Well
everybody in naming has been writing about this name, if for
no other reason than so few big new brand names are launched
into a wide consumer space nowadays with the muscle of a Microsoft
behind them. And even fewer with a name that makes you scratch
your head. First of all, your brain has to think that it rhymes
with what.. Oh June, Oh Ok, now I can pronounce it. Sort of
a long way around because you might think it rhymes with Tune
(Tewn - British Style) or is it two syllables like Nike (Ny
kee - American style) whick makes it sound like Zunni. And this
is where you have to be aware of the world around you when naming.
A big war is in progress in the Middle East, and the allied
forces are often fighting with the Sunni rebels (many times
written, albeit incorrectly, as Zuni rebels because of the Arabic
pronunciation). Or maybe this is a product from the Microsoft
rebels, as opposed to the conventional types who would have
probably called it MS Tune!
But
what is a Zune. Sure with Microsoft's money they will eventually
brand it.. but it really doesn't sound like it naturally fits
as a device, a service or a group of people, or...?? Reminds
us of the problem the San Jose Clash had, one of the first MLS
soccer teams in the USA. No one could figure out what a clash
was. Or what it looked like? or what color it was? Or how to
play or market off the name. Interestingly, that also reflected
on the field as a team that could barely play. But once they
changed their name to the San Jose Earthquakes (disclosure:
with help of this name critic) marketing really got revved up
and the fans had a lot of fun with the idea. And the team starting
winning games and the league!
Same
story here. What is a Zune? A Zoo Tune perhaps? Nah. Coming
Zune to a music store near you? Nah. It is a mathematical shape
automatically generated by a Windows screen saver as you can
see in its logo.
Of
course, another very big disappointment is the fact that Microsoft
did not get a name with an available .com domain. Some Spanish
individual living in London is going to get a lot of hits on
his website.. and a lot of music fans are going to be scratching
their heads. For more information, please visit www.zune.net
- notice it is a .net name!
