Joshua Weinberg of Digital Life Consulting Group has a fascinating and thorough account of Apple’s product launch methodology. Well worth a read.
I was struck by Apple’s laser focus on the smallest details and how much effort is put into maintaining consistency in branding and customer experience. Weinberg writes,
The obsession with form, fit and finish extends even to the most minor or hidden parts. One of the most time-consuming design tasks of a recent laptop introduction, an Apple hardware manager said, was to make sure that screws on the bottom of the machine did not disrupt the smooth flow of the computer’s aluminum skin–even though most users will never even look at the underside.
And they say PC users are anal … 
Sometime in the past few weeks, I read about an Intel processor platform codenamed “Skulltrail.” This bad boy has two quad-core microprocessors, resulting in a total of EIGHT processing engines running at 3.2GHz on a 1600Mhz system bus.
The result? Blinding speed and incredible graphics quality, which Intel rightly understands that gamers will pay dearly for. (A fully equipped PC gaming system will run between $4,000-$5,000.)
While most of the technical details went in one brain cell and out the other, the name “Skulltrail” stuck in my head, making random appearances in my thoughts from time to time. Its energy, memorability, and hand-in-glove fit with its intended audience of young male super-soldier-wannabes had me mentally high-fiving Intel for their brand naming chops.
And then comes a press release from Intel:
Intel Corporation has introduced the Intel® Dual Socket Extreme Desktop Platform. Formerly codenamed “Skulltrail”…
Oh no they didn’t! Tell me they didn’t broom “Skulltrail” for “Intel Dual Socket Blah Blah Blah!” Aughhhhhh…. If you’re lucky enough to come up with a great codename during development, why not go to market with it?
Sadly, Intel has sucked the life out of a potentially great brand name and left an empty husk. They’ve traded a lusty brute of a name for a poseur from a corporate cubicle.
There has been enough pre-launch buzz about “Skulltrail” that I predict gamers will continue to use the name when referring to their systems. Unlikely anyone in that crowd will ever say, “Dude, this Intel Dual Socket Extreme Desktop Platform is wicked cool!”
Our list of Best Brand Names for 2007 has been featured in the February ‘08 edition of Twin Cities Business–scoring a half-page article in its print magazine as well being billboarded on the home page of the online version.
Here’s the story: Best Brand Names of 2007
I’m always bemused by corporate America’s faith in Latin roots–as if these meanings are burned into customers’ DNA and, if people just thought about it (which they don’t), they’d get what their brand name means.
Microsoft is just the latest to fall into this trap. They recently completed a renaming project around their healthcare information technology. Originally purchased in 2006 as “Azyxxi”, the product is now called “Amalga.”
Microsoft health unit general manager Steve Shihadeh said in a statement. “Microsoft’s Amalga products offer proven solutions that bring together information from across the health care enterprise into one, easily accessible view. In fact, the name ‘Amalga’ is based on the Latin word ‘amalgama,’ meaning to bring together different elements.”
On the other hand, if people do have a vague understanding of Latin roots, how many see “mal” in the middle and associate it with “bad” or “sick?”
Live by the sword, die by the sword, people. Why not create a brand name using words from a living language actually spoken by your customers?
This is a disappointing development, given the promising mini-trend of better brand names from Microsoft: Silverlight and Popfly.
Today’s Guardian features a story that serves as a Rosetta stone unlocking the secrets of Ikea’s cryptic naming system.
Sofas, coffee tables, bookshelves, media storage and doorknobs are named after places in Sweden (Klippan, Malmö); beds, wardrobes and hall furniture after places in Norway; carpets after places in Denmark and dining tables and chairs after places in Finland. Bookcases are mainly occupations (Bonde, peasant farmer; Styrman, helmsman). Bathroom stuff is named after lakes and rivers.
Kitchens are generally grammatical terms, and kitchen utensils are spices, herbs, fish, fruits, berries, or functional words such as Skarpt (it means sharp, and it’s a knife). Chairs and desks are Swedish men’s names (Roger, Joel); materials and curtains are women’s names. Children’s items are mammals, birds and adjectives (Ekorre is a set of children’s toy balls; it means squirrel). So now you know.
Sort of takes all the fun out of Fartful…
