Oh, come on.

[apocalypsos]

SCI FI Channel president Dave Howe answers questions about the name change, remains a smug out-of-touch moron while doing so.

Things I find amusing (mostly in a morbid sort of way) about this article:

1. They're keeping the SCI FI name in Poland, but changing it to Syfy everywhere else. Because, of course, their core audience are definitely not the sort of people who are most likely to find out what "syfy" means on the internet and mock accordingly even outside of Poland.

2. This question:

You say you want your brand to be more female-friendly, but I'm a woman and I like the old name. Don't I count?

Howe: You absolutely count, and we appreciate that you're watching our shows. And we're not saying that no women watch the network. In fact, almost half of our audience is women, thanks to shows such as Ghost Hunters that attract more women than men. But overall, our channel and the sci-fi genre in general tend to skew more male than female, and we want to ensure we remain gender-balanced and continue to bring in new female viewers, who often say they don't like traditional sci-fi.

Dear Dave Howe, MEET MORE WOMEN.

3. His answer to a question about ECW wrestling, "ECW has successfully brought new younger viewers to our channel. We have no plans to increase the amount of wrestling on the channel."

You'll notice he says nothing about decreasing the amount. And hell, American Idol and Hannah Montana could bring in a lot of younger viewers, too, but guess what? They're not sci-fi either. (That's not saying I don't think wrestling's a valid form of entertainment. *I* don't like it, but to each their own. But ... you know, somewhere else?)

4. He's asked if they did any research about the name and among the other moronic "marketing bullshit" quotes from focus group members he quotes is this gem: "SCI FI sounds very generic, sounds basic. Syfy sounds cool, cutting edge, ... the cool thing you want to be associated with."

I want to find this person and roundhouse kick them in the face.

I know I'm short. I'll find a stool.

Comments

[foenix.livejournal.com]

Are they REALLY so clueless that they think women will come to watch SyFy programming, but not Scifi?

Hell, if I was a woman, I'd be insulted that they think I'm that freaking stupid.

[aerynvala.livejournal.com]

I'm almost positive that there is some twit that they hired that wrote an essay about how the 'y' is a more feminine letter and thus more appealing to women.

[foenix.livejournal.com]

My brain just hurts at the inevitable conversation that must have occurred.

"Women don't like Scifi. Women might like Syfy." Say that aloud, and it becomes clear how brainless this is. Did not a single person in the room hold up their hand and go, "Um, they sound the same?"

[aerynvala.livejournal.com]

I have a feeling, if anyone did, it would be pointed out that women probably hadn't heard the term, so they'd think it was something new because it was spelled differently!

Honestly though, I don't think it even occurred to them on any level that women are anything more than "an untapped demographic" that can be monetized by throwing some touchy feely crap at.

[agent-mimi.livejournal.com]

Thank you. As far as I can tell, "syfy" is pronounced just like "scifi", this this "syfy sounds cool" thing confuses the everlovin' heck outta me.

[madripoor-rose.livejournal.com]

Don't you mean more appealing to wymyn?

[wrenlet.livejournal.com]

*cries laughing*

[aerynvala.livejournal.com]

*snort*

[marag.livejournal.com]

Bwah! I'm glad I wasn't drinking, or my laptop might be shorted out right now :D

[madripoor-rose.livejournal.com]

There's stupid and there's amusingly stupid. Have to admit, I've seen more people talking about the Sci Fi/Syfy/Skiffy channel since this nonsense came out.

[acetal.livejournal.com]

*snerks*

And they obviously forgot about Poland.

[aerynvala.livejournal.com]

I will bring a stool. And possibly a bat.

[angry-geologist.livejournal.com]

Nah, I'm tall enough. And I can work out to make sure I can jump high enough.

You'll have to get his arms, though.

[morrighan-sai.livejournal.com]

Hee, I'm Polish and I almost died laughing when the articles started to appear all over the place. Now I can't see any other reason for this insanity than to cause a stir and revive people's interest in the channel. The argument about the new name appealing to more women is so ridiculous it's not even funny.

[madripoor-rose.livejournal.com]

I've got to admit, this is the most entertainly stupid concept to come from the channel since they greenlit Scare Tactics.

I still think everyone involved has a problem with their brains being missing.

[fragilistikal.livejournal.com]

I dunno. His answer was moronic and just...yeah, moronic, but Syfy is a more interesting and dynamic figurehead name and would probably lower those barriers there due to preconception for the wishy-washy nerd. BUT. He should have let the PR guy handle this interview, because he and his brand look like like a turd.

Obviously, he would be heading a different company if he didn't lack all form of social comeptency with women.... =/

[madripoor-rose.livejournal.com]

See, here's the thing. SciFi is the term for the genre of entertainment that the channel regularly shows. SyFy means nothing, it's just a phonetic spelling that can be trademarked.

What's next? Sleuth changing to Slooth? Dizkofairy?

[catystorm.livejournal.com]

Okay, so dizkofairy just gave me the mental image of the green fairy from Moulin Rouge dressed up like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.

I don't know if I need more coffee, or less.

[madripoor-rose.livejournal.com]

Lol.

[fragilistikal.livejournal.com]

D: I am disconcerted.

Because I just imagined him with the beehive hair from. Yeah.

[fragilistikal.livejournal.com]

FX doesn't call itself Effects for a reason. But when you break it down, it's about presenting yourself, and your name is the first thing that's gonna do it. Face it, if someone said to you, "Hey, let's watch that show on the Weather Channel," you've got preconceptions. Basic psychology: it's about what you see, not what you know.

Other shows have it luckier that they can "hide" the programming and have it not matter because their name's in acronyms or a generic name (Showtime). But imagine Oxygen being called the Women's Channel--it immediately stakes out one piece of the demographic, but just that *one* and then no more. (The thing is, of course, there are more women than there are sci-fi fans.)

Their prez is trying to up their ratings. So, "Syfy" can't completely change their name at this point, but the new name has the advantage of reshaping their image. It literally blurs out the "sci-fi," while also retaining its brand-recognition when it's said out loud. And when a new show gets touted without old the channel's logo with SCIFI spinning in the corner, the viewer doesn't get hit with conditioned response images of star trek weddings at conventions. Just a name, "Syfy," which, yeah, means nothing, which is the point.

[florahart]

Two problems with your comparison to FX:

1. As far as I know, the channel was BORN FX, not a name change from "Effects."
2. The abbreviation FX has been in use for a long dang time in SFX, so it does hold meaning itself.

Hell, I'd like Whether Channel better, as a name change, if the intent is to more fully capture the idea, as previously given, that they mean "sci fi" to include more than hard SF, but also supernatural, fantasy, etc. Also, there's not only no reason they can't change the name entirely; there's a recent example: TNN to Spike. Because they WANTED the network name to convey an image. And the suggestion that I will hear Syfy, pronounced identically to SciFi, and have a different response to the term than I do to SciFi is ridiculous. If I hear Syfy and don't know the term already, and then I google it? I will probably just fall over laughing at it.

There's also no reason they can't change logo alone, if that's the big issue (preconditioned Star Trek weddings, though I have to tell you that particular response is apparently not conditioned in me because it has never occurred to me as a likely response to the planet image). Companies tweak and totally change their logos all the time. Pepsi just did.

So... yeah, no.

[fragilistikal.livejournal.com]

I was just referring to FX as a "cool factor" name. Specifically, SFX doesn't really much to do with the network's programming, unless they do a lot of shows with things with FX? Blowing things up? (I don't have cable.)

All the people who already tune into Scifi are bitching, but the fact is, the name change's target is not you, or me for that matter. They want a to attract a *completely* new demographic that they don't feel they can find with "SciFi" with this current name of Syfy. It's a business/marketing/brand decision that doesn't take into consideration the people 1. they already got, stupid name or not. 2. those who will never, ever, EVER watch sci-fi, they have such traumatic murderous aversion to it. Basically, they're trying to get everyone and anyone else and they don't care if they step on your toes while they do it, because hey--it's not like we've got anywhere else to go. They know we're in the bag and they've got nothing to lose. It's dismissive and non-PC, but this is a capitalist economy in bad times.

