Qwikster name too quixotic?

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Qwikster name too quixotic?

Wednesday, September 21, 2011 ANSOR No comments

Strategic Name Developmenta

By Suzanne Choney

Netflix' new name for its DVD rental-by-mail service is being received with mixed results (including the Twitter account holder who uses that name, a teen). Brand-naming company Strategic Name Development did some "qwik" research Monday, the day Qwikster was announced, interviewing 500 consumers.a

"Perhaps due to its created and unusual spelling, more than a third of consumers view the Qwikster name as contemporary," said Strategic Name Development. "But more importantly, to the Qwikster's name detriment, an equal number (36 percent) consider the Qwikster name 'easily confused with similar names.' "a

While 57 percent said they consider the name ideal for a "service that is faster than any other alternative," not everyone felt that way, including 11 percent who said Qwikster's a good handle for "a service that helps you hook-up with the opposite sex."a

Here's some "representative" quotes gathered by the Minneapolis-based company:a

Netflix / Qwikstera

Reminds me of Napster and we all know what happened to them."a

Sounds like the game site winster.coma

You misspelled Twitter.a

Makes me think of the Nestle chocolate drink.a

Quixtar comes to mind.a

Others said the name sounds just plain "tacky," "really corny" and "more like a children's toy."a

Many felt that Netflix should have kept the Netflix name for its DVD service, and given Qwikster to the streaming service. The Qwikster name, said one, "... has nothing to do with the movies."a

"They should have Flix in the name, Mailflix, Dvdflix," said another.a

"Qwikster is so generic it could be anything and has no chance of becoming a household name," was yet another opinion.a

Good points all. Still, it might be good to remember another fairly recent product that was introduced with an almost-odious name. It was called the iPad, and seems to have done fine. a