Big companies that make risky branding choices can count on negative reaction and critical press. (SyFy was slammed for months before it launched. And let’s not forget Wii, widely hailed as one of the worst technology name of the century for months pre-launch.) Consumers rarely welcome change, and they especially don’t like new, edgy names. The big companies experience these negative reactions tenfold, because all eyes are focused on them, waiting for their next move. And finally, let’s not forget that everyone’s a critic, especially when it comes to naming.

Today, as SyFy has its first birthday party, I find that I’m ready to join in the celebration and eat some birthday cake, rather than wanting to be the party pooper and defame the name, again. What changed? What did SyFy do right to make its edgy new name stick?

Embrace negative press
Many companies aren’t prepared for the negative press that comes along with a company rename or product rename. An adverse public reaction to your marketing decision can be poison to a relaunched brand. But it doesn’t have to be. Remember the old axiom, “Any press is good press”? If you prepare for the inevitable onslaught of criticism, you can use it to your advantage. Both Wii and SyFy enjoyed months of free publicity for their name changes (Wii was previously codenamed Revolution). You literally can’t buy that kind of media exposure. Sure, it was negative exposure, but because both companies adhered to the following steps, they managed to come out on top.

(Note: Another strategy is to avoid the negative reactions altogether by avoiding risky or edgy names. For example, Microsoft’s Project Natal was all anyone could talk about for a year. Then they announced their very safe, comfortable new name Kinect, and the product dropped from the headlines a week later. Without no juiciness or excitement inspired by the name, there was nothing to sustain the product’s media presence.)

Be confident
Once you decide to launch an edgy name, stick with your decision. Trust your instincts and never waver. SyFy’s President Dave Howe acted with certainty when discussing his company’s new name. “SyFy ushers in a new era of unlimited imagination, exceptional experiences and greater entertainment that paves the way for us to truly become a global lifestyle brand.” Whether he believed in the decision or not, he never let any hesitation show. What’s more, he didn’t get defensive in the face of criticism. Put a brave face on, and be a leader that your customers can believe in.

Go all the way
The clichés abound: Go all out, the whole nine yards, stay the course, etc. The basic principle is this: Commit to your new name and then fully support it with every resource you have. The biggest companies have the most resources to support a new name or renaming launch. (Unfortunately, they’re sometimes the least likely to want to commit these resources.) In SyFy’s case, they went for the whole shebang: A new name, a new tagline, a new logo, a new graphic identity, and a new ad campaign. In short, they built an entirely new brand around their relaunch. And the supporting elements were nothing short of spectacular.

Be excellent
SciFi had become well-known for their smash hit Battlestar Galactica. That show helped moved them out of the cheesy B-film low budget made-for-tv realm and into the big leagues. They were perfectly positioned to capitalize on this new identity. But they had to do more than slap a fresh coat of paint on a clunker of a car. (You can rename a Pinto, but it’ll still be a Pinto.) The newly christened SyFy continued airing their high-quality shows (Eureka, Sanctuary, etc.) while introducing some stellar new content (Warehouse 13, Caprica, etc.). By reinforcing their new brand with quality products, SyFy helped convince their viewers that the new name signaled something fresh and exciting.

Summary
We here at Catchword give our clients this exact advice when we present edgy company or product name candidates. Ground-breaking names are fun and have a lot of brand potential (Google, Yahoo, Yelp, Wii, etc.). Everyone wants a bold, daring name, but few companies are prepared to do what it takes to successfully launch one. And, while we often recommend this type of company or product name, the recommendation comes with one major caveat: If you’re going to go with a ground-breaking name you must:

Take it from a former naysayer turned ardent supporter of the name SyFy: Getting people to like your edgy new brand name is possible, but it takes a lot of hard work. But if you go the extra mile, you’ll likely end up with a better brand and a more memorable brand name than if you go the safe route. Finally, a mea culpa: After reflecting upon my personal transformation regarding SciFi/SyFy, I promise to be a little more accepting of the next brand or product rename that initially ruffles my feathers.

The SyFy name officially belly-flopped onto the scene yesterday. While I was watching Highlander: The Source, I was surprised by the quality of the network promos advertising the new brand (see the first video below). The visual design and the promo commercials are quite well done. Maybe not superb enough for me to overlook Siphy (aka SyFy), but nicely done nonetheless.

Then, as I turned on my DVR and started to watch the premiere of the new show Warehouse 13 in hi-def, I witnessed the three minute SyFy commercial called House of Imagination (see the second video below). WOW. Now, that’s the way to roll out a brand. Too bad that brand name sucks. But, as branding roll outs go, this is phenomenal. I love love love this new visual design and the accompanying ad campaign. Bravo! (oh wait, that’s a different network completely…)

My least favorite re-brand of the year (SciFi –> SyFy) is scheduled to go live with their massive blunder on July 7th. And, it seems that the folks at Siffy (my not-so-adoring nickname for SyFy) are well aware that their name sucks and people hate it. So, they’re trying to get all the geeks out there in Manhattan to love them for different reasons. Siffy will be offering free WyFy in Times Square and Union Square.

Yes, you read that right. They will be offering free WyFy, dubbed “WyFy from SyFy.” Here’s what I imagine the conversation between Landor and the SciFi exec must have looked like:

SciFi exec: Dude, Landor man, you guys effed us over royally. People hate this new name. Fix it. We’ve spent too much money on this launch to turn back now. I don’t care what you do, just fix it!!

