Xfinity: The next new name you'll hate?

Why would a company like Comcast — one that holds such enormous marketshare in the cable television industry — change its name?

I laugh as I ask that question, because it's pretty obvious to everyone who's ever had to deal with one of Comcast's horrendous customer service representatives. You know what I'm talking about if you've ever opened the door to a sleepy, perpetually-late cable installer. You can also feel my frustration if you've ever opened up a bill to find your rates jump 100% for no apparent reason. Whatever the case may be, there isn't much love out there for Comcast.

And now one of your favorite utility enemies is going to treat you like you're stupid. They're going to change the name of their cable, internet and phone service to Xfinity.

Wow, everything's better now!

I've never had a positive experience with Comcast. Never. But I would love to see them turn things around if for no other reason than for the innocent bystanders who work there.

Instead of spending the millions of dollars going through a name change, shouldn't they concentrate on fixing their real problems? Of course they'll never admit that this change has anything to do with it. Give me a break. You don't change the name of the world's most popular and successful cable company because everyone loves it.

Comcast spokeswoman Jennifer Khoury was quoted in the Philadelphia Inquirer saying that this wasn't about distancing from the Comcast brand. "This is about our product, she told the newspaper. "It is about providing our customers with products that just keep getting better."

There are two things in marketing that I simply cannot stand. 1) Treating your customers like they're stupid and 2) trashing your competition. Comcast does both quite well. Last year I wrote about Ally Bank and their renaming and distancing from the GMAC brand. Comcast isn't the first and they aren't alone in playing these games.

I'm curious to understand what the brand positioning is for Xfinity. Are they going to promote outstanding, uninterrupted service? Are they going to give off a friendly facade? What's their gameplan? Are they starting over and building a better customer-oriented company? If so, then tell us, don't hide behind a new name.

Game Changers

One of the biggest starting points for any successful brand strategy is identifying what differentiates you from the competition — especially in a busy industry. It's a tough question and one that people don't think too much about until pressed for an answer.

While we all strive to be different and many companies can successfully showcase the ways that make them stand out in their industry, only a small percentage actually are destined to be game changers.

I recently asked folks on Twitter to take five seconds and list as many game changers as they could. The exercise wasn't only to come up with the obvious market leaders, but to quickly bring to mind the products and companies that truly changed the way things are done.

In my five seconds, I rattled off Zappos, Skype, RIM and Amazon. There are several more that come to mind like the three Is — iPod, iTunes and iPhone. A couple of others that people tossed out there were Wordpress, Facebook and Craigslist. Tomorrow it sounds like we're going to see the unveiling of another possible game changer — Apple's new tablet computer. Will it change how we learn, read, publish and communicate? I'm assuming Apple thinks so.

I find myself thinking about what it is that makes these companies tick. Sure, they have great "why-didn't-I-think-of-that" ideas, but what took it from idea to execution? Do you ever wonder what exactly it takes to be a game changer? Look at those aforementioned products and with the exception of Apple the others came out of nowhere relatively quickly. I'm going to argue that being a game changer, rather than just simply different, is something that's more wholesome than just bullet-pointing different company characteristics or tossing a ton of money at a concept. It's a huge product of taking action. You create something new and radical and you will surely catch grief from the naysayers. Game changing is in the DNA of a company and its leaders. Game changing is anything but safe. Game changing can't be denied if it's truly game changing, right?

One day Craigslist was nothing. Today it has almost single-handedly killed print classified advertising. How did that happen? The philosophy of change was there from the very beginning when Craig Newmark first put the site together in 1995. I doubt Newmark set out to kill the newspaper industry, just like I doubt Tony Hsieh thought he'd knock out Payless Shoes with his Zappos idea. Of course, somewhere in their thinking and dreaming that was surely a possibility.

When you're different, you're measuring yourself against someone else. When you change the game, you're completely alone. It can be a scary place, but it sure is fun to set the rules and let the next guy try and figure out how they're going to be different from you. Game changers see holes. Differentiators try to be better. True success stories are both. The first takes care of the latter. Change the game and nobody will question whether or not you blend in.

At SOZO | Pivotal we've been fortunate to work with some game changers. While they're not quite (yet) on the level of a Craigslist or Amazon, they have in their own industry made it a point to take the lead, to take a chance and create a new space. All of them have said those around them think they're crazy at one point or another.

The next time a great idea passes through your mind, take a moment and think am I changing the way people do things or am I making something that exists better? Either way, a resounding YES better be the answer to at least one of those questions.

Protecting your brand name and identity

One action that is often dusted under the carpet during the excitement of creating and rolling out a new name or corporate identity is the very necessary step of legally protecting that which is yours as well as ensuring you're not unintentionally infringing on someone else's trademark.

No matter how unique or creative the identity, we strongly advise clients to consult with a trademark or intellectual property attorney before getting too deep into a project. At SOZO | Pivotal we typically conduct a cursory search on Google and at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. These are actions anyone can take, but an attorney takes a more comprehensive look at how the identity is positioned in the marketplace (including the use of colors, typefaces, icons, etc.) as well as how it plays alongside other organizations with a similar name that may be outside of your industry. Obviously this is something Google isn't yet capable of providing in its results. An attorney will also recommend the appropriate registrations and uses and you will gain a better understanding of how to protect the mark in your state, nationally and internationally.

