I saw an ad on TV the other day for LG’s newest phone Rumor. I immediately understood and appreciated the message contained in the name: A texting phone with a Qwerty keyboard – great for spreading rumors!
Certainly LG doesn’t intend the Rumor to be used only for gossip-mongering. The phone has a 1.3 megapixel camera and camcorder, is an MP3 player, and has advanced Bluetooth connectivity capabilities. None of its features really set it apart from the dozens of other phones that have the same feature set. It’s not even a particularly stylish phone.
LG overcame these obstacles by choosing an edgy name that’s memorable and has some relevance to the product. Rumors usually aren’t good things. They’re often created and spread with the intention to scandalize and hurt others. But, edgy names can be given a positive spin. (Take Flickr or Yelp for example.) With Rumor, LG is using rumor’s negative meaning to distinguish the phone amongst its competitors, a tactic that will help it stick in people’s minds (it worked on me!). Even Rumor’s website cleverly uses the rumor theme with flash animation characters asking you the viewer questions like “Have you heard about Rumor’s Qwerty keyboard?”
I like this name a lot. It’s great that LG took a risk and adopted an edgy name and extended its potential with smart, relevant advertising. Bravo!
Name Grade: A-
