What's in a name?

The new time management method I have introduced to my office is to schedule as many meetings as possible in our premises. This is much preferred to spending hours on the road in traffic; at least it is by my staff. There is a problem, however. Our offices are near to the Green Community (sic.) "The Greens" and many first-time visitors, or people from outside Dubai become easily confused and go to the wrong one, losing time and money in the process. Why are there so many similarly named buildings and ‘communities' in Dubai? What's in a name?

We all know the importance - on a corporate level - of the correct naming strategy for an organisation. Where applicable, the abbreviation must be considered, as well as the potential for the word to become a verb, (ie) to "Google" something is now a common action, and definitely contributed to the success of the company. According to some studies, short company names with three syllables or less, with at least two vowels are the best. Others advocate the use of a vowel at the beginning and end of the name.

Interestingly, naming rules apply to humans too. MIT conducted a study which showed men with a ‘front of mouth' sound like the ‘a' in Matt, were more attractive than the rounded ‘back of mouth' sound produced by words like Paul or George. Women's names were found to have the inverse relationship.

But what about products? Again, there are classic examples of marketing mistakes in naming. One of the most well-known is what General Motors did by introducing the "Nova" to Spanish-speaking markets. Of course "no-va" literally translated from Spanish means "does not go", not the most appropriate name for successfully selling a motor vehicle.

The largest and most visible product segment in the UAE is construction-related. Dubai has buildings aplenty, but it seems that the creativity in their naming is a little off the mark. This could be the fault of the developers themselves, by not giving enough importance to the name, or it could be the work of lazy creatives. The media industry has for a long time bemoaned the lack of creativity in the region, but now there are international awards being won.

There are more and more artists and filmmakers present in the GCC, and there is a drive towards increasing awareness of the power of good design, and the value of being original in concept. With all these increases in creative brain power, why construct a beautiful building, and then try to fit the words "Marina/Burj/Jumeirah" into the title? Surely this defeats the object of insisting on individual and elegant architecture, and great interiors?

Having a point of difference is one of the keys to successfully selling a product. If you have concentrated on making it the best possible, then why throw it all away at the end? One of the easiest and cheapest ways to set yourself apart from the crowd is by your name. A quick drive around any of Dubai's major sites will tell you the same story, from a master development level to a single-tower developer. It is the ones who sound different who get the results.

But is it really that important? Could it affect your decision to purchase? Try it for yourself, have a look at the developments you would buy into, and then note down how many of them have a unique-sounding name, you may be surprised.

Is this driven by practicality? Does the uniqueness of the name mean you can find it the concrete jungle? Or is it just the pride factor, in that you could not bear to live in a ‘normal' sounding tower? After all, it is your home, not just another concrete commodity.

Rashid AW Galadari is chairmain of the GIO.

Print | Email | Discuss this article

| Share |

READERS' COMMENTS

What's in a Name
Posted by Angharad Irving - Jones, Dubai on Tuesday 12 June 2007 at 10:10 UAE time


I think that Rashid has touched delicately on a subject area that needs addressing by Dubai's leaders. How many Jumeriah, Burj or Emirates malls/hills/towers/greens/lakes/village/community do we have and why ? Why is the name the after thought ? Why over confuse something that is so easy ? There is a blank canvas in Dubai to truly distinguish, not just in terms of architectual aesthetics but also in the location and the name.

A Rose is a Rose -Does it smell sweeter if called by any other name?
Posted by Prof Philbert Suresh, Hawally, Kuwait on Tuesday 12 June 2007 at 09:51 UAE time

There is more leverage of global corporations pouring millions of dollars for a significant name and brand that stays with the consumers, users and other stakeholders. Your pointed observation on the simple word GREEN that has become synonymous with sound environmental practices and agenda of G8 and UN forums is something to take note of. A research-based presentation was done by the author on THE GREEN TRANSPORTATION recently at American University of Kuwait and those of your readers who are keen to know about this presentation may visit www.gust.edu.kw/glf and send me their valuable comments. It is a field in which there will ongoing research as we try to define development strategies in the world today.

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic. Arabian Business would like to point out that only comments relevant to the story will be published. Any containing personal insults or inappropriate language will not be approved.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Enter the words above *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM