Usually, my commentary, scathing or not, concentrates on established, large-scale, and often multi-national brands. But today, I have to examine a web startup that is only a few years old and may be unknown to many netizens.

PodShow is a company that delivers video and audio podcasts. The best way to describe them is to liken them to a record company, signing talent and delivering independently-produced programs, all under the banner of PodShow. They recently laid off a bunch of employees, and they aren’t profitable … yet. So will a rebrand help?

Not with a name like Mevio!

For whatever reason, the group chose an ambiguous faux-latin and generally confusing name. Now, I understand that naming is a difficult science, but what could possibly the motivation for Mevio? It doesn’t define the industry, it doesn’t represent some human trait or characteristic, it doesn’t appear male or female, it doesn’t have any signs of internetiness and doesn’t stir me at all. I’m not even sure how to pronounce it — MEV-ee-yo, or perhaps MEE-vee-yo? The worst part, according to an article from NewTeeVee, is that “200 or 300″ names were in the running. Were they pulling from thin air, or from someone’s arse?

I can understand that they needed to shed the word “pod” so as not to interfere with Apple’s iPod trademark (which is a whole other matter for debate, I mean, can you really own the word “pod” which has been around long since before 2001?), but was there nothing better? Even the obvious NetShow would have been an improvement. Maybe there were going the route of Kodak, who realised that creating a fictitious word was a sure-fire way to ‘own’ that word in the minds of consumers. Or maybe it’s a compound word like how Nabisco is really National Biscuit Company — ME likes Video and audIO? Lord, I truly have no idea.

The odd thing is that compared to other web companies, especially the so-called Web 2.0 generation of startups, Mevio fits right in. We’ve already got Goowy and Agatra, not to mention the unaffiliated Vimeo, which is an anagram. You might get a kick out of the Web 2.0 Startup or Star Wars Character? Quiz

If you’re stuck with naming a company at some future point, go ahead and load up the list of 700 Hobo Names and jot down a few. Naming a company Dreamtwister might work. Maybe stay away from Thermos H. Christ.

// a tale of brands & branding, computers & gadgets, the internet
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