Regular viewers don't care nearly as much as fandom. What the suits are banking on is that they'll see [Syfy]and be, huh--that's dumb, but for *some inexplicable reason* some time down the road, they'll watch a preview for a new show and decide to tune in, and feel comfortable telling others to also tune in with them. And of course they don't expect the change of mind to come right away; you don't change the *name* of your brand for a quick fix shot. They're projecting that some time in the future, Syfy will shake SciFi and become that nonsense word name network that just happens to offer sci-fi shows that are entertaining--rather than "that Sci-Fi geek channel."

I was exaggerating with the star trek weddings, but you've got to admit that there's a wide world out there where it's not "cool" to say you're watching the SciFi channel, due to the "SciFi"--than, say, if you were to be gushing about watching the latest ep of Lost. Which is as sci-fi/fantasy as anything, but successful because it's not on as loaded a network as "SciFi"--ABC markets mainstream, which means anyone they can throw a commercial at can consider watching the show without having to worry about the show being "geeky"--which would in turn them *them* into a geek.

So basically, this is a fuck you to SCIENCE FICTION FANS rather than to women specifically, because they want to appeal to the lowest common denominator mainstream. (Alarm bells should've been ringing with "name change" + "wrestling."

Seriously, wow.

[bethos.livejournal.com]

I find the whole thing pretty insulting, but since the channel is full of frankly shitty programming, I don't really care what it calls itself -- a diet of Ghost Hunters, wrestling, and a bunch of really crappy TV movies is what they have post-BSG and Farscape, so I probably wouldn't be watching their channel even WITHOUT their idiotic name change. And if they were to actually have a lot of quality science fiction programming, I would watch their channel despite their insulting and stupid marketing ploy to draw in more women (probably).

"Sci Fi" IS too general to be a strong legal trademark, it's true, but ... the solution is not SyFy.

You know what would draw in more female viewers? A well-written science fiction show with strong female protagonists and interesting relationships. You probably wouldn't even have to spend as much on special effects.

[bexone.livejournal.com]

watch it there, you've got your logic all over their name change! this will probably get messy.

[medie]

Mo-r-ons. *facepalm*

[frito-kal.livejournal.com]

Aw, but if you're short and you roundhouse, you get him in the junk!

[elucreh.livejournal.com]

Okay, but here's the thing: 60% of my not liking "traditional scifi" is that I get really irritated by the one or two women per eight men, who will be pretty, smart, kickass fighters with no flaws or actual personality whatsoever. Or else they will be useless, flailing bimbos with no personality whatsoever. Either way, they will serve no actual purpose but merely be kept around for the sake of having unrequited love for the (smart, funny, flawed, interesting) male lead, or possibly to provide a spurious source of contention between two male leads. (*coughcoughAllisonblakecough*) Even if I love the guys and their relationships and the team, eventually I get so irritated by the generic, gratuitous woman that I have to stop watching. (This is why I get through half a season of SG-1 every six months.)

MAYBE the best way to appeal to women would be to get some INTERESTING WOMEN for them to watch! Maybe you could write plots about things that women are known to care about, like relationships between people!

To quote Jordan McDeere: "I swear to god, sir: the better our shows are, the more money we're gonna make."

[cmstephens.livejournal.com]

In ECW's defense, they did have two vampire characters (Kevin Thorn and Ariel) and a zombie character (who got his ass kicked in the show's premiere episode and was never seen again). So they at least half-ass attempted to fit in with the network...

The name change is still retarded, though...

[sabra-n.livejournal.com]

Didn't they cancel The Dresden Files because its viewership skewed too female? Oh, whatever.

[shadowpoet89.livejournal.com]

They did? What a load of shit, then. :/

[sabra-n.livejournal.com]

That's a rumor I'd heard - it could be wrong. It sounds like something they'd do, though, and frankly, post-Earthsea I never give them the benefit of the doubt.

[badgermirlacca.livejournal.com]

Just speaking as a woman here, but what is supposed to attract me about Ghost-Hunters?

Really wondering if there's anything on the siphee channel I want to watch. Doesn't sound "cool" to me.

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

Do you pronounce SyFy any different than Sci Fi??? If not... I'm not clear on how they can "sound" different.

*HANDS* Sci Fi - oh I'm sorry, SyFy - seems to be doing everything they can to LOSE fans. First they're losing BSG and SGA, replacing the latter with SG:90210, and now THIS?