This article was extracted from Content Is Queen, the blog by Anna Murray, President, e*Media Division, TMG e*Media, which won the Stevie Award for Blog of the Year in the 2007 Stevie Awards for Women In Business.

IBM, now there’s a name. International Business Machines. Says what it does, does what it says. Okay, so it does other things now too. Not just Big Blue anymore; more like Big Blue Man Group.

Here’s a question: What’s a Lenovo? You’d think, having nailed the name game at the start, IBM could do better. Legend, maybe? Plus a soupcon of innovation? Also, it has that dashing ‘ovo’ ending, suggestive of first person present tense action verbs in Spanish, Italian, and Greek. “I create legends! I innovate!” (Holy Cow, that took a lot of thought. What was wrong with ThinkPad, again?)

This years Ad:Tech made my head hurt in a similar way. It also made me a little afraid. The last time I encountered hip, coy, utterly impenetrable names like the list of Ad:Tech exhibitors was, well, on a list of Ad:Tech exhibitors. Only it was 2001.
Of course, in any dot.com crowd, there will be the simply bizarre–Blue Lithium, JargonFish–that don’t fit in any distinct category. But the rest are roughly classifiable. Here’s a list. First, the mash-ups. Those Frankenstein’s Monster eponyms that shove together bits of suggestive roots with some kind of suffix to indicate it’s an actual word:

Imaginuity
Adconion
Findology
Acquisio
Alterian
Adify

Then there are the names that use edgy media words and plays on the word “broadcast:”

ClashMedia
AdverbMedia
MeMedia
MediaWhiz
MediaText
Oddcast

Next, we have the companies who want to be both cerebral and hip. They may use in-the-know words, implying that if you have to ask, you’re not smart enough to do business with them. F5 Networks seems like they might be one of those. But the more inclusive brainy companies employ gray-matter type words like “knowledge” and “logic.” Here are some examples:

AdKnowlege
MindMatics
BuzzLogic
Izea
Intela
(Actually, this last one kinda fits in list #1 too, but who’s counting.)

The next group wants action. With their help, everyone will Do! Click! Go! Racking up responses and ad impressions like pinballs.

LeadClick
ClickBooth
SureHits
Blogsvertise

Another thing I noticed is that the quirky letter Q has become quite popular. It makes names a little hard to decode and, one would think, to pronounce:

Impaqt
Traffiq

I wonder how the sales folks at those companies say those names over the phone. Am I being qantakerous?

But my favorite of all, after three hours of glossy dot.com brochures; thousands of free pens, mouse pads, coffee mugs, and key chains; plus one guy in an enormous dog suit: The Blind Network. Perhaps it is just the humility latent in the name. (And yes, I did check. They’re an ad network and have nothing to do with the disabled.)

Humility. There’s a concept, albeit an old-fashioned one. Have you any idea what these companies do? Me either. I’m not saying these corporations aren’t terrific, thank-your-lucky-stars-they’re-here, paradigm-shifting, value-creating entities. I’m sure many of them are. But many of them aren’t, created by the inevitable froth that follows in the wake of easy VC money. The hare-brained names are just a metaphor for empty dot.com arrogance. When you abrogate the right to create language, focusing on hip wordplay, and leave out the meaning, will you leave out other important things as well? Say a value proposition?

I blame DoubleClick. They started it all with the silly name thing—back in the time when you actually had to click twice on your Macintosh mouse. Something most of us don’t do any more. And in a nice ironic twist, DoubleClick was just bought by Google—with perhaps the loopiest name of them all, a bastardization of the mathematical “googol.” If you take what you do seriously, more seriously than your cool name and its marketing potential, I guess you get to create new words like google, and have your fans turn it into a verb.

American Express Business Travel’s AXIOM (Intelligent Online Marketplace) won a Stevie Award for Best New Business Service at The 2007 American Business Awards. “Being named a winner is a significant achievement for the AXIOM solution and American Express Business Travel as a whole,” said Andrew McGraw, senior vice president and general manager for North American business travel. “As a company, we are committed to providing our clients the most advanced technologies that allow for greater control over travel and entertainment spend. This recognition underscores the growing need for expanded services in business travel, and further adds to our growing list of industry accolades.”

