Omnicom and China’s Tsinghua University Join Hands on Naming Project
Omnicom and China’s Tsinghua University Join Hands on Naming Project
Interbrand teamed up with Tsinghua students to create a Chinese name for Omnicom. The move signals greater cooperation between the global industry leader and Chinese universities.
BEIJING, April 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — China’s Tsinghua University and Omnicom Group Inc. reached a milestone in their partnership today by announcing the winner of a competition among Tsinghua students to create a new Chinese name for Omnicom.
Interbrand, a leading global brand consultancy and part of the Omnicom Group of companies, worked closely with Tsinghua University, setting strict criteria for the student entries as well as putting the final names through a rigorous selection process. More than 110 students entered the competition. The selected name was “Hong Meng,” which, directly translated into English, means “Magnificent Alliance.”
The winning student, Hao Yuqian, was delighted by the announcement and she will collect her first prize: an internship with Interbrand in one of its overseas offices.
Interbrand’s CEO in China, Dr. Frank Chen, said: “Omnicom is a great name in English, but difficult to pronounce for non-native English speakers. We wanted to ensure the Omnicom name in the Chinese language would translate well across seven different Chinese dialects. In addition, we also needed the students to capture the spirit of cooperation and the scale of Omnicom’s business, which is implied in the English name. This was a really tough assignment, but the Tsinghua students did extremely well — we had some very interesting entries, and they should all be congratulated.”
Commenting on the partnership, Omnicom’s Vice Chairman and Chairman and CEO Asia Pacific Michael Birkin said, “I am delighted with Omnicom’s Chinese name and equally excited about the partnership between our brand consultancy, Interbrand, and Tsinghua University. The partnership produced excellent results. This type of collaboration is a key step towards developing greater learning experiences for both Omnicom professionals and Tsinghua students. We are looking forward to deepening our relationship with Tsinghua University.”
Omnicom’s Senior Vice President and President for Asia Pacific Serge Dumont said: “I am very pleased that our Chinese name was created by such talented students in close cooperation with one of our agencies. I am impressed that they captured the essence and unique qualities of Omnicom — in particular the strong sense of mutual respect and cooperation, which is a hallmark of the Group. The unusual approach we have taken highlights Omnicom’s strong focus on working with the best local talent, as well as our long-standing commitment to the development of our people, education, training and our focus on the Chinese market.”
About Interbrand
Founded in 1974 in Britain, Interbrand is the world’s leading brand consultancy providing integrated brand solutions spanning strategy, research, creative work and valuations. Interbrand aims to create, enhance and maintain a client’s most valuable intangible asset — its brand.