We are proud parents and we love to tout our naming prowess when one of our creations hits the market. Today we have the not-so-rare opportunity to announce, what we consider to be, a seriously awesome name: BOKU.

Boku is a start-up mobile payments company. Let me explain: Remember the last time you were playing Mafia Wars and you need to buy fancy new virtual duds before you met the Godfather? Nerve-wracking right? Well, Boku can help alleviate some of that stress by making the purchase of those online goods quick, easy, and safe. Phew! Without Boku, you might not have been able to buy that virtual Armani suit and the Godfather would have been tres disappointed.

Thanks Boku!

Tags: Boku, financial naming, mobile payments, technology naming
Posted in Company Naming, Name Launch | 1 Comment

As I perused my New York Times yesterday, I saw a full page ad (three full pages ads, to be precise) announcing the name of the recently “merged” Morgan Stanley and Smith Barney. Of course, being bankers, these guys didn’t bother working with a brand name development firm like Catchword. So the result? Yep, you guessed it: MorganStanleySmithBarney (.com). And so it is with great joy that I announce the newest champion in the “World’s Longest Name” category. All those brilliant consultants and PriceWaterhouseCoopers can rest easy. Their 22-letter gem doesn’t even come close to the 24-letter monster created in the hear of Wall Street.

Small wonder they needed three full page ads to introduce the name. If they only paid for one page, they’d have to shrink the font to fit, and no one would be able to read the name. Alas! This is a problem that money can fix. But, instead of paying for a better name (too risky?), they decided to pay for more ad pages. I pity the poor fools who work for this company. Can you imagine typing that … novella … of a brand name into every email address? Strong fingers.

No doubt this brand is destined for the land of initials. But for you morganstanleysmithbarney folks who might be reading, I have good news! It appears the MSSB.com is for sale. Might I suggest you grab it ASAP using your TARP funds. Ah … just what the world needs … MORE INITIALS! I just love alphabet soup.

Well, let’s all hope these guys are better at finance than they are at branding. Or maybe they found a new kind of naming consultant–one who gets paid by the letter. Now why didn’t I think of that?

And lest we forget … these guys have made this same mistake before. What ever happened to MorganStanleyDeanWitter? Still not in contention for the Longest Name title, but if we allow a little poetic license, we can really have some fun. How about morganstanleydeanwittersmithbarney (.com)? Now that would be a real champion. Some folks never learn.

Tags: bank names, bank naming, Domain names, financial names, financial naming, long company names, longest company name
Posted in Brand Naming, Company Naming, In-the-News | No Comments

These are indeed the times that try men’s souls, and yet business marches on. Last year we had the chance to work with Charles Schwab, one of our favorite repeat clients, on a very cool product naming project. Their concept was simple: a planning service that helps real people manage the transition from full-time work to semi-retirement. Customers benefit from a combination of Schwab’s expert service and tools to help them manage their income flow, both in and out.

Schwab has built a reputation as a straight-talking, no-nonsense company – providing real answers to real customers, not just marketing fluff. This new product name needed to maintain that brand integrity while keying on the uniqueness of this offering – not just a one-size-fits-all retirement plan, but advice and tools geared to an individual’s needs. In short, a real-life solution to real-life problems. What better name than Real Life Retirement Services?

Tags: Charles Schwab, financial names, financial naming
Posted in Catchword, Name Launch, Product Naming | No Comments

And in financial news today, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 237 points as bargain hunters scooped up ailing stocks following yesterday’s 777 point freefall. Despite the modest snapback, Senator Skoultchi from New York is still aggressively pushing his proposal to rename the index the Down Jonezing industrial average, at least until such time as lawmakers can get their heads out of their Aston Martins and agree on a plan to resuscitate the economy.

Senator Skoultchi acknowledged that he knows virtually nothing about economics or finance (and, quite shockingly, that he’s not even a Senator), but that the renaming makes sense because Americans demand transparency from our political and financial leaders. Never known for his oratory skills, Skoultchi was quoted as saying “Holy crap – did you see what happened in the market yesterday?! They oughta rename that index the Down Jonezing industrial average.”

He went on to say that prior to becoming a fake senator, he worked for many years as a name development specialist at a brand name development firm named Catchword, and that in all his years of consulting for Catchword he had never seen an easier target than the words “Dow” and “Jones” for a market index that was spiraling ever downward and in desperate need of a cash fix.

“I mean, c’mon, it couldn’t be any easier if the index was named the “Halp Mead industrial average. Alright, that’s not the best, but you get the point.” he was quoted as saying.

Tags: bank naming, economic naming, finance naming, financial naming
Posted in Brand Naming, Branding, Catchword, Fun stuff | No Comments