Landor: We understand and we’re on top of it. And, boy howdy, do we ever have the answer for you. We’re going to give you a free new name and a free slogan to help promote the new SyFy name.

SciFi exec: (Arms crossed) Free, you say? Alright, let’s hear it…

Landor: After spending weeks conducting focus groups at comic book conventions, analyzing the results, and jotting down dozens of new name and slogan ideas on the back of some napkins, we came up with an amazing new name to pair with SyFy. Think about it: What rhymes with SyFy?

SciFi exec: (Shakes head) I don’t even want to guess…

Landor: The answer is WiFi! WiFi, SciFi. Get it? And so, check this out. You guys should offer free WiFi in select locations. Because, you know, the geeks who watch your channel are on the internet. And they’d love to get some free WiFi. And, it stands to reason, they’d then love you in return.

SciFi exec: Okay, we’re listening. We can see this has some potential…

Landor: So check this out. The new name we spent weeks coming up with is… Drumroll please (strums thumbs on desk) WyFy! And the slogan for this campaign will be WyFy from SyFy.

(SciFi exec laughs, thinking it’s a joke. Notices the look of complete seriousness on Landor’s face. SciFi exec stops laughing. A blank look of dumbfounded disbelief spreads across SciFi exec’s face.)

SciFi exec: Oh, you’re serious? Right. I suppose I did say “I don’t care what you do… just to fix it.” Okay, so… what do we have to lose, right?! Sure, do whatever. (Stands up and walks out of room shaking head)

Landor: Another grand slam. We’re so awesome! (Turns and high-fives other Landor team members)

Remember: the reason’s the folks at Syfy née SciFi said they needed to rebrand was 1) their name was too generic and 2) it was too specific. I still think they were crazy, but here are some other great fixes:

The Food Network should rebrand as Fude or Füd

Lifetime should rebrand as LiveThyme

History should rebrand as HighStory (the stoners would love it)

Travel should rebrand as Tour Ravel

Biography should rebrand as BYO

The Cartoon Network should rebrand as CarTune (although maybe that’s still too generic/specific)

CBS should rebrand as SeeBS (again, maybe still too generic/specific?)

MTV should rebrand as M&M TV or Eminem TV

E! should rebrand as Eee!

I guess if name development was really that easy, anybody could be a naming consultant. (Shhh…don’t tell Landor.)

Oh Landor. Must we continue to charge such exorbitant fees for such mediocre work? First KFC, and now “Syfy”? Where does it end?

The company says it changed the name for two reasons: 1) because their former name was too generic and 2) because they felt their former name was too limiting.

On the first point, I understand completely the desire to switch to a more ownable brand name. However, in this case I’m not sure it really matters. Usually, companies seek names they can trademark in order to prevent other companies from encroaching on their intellectual property. For the Sci Fi Channel, even though their name is somewhat generic, it is still highly likely that they would be able to protect it against, say, another channel launching under a similar name. I think their lawyers are being overly cautious in this instance.

On the second point, if it’s true that they made the shift because “the Sci Fi name is too limiting,” I fail to see how this new name helps them in the slightest. The whole point of the new name is to mimic the old name in every way except its generic form. Semantically, the name is identical. I suspect that in both the short term AND the long term, people will continue to carry the exact same associations with the new name as they did with the old. (Of course, those of us who know science fiction as a genre have no issue with the Sci Fi Channel offering fantasy/super-hero/paranormal programming along with the aliens and space travel. It all fits under the heading, and it’s all good.)

All in all, I think this is a bad move for Sci Fi. They are giving up their pole position (a familiar name that fits their programming to a tee and is remarkably easy to pronounce) for a move to the middle of the pack (a “naming company name” that could be pronounced five different ways and is even harder to spell). As Laurel says, “Thanks for nothing, Landor.”

Remember, this is the same company that got paid to “re-brand” Kentucky Fried Chicken as “KFC” (duh!) and Federal Express as “FedEx” (duh again). Seems to me they should either leave well-enough alone, or come up with something a bit more creative. At the very least, the folks at SyFy should ask for their money back.

Syfy The New York Times reports that cable television’s Sci Fi Channel has been renamed Syfy. The pronunciation remains “sigh-fie.” The new slogan is “Imagine Greater,” and the old SciFi.com website is moving to Syfy.com. The new name was developed by an internal team with the help of San Francisco-based Landor Associates, which is famous (or infamous) for creating corporate names like Lucent, Agilent, and Accenture.

Thanks for nothing, Landor!

Seriously, I can’t imagine a worse choice. “Sci fi”, as a shorthand for “science fiction”, has been around since 1954 and is universally recognized as the designator for that category. Over the years, people have objected to it as a lightweight, silly-sounding nickname that demeans the content (Harlan Ellison, for one, always insists on pronouncing it “skiffy”); a lot of writers prefer “speculative fiction“, which is a broader category, but perhaps more accurate. Science fiction is all about asking “what if?”; Syfy makes me ask “WTF?”

The blogosphere is full of reactions this morning, but I think this one is my favorite.

FYI, “This is a disaster” is now my current cliché fangirl overreaction to anything relating to science fiction. I stole it from this discussion amongst Trekkers about how putting Scotty in the navigator’s seat on a Star Trek cake was the worst thing ever. The title of the article is “Star Trek Cake Upsets Nerds”. This is a disaster, indeed!