LG Electronics
Taking a smarter approach to smartphone naming
With a huge appetite for evocative names based on real English language words, mobile carriers have put OEMs in an difficult position: to locate something ownable in an increasingly picked-over namescape. The resulting names, while resourceful, sometimes come off as a bit silly and forced—to the endless delight of critics in industry pubs. (How many 10 Worst lists can you find?)Beyond the bottleneck. LG Electronics has turned to Applied Storytelling not only to name devices such as the Thrill 4G but also to address the naming bottleneck at several levels, from assessing the “state of naming” category-wide to refining LG’s own process.
Today, whenever LG has a new device name to develop, it has a set of purpose-built tools helps make the process more swift and certain. We have provided LG with a recommended brand architecture to help articulate how products relate from a naming standpoint. We maintain a continuously updated industry name bible to provide LG with naming intelligence from the earliest stages of name development. We have also helped LG to visualize how names might appear in marketing contexts.
A naming platform for a product roadmap. Ultimately, we see a world in which carriers and manufacturers come together to develop more truly brand-centric naming solutions. Until that day, we’re pleased to provide LG with a naming platform that supports an ambitious product roadmap while responding to the realities of smartphone naming today. And, of course, to each new device name that goes live.
“Non-specialists might be surprised to learn how limited the naming estate really is in key consumer categories such as mobile devices. To deliver names time and again against LG’s very specific requirements is the ultimate test of our resourcefulness.”