Powered by California-based Rearden Commerce, Inc., this Web-based marketplace for services was described by The Wall Street Journal as something that “could help usher in the next generation of online travel-booking tools.” AXIOM brings together inventory from more than 135,000 suppliers to provide a one-stop-shop to find, purchase, and manage everything from traditional travel (flights, hotels, and car rentals) to non-traditional services such as airport parking, dining, ground transportation, event tickets, package shipping, and audio/web conferencing.

Another useful—and timely—service provided by American Express Business Travel is their annual Global Business Travel Forecast. Here are highlights from their 2008 report:

The American Express annual Global Business Travel Forecast reports that—no surprise—demand for business travel services will again outweigh supply in 2008, driving continued increases in rates across air, hotel, car rental and corporate meetings and events. While airfares are expected to continue their steady climb, hotel rates are projected to experience double-digit increases in demand-heavy markets across the U.S., Europe and Asia.

Said Mike Streit, Vice President and Global Leader of American Express Business Travel Advisory Services: "In 2008, we expect a domestic trip inclusive of airfare, car rental, and hotel stay will increase six percent, or $63 USD, bringing the average trip cost to a total of approximately $1,110 USD. For an international trip, the increase is expected to be nearly seven percent, or approximately $205 USD, bringing the cost of an average trip to $3,171."

Gloomy news, but while pricing pressures that have influenced the rise in airfares in the past are expected to continue in 2008, more competition in certain markets should help ease some increases.
- Fuel costs, improvements in airline inventory and pricing technology, capacity constraint, and demand for long haul are likely to drive price increases.
- Greater competition through the USA-EU Open Skies Accord, together with the growth of low-fare pricing models and more efficient aircraft, will moderate increases.

Global Hotel Rate Spend Forecast
Hoteliers around the world will continue to benefit from their market position in 2008.
- High demand and slow growth of supply iss likely to force prices up and will impact access hoteliers give to last room availability rates. Companies may also encounter minimum and maximum stay requirements and instances when corporate rates do not apply.
- Continued infusion of capital to hotels should benefit travelers through renovations and upgrades of properties and additional amenities, particularly in lower market tiers. These improvements will force hotels to maintain rates at historic highs.
- Rising hotel rates are likely to contribbute to the expected increase of 8-10 percent in global meeting spend (guestrooms account for nearly half of all meeting spend, excluding airfare).

North America - Air/Hotel/Car Forecast and Trends
The Global Forecast shows that in North America prices are expected to increase more slowly due to an anticipated slowing of growth in business travel.  Forces driving prices up (as much as 14 percent for hotels in key US cities) include:
- Air: More sophisticated airline-pricing technology and premium prices for certain seats such as flat beds, seats with more leg room, and seat location within a cabin.
- Hotel: Demand still outpaces supply in key markets; hotels have improved yield-management practices to maximize profits.
- Car: Pressure from taxes and fees adds to overall cost of rentals.

Factors that could mitigate price increases include:
- Air: Low-fare airlines, stronger policy compliance, increased competition from the USA-EU Open Skies Accord and increased Canadian flight pass products, and web-based tools.
- Hotel: Occupancy will remain near flat as a result of newly added supply in some markets.

Europe - Air/Hotel/Car Forecast and Trends
Pressures that may lead to increases in 2008 include:
- Air: Strong demand for Transatlantic flights.
- Hotel: High occupancy (exceeding 80 percent in London).

Factors that could mitigate increases include:
- Air: Competition between air and high-speed rail, and low fare penetration. 
- Car: Highly competitive market.

Latin America & the Caribbean - Air/Hotel/Car Forecast and Trends
Rate increases may be attributed in part to:
- Air: Strong demand from economic growth and high oil prices.
- Hotel: Low supply and high demand for majority of the year.

Factors that could mitigate rate increases include:
- Air: Increased capacity, the growth of low-cost airlines, and fare matching strategies by incumbent airlines.
- Hotel: New mid-range properties expected to be added by the end of 2008.
- Car: More competition for travelers' business.

Asia-Pacific - Air/Hotel/Car Forecast and Trends
The summer Olympics in Beijing will drive up prices along with economic growth and an increasingly mobile population. Rate increases may also be attributed to:
- Air: High cost of fuel, aircraft upgrades, soaring demand, consolidation.
- Hotel: Real estate and construction costs (slower growth in supply than demand), competition between leisure and business travelers.

