I agree with Doc Searls about Google's renaming of Froogle:

This is a perfect example of Branding As Camouflage. Or worse, as a mask.

Google's product search may have moved past price shopping alone. But Froogle was a great name. First, it was fun. Second, it actually meant something . So what if it meant only part of what product search is about?

I also agree with him that this is a lot like what Microsoft would do - give a product a dopey name that fits in with "corporate standards". Of course, the run of the mill marketroids like the change - which tells you all you need to know about this being a bad idea.

I asked my wife about this, because I've never used Froogle, and she uses it a lot. Her reaction went from:

Huh?

to:

What were they thinking?

So the closed loop of marketing/PR types think this is brilliant; the average person who might actually remember the name "Froogle"? Not so much. The new name - "Google Product Search" - sounds more like an OED entry than a name. I suspect Google went and hired some "professional" marketing types. Here's some free advice: Change the name back, and fire the automatons who came up with this idea.

Technorati Tags: branding, marketing