http://www.tvweek.com/news/2009/03/sci_fi_channel_aims_to_shed_ge.php
==== The Sci Fi Channel, The 16-year-old network—owned by NBC Universal—plans to announce that Syfy is its new name. “The name Sci Fi has been associated with geeks and dysfunctional, antisocial boys in their basements with video games and stuff like that, as opposed to the general public and the female audience in particular,” said TV historian Tim Brooks, who helped launch Sci Fi Channel when he worked at USA Network. TRANSLATION: Up next a change in the name of "Comic Shop" to "Creamy Soup." Because we think girls might actually enter a building offering creamy soup. === “We spent a lot of time in the ’90s trying to distance the network from science fiction, which is largely why it’s called Sci Fi,” Mr. Brooks said. “It’s somewhat cooler and better than the name ‘Science Fiction.’ But even the name Sci Fi is limiting.” TRANSLATION: Because we want to show reruns of "Howie Does It." === Mr. Brooks said that when people who say they don’t like science fiction enjoy a film like “Star Wars,” they don’t think it’s science fiction; they think it’s a good movie. --- TRANSLATION: Because they like space ships and robots and shootie things but not SCIENCE. === The network worked with the branding consultancy Landor Associates and went through about 300 possibilities before selecting Syfy. TRANSLATION: There were 300 worse names than Syfy? #1. The Hitler Limbaugh Channel. #2. Sky Fie #3. Mxyzptlk. === “When we tested this new name, the thing that we got back from our 18-to-34 techno-savvy crowd, which is quite a lot of our audience, is actually this is how you’d text it,” Mr. Howe said. “It made us feel much cooler, much more cutting-edge, much more hip, which was kind of bang-on what we wanted to achieve communication-wise.” TRANSLATION A): We wanted to appeal to people for whom saving one letter's time when misspelling something's actual name saves a half hour. LO! TRANSLATION B):They did market research to people listening to techno while doing a lotta E. === The network plans to make the changeover July 7, when it will launch the new series “Warehouse 13.” The series, about a secret government facility in South Dakota where all mysterious relics and supernatural souvenirs are housed, is emblematic of the channel’s programming direction. “It is a dramedy and it is set in the here and now. It’s a kind of an Indiana Jones meets ‘Moonlighting’ meets ‘The X-Files,’” Mr. Howe said. “This is a very accessible, relatable, fun show.” TRANSLATION A): We didn't want to offend the people in New Mexico. TRANSLATION B): We created a series when our copy of the DVD game Scene-IT began skipping. TRANSLATION C): We changed our name and mission to entertain stupid people. TRANSLATION D): We dared someone to make a worse series than Flash Gordon and Painkiller Jane.. === The new campaign will use the slogan “Imagine Greater,” which Mr. Howe thinks will resonate with both consumers and media buyers. TRANSLATION: We just wanted Jon Delfin to have a hemorrhage upon reading that sentence. ==== “We need an umbrella brand we can attach to new businesses: Sci Fi games, Sci Fi kids. It does no use to attach ‘Sci Fi’ because there’s hundreds of sci-fi Web sites and sci-fi publications. So it’s changing your name without changing your name,” Mr. Howe said. TRANSLATION: We are not smart enough to monetize and market SciFi.com. But we won't let you buy it to use. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "World News Now Discussion List" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/wnndl?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
