Well, now it's been announced that the channel has decided to rebrand itself. What fabulous new moniker did the channel choose? "SyFy". Yeah. You read that right. No typos there. And just why did the network feel compelled to change the name? According to this article:
[T]here was always a sneaking suspicion that the name was holding the network back.Blarrgh. I love the implication that the very notion of sci fi is something only geeky boys living in their parents' basement enjoy. I also like how self-congratulating Brooks sounds at using the "hipper" moniker Sci Fi. I hate to break it to the guy, but I suspect most people use the shorter term "sci fi" most of the time, because it's just fucking easier to say, not because we find it more hip than saying the phrase "science fiction."“The name Sci Fi has been associated with geeks and dysfunctional, antisocial boys in their basements with video games and stuff like that, as opposed to the general public and the female audience in particular,” said TV historian Tim Brooks, who helped launch Sci Fi Channel when he worked at USA Network.
Mr. Brooks said that when people who say they don’t like science fiction enjoy a film like “Star Wars,” they don’t think it’s science fiction; they think it’s a good movie.
“We spent a lot of time in the ’90s trying to distance the network from science fiction, which is largely why it’s called Sci Fi,” Mr. Brooks said. “It’s somewhat cooler and better than the name ‘Science Fiction.’ But even the name Sci Fi is limiting.”
Moving on, here's a quote from the current Sci Fi channel president.
The network worked with the branding consultancy Landor Associates and went through about 300 possibilities before selecting Syfy.
“When we tested this new name, the thing that we got back from our 18-to-34 techno-savvy crowd, which is quite a lot of our audience, is actually this is how you’d text it,” Mr. Howe said. “It made us feel much cooler, much more cutting-edge, much more hip, which was kind of bang-on what we wanted to achieve communication-wise.”
Let's start with the new name. It's stupid. It's jibberish. Saying it out loud still automatically invokes the same connotations as the word "sci fi." Reading it, it looks ridiculous. What the hell is supposed to be on that channel? I wouldn't know.
If they wanted a broader appeal/image for their network, I don't know why they just didn't pick a completely new name for themselves. For example, Tech TV was rebranded as G4. The old channel I associated with a slightly dry, very tech oriented sort of channel. Now, I don't even know what G4 stands for, to be honest, but today I automatically associate that channel with a male-oriented, young demographic that caters in hipster, slightly nerdy stuff. That was a great re-branding campaign, and the channel established that identity with a sharp and distinctive visual and audio style to their advertisements.
Here's a suggestion for Sci Fi (or SyFy or whatever they want to be called next): instead of wasting money on branding experts when your current name seems just fine, how about you invest in more shows, and stop putting out crap like "Mansquito" and "Dark Storm" (starring Stephen Baldwin!)? If you want new viewers and you want to be more hip, then go out and get CONTENT that sells that idea. Have some original talk shows, like G4's excellent "Attack of the Show". Produce more good things like Battlestar, and work to score more hot shows reruns, like Lost. Don't waste time and money trying to dazzle us with new and inscrutable names.
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Comments
Or should I write. Ohy myy Gyd?
Are you kidding me? really? They are so stupid. Plus, sexist. Well, that's no shocker. Like all the rest, they presume lots of things, and delegate lots of importance to young teenaged boys. Of all the stereotypical notions I'd like to see die an ugly death by being rendered into a million bloody ass pieces, the idea that women do not like science fiction is one of the top five.
That is so stupid and sad. Content is key, and unfortunately, money, actual money was spent on finding out if the letter 'y' is sexier than others. I could have told them in less than one second: No.
Someday, I'm going to write a brutally mean post about how dumb the majority of network executives are.
I first thought it was pronounced "SeeFee" or "Sifee"
That being said, good post. I agree 100%.
The Sci Fi Channel has a lot of equity in the phrase "What If?" Why didn't they just rename to WhatIf TV?
I just don't get what they are complaining about though- it is a niche brand for a niche audience. It would seem reasonable to expect limited growth and appeal.
Maybe the execs are just freaking out as the cash cow BSG comes to a close. They certainly should focus on more quality programming like that. And stop reaching out to everyone but the loyal audience they already have.
This is what happens when you let frat boys with marketing degrees create your image instead of the people who are actually interested in your programming. Thank God for internet portals - where I can catch decent sci-fi without waiting for the next crappy attempt on getting the frat boy market to finish up.
Like Tank Police.
That's because it's not.
But that aside, what limits SciFi is their crappy programming, not their name. If they want more girls to watch, they need more girl-oriented content. Adding a "y" to their name won't help, no matter what marketing studies from the early 1990s might claim.
