Igor Naming Agency

Igor Naming Agency
Private
Industry Naming
Founded 2002
Founders Jay Jurisich
Steve Manning
Headquarters Sausalito, California, United States
Area served
 Worldwide
Key people
 Steve Manning, CEO, managing director
Website igorinternational.com

Igor Naming Agency is an American naming agency. Based in Sausalito, California, Igor is known for its "almost militant embrace" of using real and natural-sounding words in naming. Among others, the company has named Gogo Inflight, Cutthroat Kitchen, TruTV, the Aria Resort, and The Wit Hotel in Chicago.[1][2][3]

History

Igor Naming Agency was founded by Jay Jurisich and Steve Manning, who met while working at the Sausalito naming agency, A Hundred Monkeys. [4]In addition to naming,[5] Jurisich and Manning worked with agency founder Danny Altman to create The Shinolas, an annual award given to the year's worst brand name. Judged by Ben Cohen of Ben and Jerry's, Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads, Bob Camp, co-creator of Ren & Stimpy and others, Shinolas were awarded to products including the Oldsmobile Achieva, and Cruex, a cream to soothe itches. With significant media coverage, the Shinolas were recognized as a distinct brand.[6][7][8][9]

Jurisich and Manning left A Hundred Monkeys in 2002 to co-found Igor Naming Agency. In addition to established companies including Nokia, EA Sports, and MTV,[10] Igor worked extensively with companies founded following the dot-com downturn of 2000. They eschewed industry-standard practices, such as the use of invented words, and advised against choosing a name based on the availability of a URL.[11][12][13] Commenting on Igor's aversion to the use of focus groups to determine the effectiveness of a name, Manning stated: "We don't recommend market research for naming. You've really got to figure that if you're trusting the future of your brand to a bunch of people in a focus group who are willing to give up their time for $45 and a stale sandwich, you're in trouble."[1][14][15]

“ "They're doing a great job of appealing to Greeks and Latins."
--Manning on meaningless corporate names like Altria and Aviva, Wall Street Journal, 2002[3]		 ”

In late 2002, Igor launched Snark Hunting, a blog about company names, product names and the implications of naming and branding upon popular culture. Created to keep Igor's name in front of potential clients, Snark Hunting was "obsessively monitored" within the advertising and marketing industry.[16] As more blogs related to branding began to appear online, Fast Company wrote: "The best stuff comes from Snark Hunting," highlighting a post which "riffed on Gap Inc.'s new Forth & Towne store concept for middle-aged women, noting that it uses an ampersand rather than risk the acronym FAT."[17] Described as irreverent and biting, Snark Hunting took "frequent shots at crosstown naming rival Landor," creating a recurring character named Blandor the Imponderable.[11][18][19]

In 2004, Jurisich and Manning co-authored Building the Perfect Beast: The Igor Naming Guide. Frequently updated, it remains available as a free download in two different lengths, "soul-crushing (123 pages) and moderately-irritating (28 pages)." The Igor Naming Guide has been widely used as resource in academic settings as well as by B2C companies, startups, and incubators.[20][21]

Jurisich left Igor in 2011 to found Zinzin, also a naming agency. [22]

References

  1. 1 2 Frankel, Alex (December 1, 2004). "The New Science of Naming". CNN/Business 2.0. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  2. ↑ Valerie, D'Elia (July 10, 2015). "How One Man Helped Name Many of Today's Popular Travel Brands". New York 1. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  3. 1 2 Veitch, Martin and, Kelly, Karen (June 19, 2002). "Start-Ups Spend Time, Money In Search of the Perfect Name". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  4. ↑ Rottenberg, Josh (April 8, 2001). "How to Invent a Brand Name". New York Times. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  5. ↑ Dahle, Cheryl (August 31, 2000). "How to Make a Name for Yourself". Fast Company. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  6. ↑ Rivkin, Steve and, Sutherland, Fraser (January 13, 2005). The Making of a Name: The Inside Story of the Brands We Buy. Oxford University Press. pp. 78, 79. ISBN 0195168720. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  7. ↑ Sheils, Maggie (August 13, 2002). "Hunt is on for world's worst rebranding". BBC News. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  8. ↑ Design Week staff (September 5, 2002). "Shinola Awards makes monkey of brand names". Design Week. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  9. ↑ McFedries, Paul (February 17, 2004). Word Spy: The Word Lover's Guide to Modern Culture. Broadway Books. ISBN 076791466X. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  10. ↑ Duryee, Tricia (June 28, 2007). "iPhone: How Apple created a frenzy". Seattle Times. p. A1.
  11. 1 2 Gertzon, Jason (February 2, 2006). "Sprint unit picks name and logo". Kansas City Star. p. C1.
  12. ↑ Gelman, Lindsey (July 17, 2013). "Why Startups Are Sporting Increasingly Quirky Names". Wall Street Jounal. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  13. ↑ Quinn, Michelle (August 29, 2007). "This Baby's Got Internet Buzz". Los Angeles Times.
  14. ↑ Dahle, Cheryl (August 31, 2000). "How to Make a Name for Yourself". Fast Company. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  15. ↑ Swett, Clint (December 9, 2007). "What makes Kindle flame or Razr sharp?". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  16. ↑ Watkins, Alexandra. "Rival firm Igor continues to dominate Google". eatmywords.com. Eat My Words. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  17. ↑ McGregor, Jena (August 1, 2005). "Brand Aid". Fast Company (97). p. 28.
  18. ↑ Adams, Steve (May 5, 2007). "BUSINESSES ENTER THE BLOGOSPHERE: Online soapboxes becoming a force in corporate America". Patriot Ledger.
  19. ↑ Gunn, Angela (January 4, 2006). "The whachacallit". USA Today.
  20. ↑ King, Kim Ann (April 30, 2015). The Complete Guide to B2B Marketing: New Tactics, Tools, and Techniques. Pearson FT Press. pp. 102, 103. ISBN 0134084527. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  21. ↑ Startups Hong Kong (April 25, 2010). "Igor: Creating Company Names Product Names Naming Experts Guide". Startups Hong Kong. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  22. ↑ "Zinzin Management Team". zinzin.com. Zinzin. Retrieved 25 July 2016.

External links

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