Linked names as an endorsement variant can be a powerful, though not always positive, way to engage with consumers. Apple’s early suite of products were instantly recognizable as belonging to the parent company thanks to the “i” preceding the name – iPad, iPod, iMac, iPhone. Jobs and his team settled on “iMac”, the first product to adopt the “I” naming convention, because it represented the “internet, individual, instruct, inform, inspire.” (The video in this post shows Jobs introducing the iMac and explaining the name.) Over time, the “I” naming convention created instant recognition that a product was an Apple product. However, you know that you’ve made it as a company to icon status when you start getting spoofed in pop culture. And Apple has definitely gotten spoofed. (See following post.)
However, this spoofing is an example of the two-way conversation that a brand must have with its customers (and even detractors). In Apple’s case, the company seems to combine tactics by both ignoring these spoofs as well as pressuring spoofers to cease and desist. While linked names can be an effective form of endorsement, a company must take care to prevent a naming convention from becoming comical unless this is the desired brand image.