Hi Suzanne!
I'm sorry to be picking up this thread so late, but I've just
returned to my office from the SLA conference in Denver and am
catching up. This thread caught my eye and I would like to add my
recommendations.
I am a consultant who specializes in applying marketing and
communications tools to the management of information. I've been in
business for more than 24 years and have worked on large and small
projects throughout North America, including brand development projects.
The question about adopting a brand name for your information
management function should be carefully considered because the name
you adopt will represent you, your staff, your work, responsibilities
and ultimately the value that you add to your organization-- its work
culture, its ability to do business and its bottom line.
I recommend that you don't adopt an acronym and think outside of the
box. Acronyms beg to be defined and it dilutes the brand name.
Besides, you can always say what you do in the tagline. There's also
no need to reflect RIM in the name. Most likely you will be
describing what you do and the benefits that your service offers, so
why not go down the brand name path that other companies follow when
they name their cars, computers, hotels, etc. Create a name that is
unique and memorable so that it stands out among all the other names
being used in your organization. As an example, for an information
service operating in a pharma company, we branded the service
"InteliQuest". Launched and reinforced with a strong communications
program, within months InteliQuest became synonymous with high
quality information services and products. The mail room recognized
InteliQuest as did the front desk receptionist. On the organization
chart the group name followed organizational naming conventions xyz
department. But everyone knew and referred to it as InteliQuest.
As for working with your internal marketing/communications
department. That's a good suggestion if you can get their attention,
and if they understand what your department contributes to your
organization. Many times my clients have found that internal marcom
resources are devoted to marketing the organization's product and
their project is put on the back burner.
If you happen to be near Washington DC, I will be leading a series of
branding working shops this September which could help you understand
the process and activities of establishing a brand, starting with the
name. Here's the URL with the description. I lead this series for
the OCLC CAPCON center in downtown DC.
http://www.oclc.org/capcon/training/courses/descriptions/M213.htm
http://www.oclc.org/capcon/training/courses/descriptions/M215.htm
http://www.oclc.org/capcon/training/courses/descriptions/M214.htm
I am speaking to several info providers from the Boston areawho are
interested in having me speak on a branding topic in the near future.
I think that is closer to your location.
I am planning to exhibit at the ARMA conference in Baltimore in
October and will have examples of our work on display. I have a web
site, but if you visit it please know that it's an example of the
cobbler's children going barefoot -- my client's projects come first.
So who am I? Well, you may know me from the library world.... SLA in
particular. Here's a link to my bio, incase you're wondering. http://
www.chrisolson.com/coa/coachrisolsonbio.html
I've been active in the information management and service sector
for years, and have given workshops and presentations about marketing
opportunities and tools for information managers at countless
conferences and meetings. I'm a member of SLA, MLA, AALL, ASIST, ALA,
and recently, AIIM and ARMA.
I publish an electronic newsletter called Marketing Treasures that
you may be interested in perusing. In Volume 14 there are a number of
articles dealing with branding. These are available as PDF files.
http://www.chrisolson.com/marketingtreasures/mtvolume14.html
Suzanne. I hope my quick suggestions about naming a RIM department
have helped. Let me know if you have any questions.
best regards,
Chris
.......................................
Chris Olson, M.L.S., M.A.S.
Marketing Consultant to Information Providers

410.827.5642 | [log in to unmask]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chris Olson & Associates | http://www.chrisolson.com
On Jun 6, 2007, at 10:01 AM, Steve Petersen wrote:
> Rick,
>
> I'm coming around to the idea that you need to have the hooks
> (icons/mascots/promotions) to get people excited about the program
> and am
> beginning to work on them at Rockwell. That being said I still don't
> believe that the FORMAL program name should be a cutesy accronym but
> instead simply state the program function and reflect the
> responsibilities it entails- if that means legal/compliance I can live
> with that. I don't see Accounting,operations ,etc using these type of
> accronym/names.
>
>
> Bottom line is that the FORMAl name needs to reflect the programs
> position
> in the corporate structure and nothing more
>
>
> My 2 cents
>
>
> Steve Petersen CRM
> Records Manager
> Rockwell Collins Inc
> 319.295.5244
>
> "Bringing Order Out of Chaos"
>
> List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
> Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance
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