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iPad, uPad: Apple meets the push-up bra

Apparently iPad has been enhancing feature sets for a while….

So of course, health Beg to Differ was riveted on Wednesday by “The Big Speech”. No, stuff not the State of the Union Address: it was the unveiling of a new product by Apple that had our attention. And apparently, we weren’t the only ones watching: so were trademark lawyers for several other “iPads”. But will any of it matter for Apple? Read on.

: A padded insert from Coconut Grove Intimates – with a branded insert of our own.

Trying to pad the feminine market?

On Wednesday, our big question was not “what will this miraculous new product be?” Everybody knew that already. It was leaked long ago that it would be a tablet device that would look something like a big iPod or iPhone.

We were watching to see what they would call it.

The “i” naming convention was a given with iMac, iTunes, etc. But would this one become iSlate? iTablet? iShtar? Surely not <gasp> “iPad”?

Nope, iPad it was

Now, we’re fans of Apple branding in almost every possible way, and we lauded the return of Steve Jobs in a previous post. But instantly upon the announcement, we watched the media and the Twitter universe light up with criticism, and some really off-colour humour, about the name sounding like a feminine hygiene product (see the MadTV clip at bottom).

Even more shocking: it turns out that the hygiene connection was just the beginning. Neither the name itself, or the association with products aimed at females, were unique.

Fujitsu has already filed suit based on its own iPad product (above), and several others are out there.

But the one that jumped out at us was the “iPad” product sold by a small Canadian company called Coconut Grove Pads Inc.. It’s a bra insert like the one shown at the top of this post.

But will any of this matter?

In a word: no.

Let’s be clear: I would never advise a smaller client to go with such a name. There are just too many risk factors, as the media have been gleefully pointing out.

But Apple knows this. And they went ahead in spite of it because, well, they’re Apple. Their market awareness is just too big, and the new product just too smart, for any of this to matter.

They will settle with Fujitsu after some posturing by both parties, the Twitter wags will get their “Maxi” giggles, and the bra company will get its moment in the sun.

But most importantly, the name “iPad” will quickly lose its association with MaxiPads and other feminine products.

Why? Because we will all take ownership of the name as the way to refer to the Apple device – which will push all other uses to the back of the collective consumer brain bus.

And in the branding game, that’s what really matters.

What do you think? Are we artificially inflating our opinion? Let us know in the comments!

Bonus: MadTV scooped Apple on the iPad name in Nov. 2007

NOTE: This is very funny – but mildly gynecological humour might be a bit “edgy” for more conservative work environments, so view with caution.

Malcolm Gladwell on intellectual property extremism.

Thoughts on Gladwell’s What the Dog Saw – part 1

This week, sildenafil Beg to Differ is savouring the new book by Canadian journalist Malcolm Gladwell, pharmacy What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures. It’s really, really good (duh, it’s Gladwell). All the essays are from New Yorker Magazine, and in typically Gladwellian style, every page sets off fireworks in your neurons, lighting up a new part of your brain with every thought. So, since we’re thinking about this stuff anyway, we thought we’d share some thoughts. Today: is there really such a thing as “intellectual property”?

Oz Cover — Cover image "borrowed" (stolen?) from the Australian edition of What the Dog Saw

Essay: Something Borrowed. Should a charge of plagiarism ruin your life?

In this essay, Gladwell begins by discussing a strange case of “plagiarism” involving an earlier article he had written for the New Yorker. Seems a Broadway play called “Frozen” by British playwright Bryony Lavery “borrowed” lines, ideas, and biographical detail from his profile of Dorothy Lewis – a psychiatrist who studies serial killers. The similarities between the play and Gladwell’s article, and by extension, Lewis’s life, are extensive and unmistakable.

But is this a case of plagiarism? Lewis thought so – enough to take legal action against the playwright. And originally so did Gladwell, who quotes a letter he faxed to Lavery:

I am happy to be the source of inspiration for other writers, and had you asked for my permission to quote—even liberally—from my piece, I would have been delighted to oblige. But to lift material, without my approval, is theft.

I know how he feels (in my tiny-blog-kind-of-way). This was my response a few months back when a blogger informed me in the Comments to my 10 Brand Strategy Lessons from Princess Bride post that she had copied the entire text of my post to her blog:

But for Gladwell, as he thinks it through, and especially after reading, then going to see the play himself, begins to waver before ultimately retracting his objections.

Why? Because, as Gladwell puts it: the play is “breathtaking. I realize that this isn’t supposed to be a relevant consideration. And yet it was: instead of feeling that my words had been taken from me, I felt that they had become part of some grander cause.”