The bottom line is differentiation. Most likely the essence of what is communicated in a tiny logo or name is only really a symbol of what your company is all about. Providing your attorney with a complete identity package will give you a stronger basis should a dispute arise from an outside party over your trademark.

We've all seen the TM and SM on logos and taglines, but what do they really mean and how are they used? Both can be used as a claim that you own the trademark and they do not need to be officially state or federally registered. The circled R federal registration, however, can only be used when the mark has been officially registered with the USPTO. Here are the USPTO's definitions:

• Trademark — A trademark includes any word, name, symbol, or device, or any combination, used, or intended to be used, in commerce to identify and distinguish the goods of one manufacturer or seller from goods manufactured or sold by others, and to indicate the source of the goods. In short, a trademark is a brand name.
  
  
• Service Mark — A service mark is any word, name, symbol, device, or any combination, used, or intended to be used, in commerce, to identify and distinguish the services of one provider from services provided by others, and to indicate the source of the services.
  
  
• Federal Registration (circled R) — The federal registration symbol may be used once the mark is actually registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Even though an application is pending, the registration symbol may not be used before the mark has actually become registered. The federal registration symbol should only be used on goods or services that are the subject of the federal trademark registration. [Note: Several foreign countries use the letter R enclosed within a circle to indicate that a mark is registered in that country. Use of the symbol by the holder of a foreign registration may be proper.]

Hopefully this gives you a better understanding of trademarks and registrations. As a brand strategy and design company, we come across this topic on every project and realize it's out of our scope to give a name or logo a thumbs up without first having our client consult their legal counsel. Don't ever let a designer tell you that you don't need to worry about having legal eyes review your materials. It's not a chance worth taking.

Happy New Year...

It's probably a bit late to do a Happy New Year post, but I'll give it a shot. As you may have noticed it's been a little quiet here on the SOZO | Pivotal blog front. Let's just say we've been wrapping up 2009 and settling in to 2010.

Heck, the real reason is we're extremely busy with some outstanding client projects and initiatives; all of which we can't wait to share here once they're launched. There's never a dull moment at SOZO | Pivotal and we're quite thankful to be blazing forward in a time when many are questioning what's next.

So what's next for you? Now that we're more than half way through January, how's your year starting off? Are you keeping those resolutions? Have you blown through your budgets? Are your thrilling 2010 ideas fading away? Hopefully you're all still as excited and energized today as you were 20 days ago.

In order to keep you moving and motivated, each week we're going to give you a quick brand-building activity that you can immediately incorporate into your company. They're not meant to generate quick results. We all know quick results worth realizing are usually never quick unless you get lucky in a game of chance. These branding activities are not too time-consuming, but over time will hopefully garner some positive results.

So here's your first exercise...

What are your hobbies and what are you passionate about? If running your business is the first thing that comes to mind, please take a moment and broaden your thinking. Now consider what you can do with that hobby to incorporate it into your business. For some people it may be participating in a charity or organization. For others it may be activities like golf, boating or traveling. Some are easy. Golf has always blended well with business, but how do you think being involved in a charity can help your business?

Directly, it won't and it shouldn't. I would never suggest getting involved in a charity to improve your business prospects, but I truly believe that the more you're involved in things with like-minded people the more opportunities are created naturally. The more people you know, the better you off you are.

As I toss out these quick branding and marketing ideas, I'm going to implement them into my own life and business. This past weekend I created the Detroit Business Bikers group where I hope to round up other business owners who share my passion for motorcycles. It took me only a few hours to create a blog, twitter account and LinkedIn group and I was up and running. The purpose of it isn't to try to network directly with these people, but to get out there and naturally get to know new folks with shared interests; in my case motorcycling and business. I can guarantee it will be more effective than trying to make new business contacts through a networking group. I've realized over time that networking groups like BNI are like attempting to make a connection between two magnets. They repel each other rather than connect. In your traditional networking setting, everyone's trying to get your business and you're trying to get theirs. Nothing gets accomplished because the other is trying to close the deal.

We have a few clients who incorporate their personal interests with their businesses all the time. Some would argue this is amateurish. I couldn't disagree more! Business connections are personal connections.

I'm not saying you need to go out and form a group or set up a blog surrounding your interests. Google the topic and see what you find. Maybe someone has already done the leg-work for you. Search Linkedin and Facebook for groups that align with your interest Join the group and get involved! You'll meet new people! Will your business grow? I have no idea, but don't worry about those details for now. Just give it a try and you'll see that when you combine two passions you really get fired up.

I'd love to hear how it goes for you. Please comment and let us know if you're already doing something like this or if it's sparked any great ideas.

Disclaimer: This stuff isn't meant to be rocket science...we charge for that.

