I was running along the banks of Lake Washington today and thinking about the power of language, and of names. There is something magical about names. At some level, we all recognize this, in the same way we see the power of stories to enlighten, inform, persuade. And as communications professionals, you'd think we'd be more in tune with this power, more in awe of it. But I don't think that is the case. Maybe, we just get too close to the fire, too familiar.
The simple act of naming something, if done with enough power and authority, can be enough to bring it into existence and make it real. It is like magic. Why do I think this? As I ran, I saw a bumper sticker "Axis of Evil." That was all it said, and I thought about what had changed in the world in the time since those words were called out with such power. Did branding these countries help bring them into focus? Yes. Was it a good thing? No. The name made them...real.
Or look at the technology industry. The Internet, ARPANet, bulletin boards, fidonet, these were not interesting -- but the World Wide Web...was. For people around the world, that crystallized what it meant to be connected and informed. Web 2.0, yes, Web 3.0, jury still out. Look at the iPod. There were other mp3 players. But Jobs spoke with authority on the need, he unveiled a brand and the rest is history. Chris Anderson nailed the concept of the Long Tail, perfectly. There are countless examples, where from nothing a Name emerged in a defining way.
So in some ways, the desire to name in a powerful way is always the goal: build a brand, sell some products, write some books, slap at TM up on something and call it good. :) But the danger is that sometimes calling a new category into reality can be bad for the company involved. Look at TiVo. They branded and created an entire category, calling the PVR into existence in what felt like a single stroke -- but did not position themselves to harness the energy they released. Or look at Apple, creating the personal computer and then watching their creation shift and slip away from them.
What's my point? From day one, naming someone or something has been something of magic, and treated in this way. Today, we can be careless with the way we use names and call things into being. You know, with great power comes great responsibility. Someone who knew something about webs said that, I think. :)
Oh, and my run. 6.7 miles at a smidge under an 8 minute pace.