Make "The Left Hand of Darkness" into a movie. That would get every bishi-fetish fangirl glued to the set.
Abominable
Anaconda 3
Attack of the Sabretooth
Aztec Rex
Basilisk: The Serpent King
Bats: Human harvest
Beyond Loch Ness
Boa vs. Python
Bugs
...and that's only through the letter 'B'-- and I left off titles that didn't explicitly indicate Terran fauna.
No commment.
Sexist? You're damn write--if I'm gonna go for visuals--i'm not gonna leave out tits and ass. Sorry girls, I wasn't born dad.
And Farscape, one of the best damned shows ever made.
Tits and ass aren't necessarily sexist.
Believing that women don't like science fiction is a terrible sexist stereotype, and that stereotype runs Scifi, excuse me, the idiotically named SyFy, marketing and creation of shows, which is a shame.
Have they thought about the fact that, easily, someone could start calling this channel the "Shit yeah Fuck you" channel?
It looked awesome.
They didn't pick it up.
Let me address your points one by one.
1. No, there's nothing wrong with rebranding. I understand the concept. The point I was trying to make is that their stated ambition to make the channel more "hip" solely through a name change is sort of sad. The justification that the name is more "textable" is also lame, because I'm not sure that I'm more likely to Twitter/text my friends about the channel now that I'm free from the burden of typing out that extra fifth letter.
2. I'm also not saying that my world is falling apart, so please do spare us the standard "Oh noes! The geeks are freaking out because that's what geeks do!" tripe. My life will continue on as it has been, fairly unaffected by this whole name change.
3. The main point is that quality CONTENT, not gimmicky name changes with marketing speak attached to it, is what drives a true rebranding effort. TNT wanted to push their slogan "We know drama", but then they backed it up by pushing great new original drama series like The Closer and Saving Grace, while picking up the always welcome Law and Order series. The whole point is that, contrary to your comment, fans do not want to see shit like a 24-hour Tremors marathon.
4. I'll have you know that I'm a fairly tan, mostly fit lady, so way to fail there trying to group all sci fi fans into that tired old stereotype known as The Comic Book Store Guy. For the record, I happen to adore comic book adaptations that aren't total shit. I point you to Hellboy, X-men 1 and 2, Iron Man, and The Dark Knight as recent examples of comic book movies that were very well received by the sci fi/nerd community
5. Yes, I realize that there are large world issues out there. Blah blah blah, self important-cakes. This blog is centered on the fluffier side of life most of the time. I welcome you to go ahead and go elsewhere for the Super Serious news reporting you so desire. You may not have noticed, but the South Park avatar and the tacos against the American flag backdrop above were meant to indicate that such self-righteous serious blathering will not be welcome on this blog.
I see Sly Fly
wundrun why---------------------->RATED
Besides, the patient can get the good stuff put out by the Sci Fi Channel on Netflix -- I'm working my way through "Battlestar Gallactica" right now -- without paying cable fees for beaucoup de garbage, and getting good shows via the Internet is starting to become practical. I suspect the silly name change is the desperate actions of a business in decline.
Yes, Lexx was the best Sci Fi show I ever saw made for television. No doubt about it and Farscape at least held ones attention.
Now it's just monsters going bump in the night, proving my longheld belief that you can never go wrong underestimating the taste of the American public, even if they have been shown better--they refuse to learn.
I'm glad not to be attacked for the occasional appreciation for a sexy alien or alien hunter. There may be hope for the future, but I mostly doubt it.
... for someone with syphilis. Hmm... maybe not so great for the channel formerly known as the sci fi channel.
Cuz SyFy is Stu Pid
SyFy will some day be regarded as marketing mistake of Coca Cola proportion. It won't be long before we see "The Classic Sci Fi Channel". If only their original programming was as consistently original as their "If" IDs.
Most of the old classics were made as low budget indy films. Even "Star Wars" was green lit as a sop to the director of "American Graffiti" and pronounced DOA. It took the support of his pals Steven, Francis etc to get a proper release. In Hollywood, when you don't understand what's going on, remember, it's never about the money - it's always about the ego.
http://www.cinematour.com/tour.php?db=us&id=10859
Also, there are still a hell of a lot of Hugo/Nebulla award winning stories that were either never adapted, or done with such low-tech effects that even a low budget production today would bring them up to date.
They want to attract more women? Call Anne McCaffery and put together a Dragonriders of Pern serial. There's enough material for it to run for a decade.
Rebranding? Just call it "SF". Fanboys will cream themselves and no one else knows what it means.
TechTv was solely associated with everything pertaining to the latest technology. They merged in the early 2000's and took the name G4, which explains now why TechTv solely airs shows about video games and other stuff boys who like video games like.