Photo/Illutration The main page of Smile-Up’s website (Captured from Smile-Up’s website)

A major U.S. oil company once decided to change its name for brand reinforcement.

The new name, Enco, was chosen from among numerous computer-generated candidates, which were a series of letters strung together and therefore meaningless, but it helped stimulate the imagination.

However, it became clear that the name would not work for a company selling gasoline in Japan.

Young people today may not be familiar with it, but the word “enco” used to be Japanese slang for a car breaking down.

The company eventually settled on Exxon, instead.

The above episode is recounted in “Oiruman ga Kaita Maruchi Sekiyugaku Nyumon” (An introduction to multi-petroleum science written by an oil man) by Tokio Yamazaki.

A corporate name or a product name represents the shortest self-introduction. As such, how it sounds or what message it conveys is crucial to success.

Decades after a sex abuse scandal came to light, Johnny & Associates changed its name to Smile-Up Inc. on Oct. 17. The company wants to bring smiles to as many people as possible, according to its official website.

Smile-Up will solely focus on compensating victims of the sexual abuse, while talent management will be handled by a separate company. The latter’s name will be chosen from among suggestions from the public, which will be accepted through Smile-Up’s fan club until the end of this month.

One example of a successful product name is “Hana Serebu” (nose celeb) made by Oji Nepia Co., a paper products manufacturer.

The product used to be sold as “Moisucha Tisshu” (moisture tissues), but sales were mediocre. After it was renamed, however, sales soared, even though the product was unchanged.

Smile-Up and its yet-unnamed partner company had better not be new in name only.

They can only hope to start recovering their lost trust by meeting the needs of victims seeking restitution with utmost sincerity and by reforming the agency’s corporate culture, which was described as “closed” in investigative reports.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 20

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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