Downward pricing pressures include:
- Air: Growth of low-fare airlines; airlines expected to focus on building market share over profitability in the shorter term.

Other 2008 Trends to Watch
1. Compliance and Change Management Strategies
To handle increasing costs, more companies will consider building travel program compliance through subtle change management techniques, including seeking greater high-level-executive involvement in policy implementation and clearly communicating policy details.

Change management will likely focus on changing behavior in five key areas:
- Lowering use of refundable airfares;
- Optimizing use of advance purchase fares;
- Defining more narrowly when first/business class fares can be used;
- Driving online bookings;
- Improving use of preferred suppliers, especially hotels where compliance has historically hovered around 50 percent.

2. Eco Initiatives Evolve into "Responsible Business Travel"
Companies will be expected to increase the focus on responsible business-travel practices related to the environment and the safety and security of travelers.
- Companies will need to understand and measure a trip's "carbon footprint."
- While carbon offsetting is popular, in 2008 it is likely to be combined with policy and program management strategies.

3. Online Penetration Expected to Increase
American Express Business Travel has seen continued increases in its online booking tools, with 51 percent of its US clients booking transactions online in 2007.  In 2008, travel counselors will continue to book the complicated and multi-part trips, but companies will increasingly take advantage of online solutions for more simple itineraries.

Forecast Methodology
Projections in the 2008 Global Business Travel Forecast were based on a combination of statistical forecasting, in-depth research of supplier markets, regional economic trends, interviews with American Express industry analysts, and analyses of reports generated within and outside American Express.  Smith Travel Research was also used for hotel research into specific markets and trends.  The forecasts and projections provided in the report are based on information gathered from a number of different internal and external sources and no representation or warranty is made as to the accuracy of the forecasts or projections made herein.  In addition, actual changes in business travel costs could vary significantly from forecasted data, particularly as a result of unforeseen future political, economic and/or environmental events. 

About AXIOM
The American Express Intelligent Online Marketplace (AXIOM) is a Web-based commerce network for travel and related services.  Business services inventory from more than 135,000 suppliers is brought together in a single online destination where employees can find, purchase, and manage traditional travel reservations (flights, hotel stays, and car rentals), as well as ancillary services such as airport parking, dining reservations, ground transportation, event tickets, package shipping, and audio/web conferencing. AXIOM provides a one-stop shop where employees can purchase and manage their expenses for standard travel arrangements and other travel and entertainment (T&E) services.  Further, an estimated 40 percent or more of T&E and other employee services are purchased outside preferred vendor contracts.  AXIOM allows companies to gain visibility and control over unmanaged T&E expenses and encourages employees to buy within preferred vendor contracts.  Since its launch in November 2006, more than 400 clients have signed on for the solution.  For further information concerning AXIOM please visit www.americanexpress.com/axiom.

About American Express Business Travel
American Express Business Travel, a division of the American Express Company, is dedicated to helping its clients realize the greatest possible value from their investment in travel through increased cost savings, outstanding customer service and greater spend control.  For small businesses, medium-sized enterprises and multinational corporations, American Express Business Travel provides a combination of industry-leading booking technology, travel management consulting expertise, strategic sourcing and supplier negotiation support, and customer service available online and offline, around the world. 

American Express operates one of the world's largest travel agency networks with over 2,200 travel service locations in over 140 countries and territories worldwide.  The Company processed $21.8 billion in global travel sales in 2006.

American Express Company is a diversified worldwide travel, financial, and network services company founded in 1850.  It is a world leader in charge and credit cards, Travelers Cheques, travel, business services and international banking.

Bernice Maria Paolozzi is an international business developer based in Dublin, Ireland who won the 2007 Stevie Award for Best Entrepreneur in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) in the 2007 Stevie Awards for Women in Business presented by Infiniti. The awards were announced on November 12 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

We recently spoke with Bernice about her career in the international business arena. She shared with us tips on how to open up new markets overseas, and offered her thoughts on common mistakes that companies make when doing business in other countries.

Listen to our podcast interview with
Bernice Maria Paolozzi...

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