Celebrity Sponsorships Have Never Made Sense to Me

What if all this media hysteria surrounding Tiger Woods isn't necessarily true? What if it was a Buick Enclave that bumped into the tree and fire hydrant? And what if it all happened while he was trying to drive, shave with a Gillette razor and talk on his cell phone using AT&T minutes?

What a great way to promote your product using a celebrity frontman!

The sidebar to all this craziness has been what this will mean for Woods' endorsement deals? My question, is why do companies tie their brands to celebrities — with good or bad reputations — in the first place?

Some endorsement deals do make perfect sense. I can understand why Titleist and Nike would associate with the best golfer in the world. Whether it's valid or not, who doesn't want to use a golf ball that's played by the best golfer in the world—even though it's not going to change your game one bit. And if I stretch my imagination and realize how celebrity-crazed our society is I can see why the consumer may hold Gillette top-of-mind when they see Woods holding a Mach3.

But Accenture and AT&T? I don't understand those. What exactly does Woods know about business consulting or wireless plans? It's a lot of money thrown at a name — regardless of all that unfolded this past week. As far as I'm concerned, it's more a waste of money than a lot of money.

To me, using a celebrity to pitch your product is lazy. Throwing a ton of money at a problem lacks about as much creativity as a company that regurgitates the "Got Milk" of I (heart) NY" campaigns for their own purposes.

As you can see on Accenture's site, Woods is still front and center with an interesting tagline: Opportunity isn't always obvious. Hmm.

It seems like everyone loves a new logo

You need not be involved in the marketing business to have heard that AOL is becoming Aol. with a whole new corporate identity and logo and we're assuming brand strategy.

No, you didn't notice it when you logged on to aol.com because they've yet to officially unveil the new look that comes on the heals of AOL spinning off from Time Warner. You also didn't have to read it on the multitude of design blogs that tend to cover this sort of topic ad nauseum. No, it was right there in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Daily News , Huffington Post and thousands of other outlets that likely picked it up off the AP.

I find it interesting that a logo re-design by a company that has continuously lost relevance over the years receives this much attention in the mainstream media. It unfortunately instills in the minds of people who read these articles that the brand is the logo or the logo is the brand. However you want to look at it, articles like this just skim the surface and continue to reveal why there's such a disconnect between business, brand strategy and design.

Why aren't these articles taking a deeper look into the brand strategy and the reasons for the spin-off of AOL from Time Warner? Why don't they ask what this new creative direction is going to do for the company and how it's going to be implemented into everything moving forward? Instead, we see a bunch of Aol.'s slapped on top of what appears to be stock photography. What is the context in which this new logo will live? We really don't know. Unfortunately all anybody cares about is the new logo and whether they hate it or not. Personally, I don't have an opinion one way or the other because I don't have a clue what Aol. is trying to achieve.

If Aol.'s new strategy (whatever it may be) is successful and they return to prominence alongside today's Twitters and Facebooks, nobody's going to care what the logo looks like. Right?

High cost to produce doesn't validate high price

When we start talking to a client about their service or product one of the first questions we ask is: how do you come up with your price?

It's a fully loaded and important question. Sometimes the answer is because it's in a competitive range. Oftentimes they rattle off a margin that they want to hit and work forward from the cost to produce. Other times we get a blank stare. Rarely do we get a straight answer.

This whole pending Silverdome deal got me thinking about cost vs. price. There's an uproar across the region about the $580,000 sales price for a building and property that cost $55 million to develop and build nearly 35 years ago.

Yes, that is pretty sickening. It's an outrageous difference even in this economy. But I challenge you to ask yourself, why is it worth more? Isn't anything only worth what a buyer is willing to pay? A realtor can show me listings up and down my neighborhood, but until I see recent comps it's all talk.

We've all seen a businesses create products that are priced right out of the marketplace because the cost to produce is just too high and their need for worthwhile margins is too vital to their success. That model doesn't work in the long-run. The enhanced value and differentiation is what gives margin its meat.

I remember reading about IKEA's model for producing and pricing new pieces of furniture. They give their designers the price (or the cost to produce, not sure which, but a starting point nonetheless) of the desired piece and then let them build it within that framework. Makes perfect sense to me. Why don't we all look at our products and services in that light?

Now let's get back to the Silverdome. Sure, this big white tyvek elephant sitting along M-59 and Opdyke is going for less than an average home in Birmingham, but look me straight in the eye and tell me you wouldn't want an average home in Birmingham over a huge, vacant building in Pontiac that supposedly costs $1.5 million a year to maintain.

You see, the market for the Silverdome is extremely small. You're only going to attract developers with another use for the land or business people interesting in bringing in large sporting events or concerts. There are two options for the property — destroy and redevelop or use it. Both come with a hefty pricetag in addition to the sales price. Just because the building is massive, impressive, hosted a Super Bowl and Wrestlemania and takes up a major footprint in the middle of Oakland County, doesn't mean that it's desirable to a whole lot of people.

When your product isn't desirable to but a few, it's just worth a whole lot no matter how big and impressive you think it is.