Miniaturisation, lateralisation, trillionisation, infotoxication, Googlelisation, domainisation, ghettoisation, cybernetisation, frugalisation, globalisation... What are these trends and how will they affect the world this year? 12 Jan 2010 11:21
Suddenly some explosively positive and futuristically pragmatic policies about the Internet and global e-commerce are creating amazing galaxies of business naming. With already 1.7 billion online users and 1 billion more on its way, the new business naming capabilities befitting advance and intricate platforms of global cyber branding provide mega opportunities. 10 Dec 2009 12:00
ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, is up against the wall, and here are the top five reasons for which it may simply drop its greatest revolutionary idea of offering a brand new type of a designer domain name to fit the next generation of widely expanded Internet and cyber realities of tomorrow. 29 May 2009 12:23
Overnight, things have suddenly changed; over-exposing of corporate credibility and governance, like Richter scales gone wild, are thumping the global populace in sheer panic while shattering thousands of mega corporate name brands worldwide. The good and sober companies of the world not only must weather these credibility quakes but also must project their clean image and stay protected during these monstrous shifts of global image. 18 May 2009 12:23
The historian will have to be very kind to this global financial meltdown and should reward it for the most-needed rude awakening call forcing a dramatic change of traditional business models. Right now, all over the world, this crisis is teaching CEOs new things: first, face the music and change the tune and, secondly, appreciation for finer details and anger management during this extremely-hyper-loss-count. 4 Mar 2009 12:26
We have now arrived right in the middle of that second half of the hyper-accelerated phase, where western brands start to fall like dominos. As pointed out in my column first printed in 2006, Global image repositioning race heats up, in the US alone hundreds of its world-class brands are being erased. From monster banking to mega manufacturing, some 73 000 stores alone being closed in the first half of 2009, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers. 3 Feb 2009 09:27
Here is a look at the opportunities on offer in 2009... There will be prospects for new brands, for quality to shine, and a great deal more. 12 Jan 2009 09:13
The serious objections by US Department of Commerce to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers' new policies on creating unlimited domain suffixes are primarily based on old domain name thinking and continued fear of losing control of Internet. 8 Jan 2009 08:33
Without a doubt, major brand name identities will be arriving at the precipice where they will be lined up for a freefall from grace, some will fall and some will have a parachute. This scene will be repeated all over the world, as new ultra-modern-cyber-age-branding-platform being structured as ICANN introduces new policies that will dramatically change the old-fashioned thinking of global branding. 19 Dec 2008 08:33
Frankly speaking, stop the guesswork and open heartedly accept that it's Google's turn now, as the next decade clearly belongs to Google. Best not to resist and go with the flow. 9 Sep 2008 10:44
Under the latest ICANN's policy, who would like to bid the highest amount for the exclusive global rights to the new domain suffix .dubai? Such a suffix will create a powerful domain root that will corner some 180 services underneath it, like go.dubai, hotel.dubai, job.dubai, cars.dubai or fly.dubai. Who would be the next global cyber-branding leader of this new millennium? 15 Aug 2008 09:12
Right now, the global business community at large is very curious to discover the charm of Dubai, and what it is about its business community that works so well. The outside world wants to know who these people are, how they run their projects, and what they do exactly that is so grand and magical. 17 Jul 2008 09:18
The latest ICANN plan to allow the global populace to assemble an entire domain name like www.yourname.yourname as their free-choice is a revolutionary and timely decision. This now open doors to cyber-brands such as my.ibm, hotel.chicago, it.jobs, play.poker, fly.usa or go.dell and applicants will submit a non-refundable fee of US$100 - 500 000 for each name idea and the businesses are already jumping to get started. 7 Jul 2008 10:18
Among other things, the top one percentile of the global brand name identities also causes what's pulling the strings of the world's stock exchanges, as when they sneeze, a shiver triggers throughout the globe, altering the wealth of national economies. The fact that markets shoot up or down when customers of the world, en masse, respond to their dazzling offering, either jumping in joy or taking a momentary pause, proves their influence on global moods of the economy. 3 Jul 2008 09:20
Behind every effort and every move of any company of any size lies a very simple and a powerful fact. That is, the outside world responds to the Name identity of a company before they part with money. Customers are influenced by the personality of the Name identity, what it says, connotes, projects and what kind of secret or hidden messages it has embedded in its alpha-structure. 11 Jun 2008 09:06
All over the world, with so many different meanings and perceptions of the word "branding", it appears that it has lost its true meaning; the terminology is more like a walk through a museum with a glorious past. 27 May 2008 09:04