And that’s the problem with “Intellectual Property”

So here’s where I insert my own original content, lest you think I’m simply summarizing Gladwell for the entire blog post. (Malcolm: my fax machine is broken buddy. If you must protest, just leave your comments below).

Gladwell’s genius, here and everywhere is that he challenges all kinds of intellectual extremism. Where somebody else would assert that a thing is black or white, Gladwell shows us how it is not just gray, but a fascinating spectrum of intertwining shades of “off gray”. And then he helps us understand the patterns that emerge, which, like great art, are never quite as clear-cut as we might wish for, but all the richer for it.

In this case, he points out the extremism of our “intellectual property” conventions. or as he puts it:

“So is it true that words belong to the person who wrote them, just as other kinds of property belong to their owners? Actually, no.”

The playwright Byrony Lavery took Gladwell’s words and made something beautiful and new out of them, and in the process, taught Gladwell a valuable lesson. But is it a lesson we’re willing to hear?

So branders: how about brand names, patents, and logos?

This is where I throw the ball to you. I believe in brand management – how could I not?

But I also believe that the brands we create enter the public domain the moment we create them – or there wouldn’t be any point. I also think we invest too much time on policing supposed brand “infringements” and not enough proactively cultivating positive expressions of our brands.

What do you think?

In branding, when is “new” not new anymore?

This morning, information pills I was talking to a client and mentioned my “newborn son“. But almost before the words left my mouth, I realized they weren’t quite true any more. At some point over the last 8 weeks, he crossed an invisible line from a “newborn” to just being a “baby”. My 3-year old isn’t a “toddler” any more. My 5 year old gets very angry if you call her anything but a “big girl”. But how do you know when a child – or a product – has crossed such a line? The short answer: it’s really hard…

"New" Raquel ad for Coke - not looking so new anymore (from www.kitschy-kitschy-coo.com)

Meet the new boss. Same as the other new boss.

Back in 2006, the media and political junkies in Canada were surprised to find that our newly elected Conservative minority government was calling itself “Canada’s New Government”. From a positioning standpoint, this was actually a brilliant way of distancing themselves from the scandal-tainted previous government. But even then, it rang a bit hollow, since the “newness” was just a group of new (and very inexperienced) bosses. Over the intervening years, as the government became more and more entrenched, the term gradually faded from view.

New Coke is of course another Classic example. But when I asked a class full of university business students on Monday whether they’d ever heard of New Coke, only one hand went up. It may have had a huge impact 25 years ago, but it ain’t “news” anymore.

You might object that “New York” “New Zealand”, and “Nova Scotia” have all kept their “New” labels. Yes. But how many people still associate these places with their precursors? Go ahead, ask any New Yorker how their city is like the York in Toronto… er… England. See? Even there, the “newness” is lost in the mists of history.

And that’s the problem with “new”

Or rather, that’s the problem with any time-sensitive descriptor that you attach to something. It only has so much shelf time before it will have to change.

So be careful in choosing to be “new” “modern” “updated” or “improved”. And if you’re a brander who is already stuck with such a moniker, probably time to look for alternatives.

May I suggest “classic”?

Responding to disaster (fast) with an emergency campaign

(Non-authoritative) advice on setting up a community campaign

On Tuesday, decease Beg to Differ learned that friend and barista extraordinaire Anthony Lewis and his roommate Mark Douglas, view lost their apartment in a fire that consumed their 19-unit building in Ottawa’s The Glebe. They were both uninsured. But what could we do to help? Here’s a blow-by-blow of what we came up with.

(NOTE: we’re not financial, legal, or Web experts. This is just opinion based on trial and error. Know a better way? Let us know in the Comments!)

Powerful photo by Mike Carroccetto, The Ottawa Citizen

But first: please give!

Sorry to give away the ending, but this is the solution we came up with to help our friends. Click the ChipIn button below if you want to contribute.

If you find yourself in this situation:

1) Reach out fast through social networks (both kinds)

I originally heard from my wife who heard from some mutual friends from the Bridgehead coffee-shop community – an off-line social network.

Then, after reaching out by phone, e-mail, and Facebook to our very small circle, we realized that the boys needed a lot of stuff to start their lives again – and while they’re not wealthy, just re-stocking two wardrobes and basic furniture is going to be thousands of dollars. But we didn’t have any clue how to start setting up a fund for them.

Twitter and Facebook turned out to be a Godsend. Within 30 minutes of asking the question, we had 20 or so responses with some great info and offers to help. Blogger Vicky Smallman and her husband Pat were especially helpful, calling around to Community Associations and politicians to find out what was already going on (thanks to all who helped).

