What’s In a Name?

By Mitchell Schmale

What’s in a name? Sometimes it’s more than you think, including hidden meanings, historical connections, analogies to mythological creatures and links to universal truths.

Other times, a name can be just that… only a name. Perhaps it’s just a title meant to signify nothing symbolic and allowed to develop its own special meaning or brand in the years ahead.

It’s always interesting learning how new businesses and company founders choose a name. It’s a tough decision and if all goes well, hopefully one that the company founder and future employees will live with for a long time. Some companies choose the more traditional route that may not need a lot of explanation to the general public or customers… names like Ford Motor Company, Coca-Cola and General Electric. However, a younger generation of companies that have also become household names took a more creative route to becoming part of the lexicon of corporate names that we now all recognize… names like Google, Yahoo, Apple and GoDaddy.

Ever wonder where some of these names came from? Or which of these companies was almost named Back Rub? Check out what’s in a name for the origins of some of the most unusual company names in the business.

Mitchell Schmale is Vice President of Maroon PR. Contact him at Mitchell@MaroonPR.com.

Life is Good

By Chris Daley

I’m curious to know how many people clicked-through to this blog simply because of the title. It’s simple, catchy and makes you feel pretty good right?

Being in the public relations profession, I’m a fan of brands. The other night I stumbled across a TV show on CNBC called How I Made My Millions. The story I began watching was about the guys who started Life is Good.

I’m quite sure everyone who is reading this has heard of this brand, and I doubt anyone has anything bad to say about them. That’s a powerful brand. It has a simple message, happy logo, quality product and great story. I personally do not own a Life is Good product, but that’s not to say I wouldn’t buy one of their products as a gift for someone, or maybe a hat for myself down the road. There’s something about buying one of their products that makes people feel special.

If you are like me and didn’t know the story behind Life is Good, here’s a brief history. Two nice guys from a humble background sent out on a mission to sell t-shirts. With some creativity, and a naive never say “can’t” attitude their idea, and a little luck, led them to making millions. Sound familiar?

What I also never knew about Life is Good is the detailed story and how much their brand impacted people in need. Not only is their brand strong, but they’re utilizing their platform to help thousands of children.

The defining moment in the company's fundraising initiatives occurred following the tragedy of September 11, 2001. The public's overwhelming response to a specially-designed American flag t-shirt enabled the company to make a $207,000 donation to the United Way on behalf of families whose loved ones were victims of the terrorist attacks. That experience enabled Life is Good to see more clearly the opportunity to have a sustained, positive impact through charitable giving.

The Life is Good Festival last year was attended by 30,000 people and raised over $500,000 for the Life is Good Kids Foundation and its mission of helping kids overcome life-threatening challenges including violence, illness and extreme poverty. Since being founded, the foundation has raised over $4 million to help kids facing life-threatening challenges.

The Life is Good brand is a great story and the way they tell it gives them credibility, brand power and consumer loyalty. Add that to the work they do to help children who need it is a model that I feel all established brands should follow. To learn more about the Life is Good story, visit LifeisGood.com.

Chris Daley is a Senior Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact him at Chris@MaroonPR.com and follow him on Twitter @ChrisDaley43.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it

By Tim Richardson

Human beings are creatures of habit, period. We like our normal routines, the comfort that we find when the stars align for us. Tradition, normalcy – all things that help us get through the day-to-day challenge of a thing called “life.”

So when brands that we are loyal to and swear by decide to do anything that adversely impacts our routine, we don’t like it. Yes, I’m talking to you Starbucks.

For those who are unfamiliar with what the fuss is about, let me bring you up to speed. In March 2011, Starbucks will celebrate its 40th anniversary. Earlier this month, the company announced that, as part of that milestone, it was removing the words “Starbucks Coffee” from its signature green logo so its mermaid, or “Siren” icon, was more prominent. Say what?