The current and unavoidable recession of America, slowly impacting Canada, Mexico, spreading it wings towards Europe and Asia, all the way to the farthest corners of the world, is nothing to be either afraid or surprised of. It is just one of those cycles that appear every decade or so. While some land soft, some land hard, but this may be the hardest, yet still there are some very positive things in that "R" word. 20 May 2008 09:13
There is really nothing wrong with the brand "Bollywood", except that the Indian film industry has become far more powerful and far-reaching than anything else like this in any other country of the world, and even larger than Hollywood. 9 May 2008 09:03
Come 24 August 2008, when the Olympics Games start with music and hymns and the torch lights the flame, the global spotlight will land on Beijing, and when the athletes march in unison to their beautifully-orchestrated national anthems, in the ultra-modern stadium, the whole world will witness a sleeping giant awaken to create a global shockwave. 3 Apr 2008 09:07
The boy wonder of the US minority blacks, senator Obama, is being referred to as being a "just do it" brand, and Lady Clinton of the good old White House days of the sleek Clinton era as a "yes we can" brand. You surely would know what these two slogans being created by the big advertising machines stand for. 20 Mar 2008 08:59
Who are the new champion nations on the global stage delivering the finest performances and altering the course of branded imagery of goods and services? Where are the old traditional nations and what's happening to them today? 23 Jan 2008 09:25
What a difference a single dollar makes. A very big difference indeed. As a matter of fact, almost like a mind-altering-shock wave, a global hysteria, a cry of the consumer to be heard around the deepest corners of the globe, in addition to being 'breaking news' to the heart's content for the glitzy-TV-media-machine. 23 Nov 2007 09:20
It only takes a minute to establish if one is holding that magical key or just toying with a rusty screwdriver. Today, in order to have a commanding presence with universal access on e-commerce, domain names must act like very special golden keys as, without them, the entire exercise of Internet-centric commerce becomes almost useless. 7 Nov 2007 08:35
What are customers around the world saying about the new booming Middle Eastern brands? What are they reading in the brand names? Which ones are they loving and talking about? Which ones can they pronounce, type and remember easily? Are these new local brands leading the charge for global mindshare, creating presence of greatness, or are they seriously lost in global translation? 30 Oct 2007 09:01
Countries are like little homes; they house a nation, hold ideologies and provide shelter and comfort to its people in hopes that the occupant will nurture better ideas for themselves and further flourish humanity. Such are primary desires and goals of most countries on this small planet. America is no exception. 24 Oct 2007 09:02
Two things: firstly, among all of the great business concepts of the last few decades, the franchise model has always surfaced to the very top. Secondly, over the next decade the introduction of hundreds of fresh, locally-nurtured franchise concepts emerging within Dubai and the Gulf States will set the stage for a great revolution of nouveau-consumerism. So what are the four key factors driving this movement? 25 Sep 2007 17:47
The race for the global image repositioning is becoming fiercely competitive as more and more countries are improving their softer image, claiming the right to produce good quality exportable brands for the international markets. Poised and confident, they want to play the marketing game on a global scale. 5 Sep 2007 17:43
There is a sudden realisation among key developers in Dubai and Middle Eastern countries that hotels and hospitality in Arabia can easily absorb a huge number of properties and tour destinations purely based on Islamic culture. These new brands will deliver all the traditional values and customs to accommodate familiar authentic experiences for Muslims travelling alone or with their families. 27 Jun 2007 10:18
With some one thousand theme-based cities being developed at a phenomenal rate in the Middle East, the branding and name identities of such projects become nightmares. In size, except for a very few, they range between a few acres to even a single large dwelling. Now this requires a new definition of the term ‘city' so as not to confuse the customers with other traditional metropolises. 14 Jun 2007 10:05
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the new London 2012 Olympics logo, but there is something seriously wrong with the logo-driven branding industry at large. This new logo clearly proves that, as we approach 2012, global society will not respond to conventional logos or graphics, but only to these kinds of insignificant, dysfunctional and obscure design works which will eventually become branding norms throughout the world. 8 Jun 2007 15:44
Naseem Javed, recognised as a world authority on corporate image and global name identities, is a harsh critic of casual and accidental naming. He is a dynamic speaker on corporate image and branding issues, and is also the author of Naming for Power. He founded ABC Namebank International (
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