2) Set up a bank account

Turns out that the front line in responding to local disasters is the good-old-fashioned community bank branch. They are eager to set up special accounts, and to physically collect donations.

What they don’t do well is allow you to easily set up online donations. Frantic Google searches turned up very little information.

However, even if you go with PayPal or another online payment option, you’ll still need a bank account, so figure out who and how to manage it and call a local bank as soon as you can. In our case this turned out to be the thing that took the most time, so get started early.

3) Set up a PayPal account

Yes, there are other payment options, and PayPal a) isn’t perfect, and b) will charge transaction fees. But for us, it was the familiar, trusted name, and it lets you accept donations by credit card, cheque, and gives you access to other options like ChipIn(see below).

What wasn’t easy was figuring out what kind of account we needed. If you aren’t a registered charity (and who is in these situations?), the “PayPal Website Payments Standard” product is the one that is free to sign up for, but allows you to set up a “Donate” button like the one on this site that citizens in Hampshire County, Mass. set up to help arson victims in their community (Thanks @Verrilliance).

At this point, you can simply start e-mailing or Facebooking the PayPal address to friends. So the next steps we took are optional, but there are some advantages.

4) Optional: Set up a blog

It’s helpful to have a simple, intuitive Web address as a central “clearing house” for information – but also to give as much evidence as possible that you’re a legit cause. BE COMPLETELY TRANSPARENT: use real names, and let people know what their money is being used for.

We used WordPress.com to set up our blog. , but Blogger or TypePad work just as well. If you’ve never set up a blog, it’s easier than it looks, but it’s helpful to get somebody experienced to help – as long as they’re not too fussy (fussy equals time). All you really need is a page with “how to help” links.

But note that while WordPress.com is fairly easy and offers flexible design templates, a WordPress “hosted” site doesn’t let you use the ChipIn.com widget or even the PayPal “Donate” button, so there’s a trade-off.

Optional: I also bought “www.helpanthonyandmark.com” from GoDaddy.com for around $10, and re-directed traffic straight to the blog.

5) Optional: consider ChipIn.com

The ChipIn.com service is free, and lets you use these nifty little widgets in almost any blog (except wordpress.com – grr).

The nice thing is that you can set a campaign limit, and you get the “thermometer” to track progress. But because it uses PayPal, it creates an extra click, so it’s definitely not required. It also slowed us down a bit, so in retrospect, we could have gone without it.

6) Back to the social networks

Then, once you’re set up, work it, work it, work it with your broader networks. In our case, we are just getting on this a few days after the event, so we may have lost the advantage of time. But hopefully this information can help others get started faster.

Idea for Social Entrepreneurs:

Someone needs to set up a site that makes this process DIRT SIMPLE for non technical people. Anyone want to take up the challenge?

Sharifa law: Unfortunate name choices…

Two items have Beg to Differ chuckling today. And they both have to do with names that create a bit of unintentional humour….

Parking. Loitering. Image source... well it's stamped all over the photo.

Story 1: a tale of twins…

First, here a friend tells me through Facebook that his son just introduced him to two friends, this site twin brothers Omar and Sharif.

Now, advice this could be a coincidence, or just me showing my age, since Omar Sharif isn’t exactly a household name any more. But as I told him, if they called their other children Lara, Zhivago and Balalaika, I’m thinking the parents knew what they were doing. (and if you still don’t get it, you’re going to need Google right about now).

Story 2: and speaking of names that have become a liability…

I promised I wouldn’t comment on this story any more, and my friend blogger Shannon Mc Carney would never speak to me again if I added too much to the misery of a certain young swinging billionaire. However, the one thing that caught my eye, was the name of the sex addiction clinic where the aforementioned has hung up his clubs for the time being:

“Gentle Path”

main-about-us[1] — Insert your own caption... and... cut.

I’ll let you critique the name in your heads – and possibly the comments. I’m just too classy for that.

And while Gentle Path is part of the Pine Grove Behavioral Health & Addiction Center (website here), and I’m sure they do fine work, it struck me that, gosh darn it, a sex addiction clinic must be the hardest thing in the world to name. Or market. There are just so many double-entendre minefields.

Just try and look at the photo from the Center’s about us page (right) and not come up with a racy caption in your mind.

See? You can’t do it!

Let’s call it the Sharifa Law

Whatever you’re branding, always think about the whole “brandscape” when you pick a name – and look for unintentional humour with the eyes of your most cynical critic (me for example)!