Loyal Starbucks’ customers (like this one) do not like the new logo. In my opinion, the new design looks like the artwork is incomplete. The company says the change is part of a marketing plan that involves making Starbucks about more than just coffee. Okay??? Talk about forgetting “what got you there.” Consumers used words like “tacky” and “unprofessional” when venting their frustration on the company’s Facebook page. Additionally, nine different Facebook groups or pages in opposition to the new logo were created. Starbucks is an international brand and removing that key word in the logo is puzzling to me.

We’ve all heard the axiom, “if it ain't broke, don't fix it.” Just ask the Coca-Cola Company and GAP how it went for them when they ignored this idiom.

Let’s start with Coke. On April 23, 1985, the company changed its 99-year old formula and introduced a “new coke” to the public; a move that many experts still refer to as the “marketing blunder of the century.”

The company was inundated with calls from unhappy customers, and estimated receiving around 1,500 calls a day on its consumer hot line…compared to the standard 400 the day before the change was announced. Consumers were not happy that the company, despite the fact that it owns the product, took “their” Coke away. Coca-Cola conceded and returned to a variation of the old formula, under the name “Coca-Cola Classic” in July 1985. That day, the Coca-Cola Company received over 30,600 positive calls on their hot line. New Coke is no longer available.

A more recent example of why not to rock the boat involves one of the world's largest specialty retailer, Gap, Inc. In early October 2010, the company changed its well-recognized logo. The very uninspired new look debuted quietly on the company’s website, but was met with immediate displeasure from consumers and the media. The negative outcry caused the company to scrap the new logo just one week after unveiling it. Gap President Marka Hansen admitted that is was “an ill-conceived rollout” and the company expressed regret for the anger the move triggered in its loyal consumers.

At the end of the day, we are simple people who like things the way we are accustomed to having them. We don’t just drink the product, eat the food or wear the clothing; we feel a connection to it. It’s more than a brand for many of us, it’s a sense of comfort in a hectic world.

Tim Richardson is Executive Vice President at Maroon PR. Contact him at Tim@MaroonPR.com

Google Introduces Google Instant

By Abby Draper

Through all of this week, Google has been modifying their logo in anticipation of a press conference said to announce something new in search technology. On Tuesday, the Google logo was spelled out with balls that turned into a game as you rolled your mouse over the letters. This morning, “Google” appeared grey until text was entered and it changed to its usual bright colors.

At 12:30 EST, we watched online as Google introduced “Google Instant.” Marissa Mayer, vice president of search products and user experience, began the conference by discussing some of the new features of Google Search in 2010 including: Google Caffeine, Real-Time Search, timeline views, spell corrections, enhancements to its Q&A, stars in search, and the redesign of Google itself, by playing the commercial they launched during the Superbowl.

Mayer went on to explain that while these changes have made Google search much more productive, the current search time is still too long. According to Google, it takes a user nine seconds to enter a query, 800 ms for networking time, 300 ms for serving results, 15 seconds to select a search result, and most people take extra time to think. With these stats, Mayer introduced “A Fundamental Shift to Search – Google Instant.”

Google Instant, which will roll out slowly through the day, allows you to see search results as you type.

“Google Instant delivers results instantly in a way that has never been done before," said Jonathan Effrat, Google product manager, in a video about Google Instant. "Now, results appear automatically as you type, with no need to hit enter or click the search button. as soon as you see what need predicted in gray text, you can stop typing, and just look down to find your results waiting...see results instantly lets you refine your search as you type — looking for a bird? A map? A recipe? You'll know instantly if you're on the right track to finding what you want."

Mayer was joined on stage by Johanna Wright, Director of Product Management, and Othar Hansson, Senior Staff Software Engineer who took us all through several examples of how Google Instant works, proving its incredible speed and ability to predict what you’re searching for.

While Google has had a few issues in the recent past with other efforts like Google Buzz, it seems as though Google Instant has launched without a hitch. We will find out for sure today!

Abby Draper is the Manager of Social Media. Contact her at abby@maroonpr.com.

