Name-Calling!

Name-calling is easy. 

Kids are especially good at mastering this skill early.  And they do it so well. 

Effective name-calling must be both appropriate and “sticky”.  Think of the last time your kids gave someone or something a label…. “that old man up the street” sticks a lot easier than “Mr. Bourgeouis at 22 Canary Lane”, doesn’t it? 

We might not like it, but “that old man” – fits our criteria for effective name calling quite well.  It’s descriptive, easy to remember and even easy to say.

So here’s the conundrum – if name-calling is so easy, why is product naming so hard?

I’ve been in rooms with many smart people poring and puzzling over product and business naming – from “Uniformance” and “Hi-Spec Solutions” (remember those?) to “Industrial Evolution” and now this… what to name the PAS Alarm Management solution set?

You see, when we intentionally set out to do something that should just be obvious, the trivial suddenly becomes very complex.  And so it is today… what to name the PAS Alarm Management solution set?

I can come up with many ideas… How about AlarmOne or AlarmRx?  No, this is too much like some other guys’ stuff…  What about rejuvenating AMO Suite? Nope, we’ve been there, done that... Or how about OptAlarm?  It’s simple, appropriate and maybe even sticky, but not everyone likes it.  Well, then what about PASalarm?  Catchy, short, but….

See what I mean?

I’m sure I’ve got an idea for a better name somewhere… I guess I just need to noodle some more before it wants to jump out.  Maybe a couple of beers and some relaxation will help… J

In the end, I know it’s the people, the product, the service and not the name that makes business succeed, although the wrong name can make it fail – which rules out LEMMEO, since it sounds like a failure from the get-go, even though it may be technically superb: Less Alarms Makes More Effective Operators!

You have any ideas?  email me and maybe I can buy you lunch!