Igor Naming Agency Explained

Igor Naming Agency
Type:Private
Industry:Naming
Founders:Jay Jurisich
Steve Manning
Hq Location City:Sausalito, California
Hq Location Country:United States
Area Served:Worldwide
Key People:Steve Manning, CEO, managing director

Igor Naming Agency is an American naming agency. Based in Sausalito, California, Igor is known for its "almost militant embrace" of using real and natural-sounding words in naming. Among others, the company has named Gogo Inflight,[1] Cutthroat Kitchen, TruTV, the Aria Resort, and consumer products for The North Face and Target.[2] [3]

History

Igor Naming Agency was founded by Jay Jurisich and Steve Manning, who met while working at the Sausalito naming agency, A Hundred Monkeys.[4] In addition to naming,[5] Jurisich and Manning worked with agency founder Danny Altman to create The Shinolas, an annual award given to the year's worst brand name. Judged by Ben Cohen of Ben and Jerry's, Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads, Bob Camp, co-creator of Ren & Stimpy and others, Shinolas were awarded to products including the Oldsmobile Achieva, and Cruex, a cream to soothe itches.[6] [7] [8] [9]

Jurisich and Manning left A Hundred Monkeys in 2002 to co-found Igor Naming Agency. In addition to established companies including Nokia, EA Sports, and MTV,[10] Igor worked extensively with companies founded following the dot-com downturn of 2000. They advised against the industry-standard practices of using invented words, convening focus groups for market research, and choosing company and product names based on the availability of a URL.[11] [12] [13] [14]

In late 2002, Igor launched Snark Hunting, a blog about company names, product names and the impact of naming and branding on popular culture. As more blogs related to branding began to appear online, Fast Company wrote: "The best stuff comes from Snark Hunting," highlighting a post which "riffed on The Gap's new Forth & Towne store concept for middle-aged women, noting that it uses an ampersand rather than risk the acronym FAT."[15] [16] [17]

In 2004, Jurisich and Manning co-wrote Building the Perfect Beast: The Igor Naming Guide. Regularly updated, it is available as a free download.[18] It has been used as a resource in academic settings as well as by B2C companies, startups, and incubators.[19]

Jurisich left Igor in 2011 to found Zinzin, also a naming agency. Manning has served as CEO and managing director since Jurisich's departure.[20] [21]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Adams. Susan. From HA&W To Aprio: Why Would A 65-Year-Old Accounting Firm Spend $500,000 On A Rebranding?. 24 February 2017. Forbes. February 22, 2017.
  2. News: Frankel. Alex. The New Science of Naming. 21 July 2016. CNN/Business 2.0. December 1, 2004.
  3. News: Veitch, Martin and. Kelly, Karen. Start-Ups Spend Time, Money In Search of the Perfect Name. 24 July 2016. The Wall Street Journal. June 19, 2002.
  4. News: Rottenberg. Josh. How to Invent a Brand Name. 26 July 2016. The New York Times. April 8, 2001.
  5. News: Dahle. Cheryl. How to Make a Name for Yourself. 12 September 2016. Fast Company. August 31, 2000.
  6. Book: Rivkin, Steve and. Sutherland, Fraser. The Making of a Name: The Inside Story of the Brands We Buy. January 13, 2005. Oxford University Press. 0195168720. 78, 79. 24 July 2016.
  7. News: Sheils. Maggie. Hunt is on for world's worst rebranding. 24 July 2016. BBC News. August 13, 2002.
  8. News: Design Week staff. Shinola Awards makes monkey of brand names. 24 July 2016. Design Week. September 5, 2002.
  9. Book: McFedries. Paul. Word Spy: The Word Lover's Guide to Modern Culture. February 17, 2004. Broadway Books. 076791466X. 24 July 2016.
  10. News: Duryee. Tricia. iPhone: How Apple created a frenzy. 24 July 2016. The Seattle Times. June 28, 2007. A1.
  11. News: Gelman. Lindsey. Why Startups Are Sporting Increasingly Quirky Names. 21 July 2016. The Wall Street Journal. July 17, 2013.
  12. News: Quinn. Michelle. This Baby's Got Internet Buzz. Los Angeles Times. August 29, 2007.
  13. News: Dahle. Cheryl. How to Make a Name for Yourself. 24 July 2016. Fast Company. August 31, 2000.
  14. News: Swett. Clint. What makes Kindle flame or Razr sharp?. 21 July 2016. The Sacramento Bee. December 9, 2007.
  15. News: McGregor. Jena. Brand Aids. 24 July 2016. Fast Company. 97. August 1, 2005. 28.
  16. News: Adams. Steve. BUSINESSES ENTER THE BLOGOSPHERE: Online soapboxes becoming a force in corporate America. Patriot Ledger. May 5, 2007.
  17. News: Gunn. Angela. The whachacallit. USA Today. January 4, 2006.
  18. Web site: Igor Naming Experts - Igor Naming Guide. Igor. www.igorinternational.com. en. 2018-05-08.
  19. Book: King. Kim Ann. The Complete Guide to B2B Marketing: New Tactics, Tools, and Techniques. April 30, 2015. Pearson FT Press. 978-0134084527. 102, 103. 25 July 2016.
  20. Web site: Zinzin Management Team. zinzin.com. Zinzin. 25 July 2016.
  21. News: Valerie. D'Elia. How One Man Helped Name Many of Today's Popular Travel Brands. 21 July 2016. NY1. July 10, 2015.

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