Personality is Key

By Abby Draper

Recently, a colleague and I attend a social media workshop in DC where we were fortunate to be around some wonderful social media pros. While there were several topics covered, we noticed a theme through the morning. Whether it be advice given from a professional working for a TV or radio outlet, a manager of social media and online accounts, or even a journalist, each representative was adamant about being certain your online face has a personality.

After speaking with the professionals working in television and radio, all stressed the transition to receiving daily news through twitter and facebook. Because both sites are monitored by every news station, it’s imperative that when they report this news, they report it with a personality that varies from other outlets.

The message was the same for those who manage online accounts for their brand and clients. Most of these managers are maintaining several accounts at one time and stressed the importance of making these messages personal, while still selling the update to an appropriate audience. Maintaining a personality for a professional athlete is much different than that of a government official.

Journalists have started to rely on social media platforms as well in helping with what could be timely to cover. The journalists in attendance talked about how they pay more attention to brands with “a personality,” as those brands oftentimes will produce interesting tidbits or twists to stories they’ve already heard.

Adding a personal component to a brand allows for your audience to relate to the information you’re giving them. Whether it be about a product, a placement or an event, if you’re solely going through the motions and mechanically promoting yourself or a brand, your audience will lose interest.

Abby Draper is the Manager of Social Media. Contact her at abby@maroonpr.com

King of Public Relations

By Chris Daley

I just searched “LeBron James” on Google and the top hit under “News for LeBron James” is a headline from FOXNews.com, "LeBron James – Public Relations Genius." There are 4,473 “related articles” to this one headline with thousands of other related articles to follow. In a sense, I would agree that King James is a public relations genius. For this week anyway.

Here are a few reasons why:

• Timing is everything: This could be considered one of the slowest weeks in sports on the calendar year. I can’t think of a better time of year for this type of announcement to take place.

• Controlling his message well: I’m surprised that his decision has not leaked out yet. The people surrounding him that may know his final decision are doing a great job of keeping this thing under wraps for the big unveiling. Although we still have a few hours before 9 p.m. EDT.

• Charitable Component: Adding a charitable component when you have this much influence over the public is always nice. Having all the proceeds from tonight’s program on ESPN donated to the Boys & Girls Club of America is a nice touch.

• Taking advantage of the situation: King James and his camp are doing a great job to launch other marketing tools around this announcement which include a revamped LeBronJames.com and creating the twitter handle @kingjames that has over 310,000 followers in two days. I’d be curious to know how many people signed-up for his newsletter the past few days and what that database would be worth to potential advertisers.

Although I’m not an NBA fan, I am a fan of public relations and I would agree that someone in his position is taking full advantage of his situation. LeBron deserves this type of attention. He’s worked very hard to get to this point.

That said, I’m now curious to see how he handles his next public relations situation which could be making an impact in a brand new city, and leaving one that will have a lot of people angry.

Chris Daley is an Account Executive. Contact him at chris@maroonpr.com.

The Harlem Globetrotters - a Wonderful Lasting Brand

By John Maroon

The Harlem Globetrotters are coming to Baltimore next week and the thought of the Globetrotters brings back memories of childhood and a wonderful time in so many of our lives.

The Globetrotters have been a part of American pop culture for 84 years and they stand for all of the right things … fun, family and giving back. They have also done great things in terms of bringing together people of all ages, races and economic standing in such a subtle way. If you have ever been to a Globetrotters game you’ve probably noticed a great deal of diversity in the crowd, with everyone having a wonderful time.

In the world we live in today with video games dominating kid’s interest, it is so refreshing to see that the Globetrotters have not only endured but have grown in popularity internationally. They have 6,500 fans on Facebook and 2,500 followers on Twitter. They travel the world and draw full houses wherever they go.

The Globetrotters represent the game of basketball with honor and class. In the community, they run programs that teach character development to children and they help educate kids about the importance of exercise with their Some Playtime Is Necessary (SPIN) initiative.

Thanks to the Harlem Globetrotters for still providing the world with good, old-fashioned, wholesome fun in a time when we need it most.

John Maroon is the President of Maroon PR. Contact him at john@maroonpr.com.







Photo courtesy of Flickr's Bob n Renee