“Kehna Mushkil”, But why? (On uTopUp)
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In this series of posts, I will try to highlight the fact that a good product name is very important for its success.
Case in point: uTopUp.
I dont know why the marketing team at uFone was unable to think of a simpler name, but the more important thing to note is the consequence of that.
UFone now has had to spend a fortune trying to explain what this product is to their customers. (I estimate they must have spent over Rs.15M the first month running these ads)
It almost seems like a plea of desperation when their ads say “kehna mushkil… karna asan”
Why should it be hard to say in the first place? It’s almost the same as first slapping someone and then saying “oh heh, I slapped you, but I’m a good guy” <– in other words, why first commit a crime and then go smile in an apologetic way to get customers going?
If this was actually supposed to be a “brilliant viral marketing idea” then — I’m speechless. Have you heard of a viral marketing scheme that people cant even pronounce?
Here is a number of names they could have used that would have served the purpose (I’m giving these away for free too!)
- uCharge (“…however much you want”)
- uZing (“Zing! You’ve got credit”)
- uFill
- uChoose (“…how much credit you fill”)
So, telecos, guys, please PLEASE save us from poor names… ask me next time, I wont cost you Rs.15M.
6:28 pm
Assalam-o-Alaikum
So it had been introduced in the market already!?!
I thought its a teaser going on!!! and despite thoroughly discussing it with my friends we were still unable to understand the product.
Hey Osama! I get it! Its some “reverse viral marketing” technique that the telco has used.
Keep sharing!
Wassalam
Asif
6:30 pm
and oh yeah…don’t you want to draw some business from the telco while in Islamabad.
You know criticism is liked by competitors here and not by the party (the telco here) that should benefit by learning and improving.
7:32 pm
Well one of the reasons I started consulting is because I’m the type who will want to show people a path to improve when there is one.
Truth be told my criticism, or their poor choice of wordings, will make no difference to ufone’s revenue.
If people feel that the product is worth sharing with their friends, they will. They will call it with a name of their choice, and not really care who made or promoted it.
The truth, then, is that good products sell themselves.
If Telecos wanted something from me, it should be advice on how to create disruptive products. As you would notice, that’s something I dont write about for free.