I learned today that This Blog came in 17th in the Top100 blogs in Advertising as established by Invesp Consulting.
Tell me if you notice something about this list.
Everyone has a really great name except me. And I thought I knew something about branding. Anthropologist heal thyself.
Any thoughts on what I should call this blog would be appreciated.
How could you choose anything but Freakthropology?
Your name is your brand. Is GrantMcCracken.com or McCracken.com taken?
Personally, I like the intersection/crossroads imagery. Maybe you could use the term “liminality” in some curious way, or is that too obscure? Maybe LiminADity?
After reading Culture and Consumption II, in particular the section on your experience visiting homes in suburban Chicago for the Oprah show, I initially thought of Rousseau’s concept of “a noble savage” and “a state of nature”. I wondered if you might have thought something similar in the contrast between your observations of the homes you visited and those of the Designer.
There’s always “The map is not the territory”. I’ve always liked that expression, but maybe that’s more of a tag line (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Map-territory_relation).
I’ll stop now.
A Crack in the Armor
your site usually challenges conventions and occasionally convictions
I’d go with either your name or with that of your latest *fabulous* book, CCO. And I’m just a disinterested observer.
There’s an old saying in sports: “The number doesn’t make the player, the player makes the number.” In other words, 23 didn’t make Michael Jordan, Michael Jordan made 23.
You could try to come up with some clever, catchy name, but it will always be “This blog sits” to me. I actually like that better than almost all of the other ones on the list. It occurs to me that’s not because ‘this blog sits’ is a great name, but because the content of the site is so good.
Grant,
First things first – congratulations! Given the extent to which communications channels have become fractured, your angle on things is what has created a landing spot of real interest to so many.
As for a catchy name; I give you one word – Anthronomics.
Congratulations! My vote goes to GrantsRants
Ah… I thought you were asking me to notice about the list was that the other blogs were about advertising and yours only occasionally is.
Congratulations Grant! I know that to publish the amount of intelligent, insightful stuff that you do, often with great wit and charm, is surely a lot of hard work. It’s great to see it being recognised and appreciated.
I know the “…nomics” thing is getting a bit tired now, but I like Paul’s suggestion.
Personally, when I read the first few names on that list, I thought it was spam. I would therefore suggest that your un-brandy name is not so bad, really 😉
The unique name of “This blog sits at the” is indicative of the unique value proposition of the blog.
The trendy name styles (Xonomics) will come and go, and thus have value for trendy blogs.
“This blog…” will never be trendy because it has value enduring over time.
Don’t change the name.
Adverpology – where advertising meets anthropology
or AdverAnthroEconoBlog
But somehow i think the first rolls of the tongue a bit easier
Kudos Grant. You know what I think of brand names driving brand value. 🙂 But it is a topic that, for whatever reason, people like to noodle around in their heads, and companies like to spend an inordinate amount of time, energy and money on. It’s like Sudoku or something. So here goes . . . hmm . . . let’s see . . . nope . . . hmm . . . ahh . . . forgetaboutit. Or, as Emily Litella used to say, “Never mind.”
Don’t change the name! It jumps out of my subscriptions and draws me back every time. It’s a dot…dot…dot masterpiece.
Grant,
I’ve never forgotten ‘Periph Fluide’ from your book Plenitude. Feels rather apt for your blog, no?
The list also seems to have a strange alphabetical ordering… Or is it just me?
Don’t reduce yourself to an association with advertising. Advertising is a short term expression, you analyze the culture that inspires advertising. That is far more interesting to those that work in branding like myself, which is why I ignore all those other blogs and read yours.
Back at GVO we published this newsletter Turn Signals http://www.portigal.com/TurnSignals.pdf and we used you for Big Quotes in successive issues (or at least we planned to). On the team this was referred to as Back-to-Back McCracken. This could be your rebranding! Although few people would enjoy it as much as I.
You could also just fix something about how TypePad works to have it send the full text of the blog’s title.