Nick Loui

I have mixed feelings about this year’s Audi ad.

Generally, the concept is pretty funny but consistent with many other Super Bowl ads. Audi seems to have sacrified many things to create a funny ad.

Audi seems to bridge an interesting gap by appealing to the Vampire trend, but simultaneously poking fun at it by literally telling them to go away.  In addition, they successfully demonstrate the product well and highlight a unique Audi feature– the LED headlights, and their specific shape.

However, it fails by potentially devaluing their brand by associating themselves with the Vampire trend (consider that previously they positioned themselves as a hipper alternative in the context of the Godfather films, perhaps now they are trying to be too trendy?) and, generally, even slight violence or negativity in an attempt to be funny (such as Fedex’s Super Bowl ad) can have negative consequences on the brand and ultimately, sales.

Share your thoughts?

With the exception of choosing an actual product, one of the toughest decisions you will inevitably face when launching a company is choosing its name.  We’ve struggled with that at Divide Nine recently for a new project, and I thought I’d share a few of thoughts that have come up throughout this process.

Past the traditional approaches of choosing a name that is not already registered and one that reflects your business in some way.  Last year, Fast Company wrote a great article on Lexicon, a company that specializes in this practice and gave some insight into the naming process that they use.

It’s broken into these steps:

1. Use the product and find its core value. Get not just to what it is, but the why.
2. Use these words and come up with metaphors, sounds, and words that relate (In the case of Lexicon, a team of linguists).
3. Separately, ask a group to come up with metaphors, sounds, and words without knowing what the product is to create new products based on a fictional mission.
4. Consider these options

Two other things that teams I’ve worked on have considered in the past…

• Hard C and K sounds have better brand recall
• Consider checking the numerology of the company to see what it denotes.

For example, Apple’s numerology is 5, 8, and 6.  5 – Expansion, change, visions, growing evolution, 8- ambition, power, production, money, security, materialism, and 6 – harmony, creativity, art justice, balance, love, protection.

So, are you sure that non-profit you are starting should be a 5?  Consider that Toms is a 4, 7, 6… 4- stability, security, objectivity, 7- philosophical, understanding, inspirational, 6- harmony, creativity, justice, balance, love, protection community, sympathy

Maybe it’s a mix of voodoo, practicality, and luck… but what other tips do you have for naming products and companies?

BMW has always been known for being a leader in crafting a lifestyle within the luxury automobile market.  It’s also been in an innovative company in marketing, being one of the first major companies to use branded video content online, and in technology, as one of the first companies to really integrate the iPod well.

So, it’s no surprise that they are head-to-head with Mercedes this year to best-selling luxury car of 2011.

Anyone that knows me, knows that I’ve always been a supporter of the brand.  Today, I received a welcome kit because I purchased a new car from BMW earlier this year and it’s just another great example of why they have successfully developed such great customer loyalty.

The welcome kit is simple enough, it comes in a black box with a white wrap and a personalized letter welcoming you to your new car.   In the center of the box is a USB drive, in the shape of the iconic BMW key. Plug it in, and you are redirected to the BMW online portal.

This is great for so many reasons.

First, it encourages its users to sign up for their online portal, which provides a way of organizing brand loyalists and allows drivers to reach a wealth of content (such as videos, the car manual, and lease management). BMW is now able to collect huge amounts of information from its drivers and form a two-way dialogue, which otherwise would have been impossible.

Secondly, the key itself reinforces key BMW brand symbols– the logo and the key.

Finally, it’s a great practical gift!  A USB flash drive is a product that enough people know how to use now in everyday life because it has become so ubiquitous in the office and in school.  And, it doubles as a great key chain accessory.  Together, these should have improve brand recall in the future.  Along with this, it’s an introduction to the BMW lifestyle products catalog– BMW also creates jackets, apparel, accessories, etc… sold online, in-store, and at dealers… and this small token is a gateway drug, so to speak, into other products.

So, all in all, hats off the BMW for creating a simple but effective promotional tool.  I’m curious, what do other kits look like from similar companies? (Audi, Mercedes, etc?)

A great Levi’s ad