...
Name | Appearance | Distinctive | Depth | Energy | Humanity | Positioning | Sound | Buzz | Total |
|---|
MyUCDavis | colA2 |
SakaicolB2 | |
Chameleon | colA2 |
colB1 | colB2 |
...
Assign up to 10 points in each of the categories above for each proposed name. The more points, the better.
Naming Process
The naming process can be broken down into several steps:
? Competitive analysis
A competitive analysis is an essential first step of any naming process. As part of this step, we researched how other institutions positioned themselves relative to the Sakai Project. We looked at the types of names they have adopted, and at whether those names project a similar approach or provide a basis for our own naming process.
...
None of the names we studied provides a good foundation for our own naming project. Looking at other institutions' approaches, however, reinforced the need to keep our process focused on creating a name that is a powerful marketing asset.
? Positioning
Our next step was to define our brand positioning. The more specific and nuanced our positioning is, the more effective the name will be. All great names work in concert with the positioning of the business or product they speak for. Ideally, our name and positioning will help find a way to reinvigorate or change the conversation that our campus has been having with faculty and students. The resulting naming process will be based on a forward-looking positioning strategy.
A major goal of our naming strategy will be to ensure that the new system is perceived as simple, user-friendly, different, and essential. We must distance the new system from the current MyUCDavis system (often perceived as unreliable and overly complex) while at the same time reassuring current MyUCDavis CMS users that the transition will be as simple as possible.
? Name/Brand Development
Next we looked at what we want our new name to do for our communication and advertising efforts. This will allow us to narrow our name search to a certain category of name. Four categories of names were considered:
...
?Evocative name. One important way that evocative names differ from others is that they evoke the positioning of a company or product in abstract ways, rather than describing a function or a direct experience. Evocative names are not used as often and therefore tend to be more powerful. They are non-linear and multi-dimensional, making them deeply engaging. They help create a brand image that is bigger than the tools and services the system offers.
Functional Experential Evocative
Web portal company names InfoSeek, LookSmart Explorer, Navigator Yahoo
airline sector Trans World Airlines United Virgin
computer industry Digital Equipment Gateway Apple
? Creative/Testing
As part of our naming process, we will need to produce creative support materials to help flesh out potential names. These may include stories, ad treatments, or graphic layouts featuring our top name candidates. These same materials could be presented and tested with focus groups.
? Name and Tagline
Once the name is chosen, we will more fully develop a range of taglines, images and language to help convey our branding messages. For example, here are a few ad lines and taglines that the name Sakai brings to the table:
Sakai. Get over the hump.
Sakai. Bringing your teaching to life.
Sakai. When collaborating is a breeze.
Sakai. Talk of the town.
Sakai. The other course management system.
Sakai. Never say never.
Sakai. It's all yours.
And on and on and on.