The business of nicknames

THE Can of Ham cannot find a buyer. It may be hard to see the Gherkin because the Walkie-Talkie and the Cheesegrater get in the way. London’s skyline is made of glass, steel and nicknames. Sometimes these names start out as criticism: the city’s tallest building got its name when it was described as a “shard of glass through the heart of historic London” by a heritage group. But in time, they denote familiarity and, often, affection. On Dec 13 the City of London approved plans for a new skyscraper that will be as tall as the Shard; the chances are high that it will eventually wind up with a sobriquet based on its shape.

There are good reasons why buildings acquire monikers. The Bottle Opener resonates more than the World Financial Centre Shanghai; the Lipstick Building is easier to remember than 885 Third Avenue. Consumers give brands nicknames, too. BMW owners in Britain drive “beamers”; in America they might be at the wheel of a “bimmer”. If you’re a high-roller, you might wear a Rollie on your wrist. You probably would not shop at Tarjay, an ironically Gallic pronunciation of Target, a mass-market retailer. Athletes’ nicknames can become brand-like. LeBron James, a basketball star, successfully opposed an attempt by a cruise liner to trademark “King James”.

Brand nicknames are not always flattering: Neiman Marcus, another retailer, was once christened “Needless Markup”. But usually they suggest that consumers feel a genuine connection to a product. In a recent paper Zhe Zhang of Western University in Canada and Vanessa Patrick of the University of Houston looked at how people react to the use of nicknames by other consumers. In one experiment participants saw an online review of a new menu item at McDonald’s; some saw a version in which the chain was referred to by that name and others saw one that called it “Mickey D’s”. The chances that the review would be reported as fake were much lower when the nickname was used. A nickname also made other people more likely to buy a product or pass on the review to a friend.