Open AccessNaming the Goodyear Blimp: Corporate Iconography1
Author(s) -
Christine De Vinne
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
names
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1756-2279
pISSN - 0027-7738
DOI - 10.1179/nam.2007.55.4.326
Subject(s) - contest , context (archaeology) , loyalty , advertising , power (physics) , business , marketing , political science , history , law , physics , archaeology , quantum mechanics
Attentive to names as corporate markers, the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio, in 2006 offered consumers an unprecedented opportunity to name its newest airship. The company's “Name the Blimp” contest, which ran in two month-long segments, elicited over 21 ,000 entries, including the winning “Spirit of Innovation.” In the context of Goodyear history, I analyze the contest’ design and results, especially its strategies for maximizing both corporate and consumer satisfaction, as a demonstration of the power of names to market image and promote customer loyalty.