naming a product?
In summary, Apple is an impressive company that rarely mis-steps, but we
can gain useful insights from their stumbles as well as their successes.
Have a great week, and I'll see you next Tuesday on Speed Dial!
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