Igor Naming Agency

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]

Igor Naming Agency
TypePrivate
IndustryNaming
Founded2002
FoundersJay Jurisich
Steve Manning
Headquarters
Sausalito, California
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Steve Manning, CEO, managing director
Websiteigorinternational.com

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 the 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]

References
  1. Adams, Susan (February 22, 2017). "From HA&W To Aprio: Why Would A 65-Year-Old Accounting Firm Spend $500,000 On A Rebranding?". Forbes. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  2. Frankel, Alex (December 1, 2004). "The New Science of Naming". CNN/Business 2.0. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  3. Veitch, Martin and, Kelly, Karen (June 19, 2002). "Start-Ups Spend Time, Money In Search of the Perfect Name". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 24 July 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. Rottenberg, Josh (April 8, 2001). "How to Invent a Brand Name". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  5. Dahle, Cheryl (August 31, 2000). "How to Make a Name for Yourself". Fast Company. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  6. Rivkin, Steve and, Sutherland, Fraser (January 13, 2005). The Making of a Name: The Inside Story of the Brands We Buy. Oxford University Press. pp. 78, 79. ISBN 0195168720. Retrieved 24 July 2016.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. Sheils, Maggie (August 13, 2002). "Hunt is on for world's worst rebranding". BBC News. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  8. Design Week staff (September 5, 2002). "Shinola Awards makes monkey of brand names". Design Week. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  9. McFedries, Paul (February 17, 2004). Word Spy: The Word Lover's Guide to Modern Culture. Broadway Books. ISBN 076791466X. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  10. Duryee, Tricia (June 28, 2007). "iPhone: How Apple created a frenzy". The Seattle Times. p. A1. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  11. Gelman, Lindsey (July 17, 2013). "Why Startups Are Sporting Increasingly Quirky Names". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  12. Quinn, Michelle (August 29, 2007). "This Baby's Got Internet Buzz". Los Angeles Times.
  13. Dahle, Cheryl (August 31, 2000). "How to Make a Name for Yourself". Fast Company. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  14. Swett, Clint (December 9, 2007). "What makes Kindle flame or Razr sharp?". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  15. McGregor, Jena (August 1, 2005). "Brand Aids". Fast Company. No. 97. p. 28. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  16. Adams, Steve (May 5, 2007). "BUSINESSES ENTER THE BLOGOSPHERE: Online soapboxes becoming a force in corporate America". Patriot Ledger.
  17. Gunn, Angela (January 4, 2006). "The whachacallit". USA Today.
  18. Igor. "Igor Naming Experts - Igor Naming Guide". www.igorinternational.com. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  19. King, Kim Ann (April 30, 2015). The Complete Guide to B2B Marketing: New Tactics, Tools, and Techniques. Pearson FT Press. pp. 102, 103. ISBN 978-0134084527. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  20. "Zinzin Management Team". zinzin.com. Zinzin. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  21. Valerie, D'Elia (July 10, 2015). "How One Man Helped Name Many of Today's Popular Travel Brands". NY1. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
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