Naming Rights Manhattan Style

Naming Rights. We’re very familiar with the concept by which an organization offers as one of its valuable assets the right to publish the name of some entity on one of its properties – the name of a donor, contributor or sponsor (take your pick). This routine is commonplace in the non-profit world and it is so entrenched that it is difficult to find out when the process began. Perhaps in the bad-old, distant 1970s when everything was going to hell in a hand basket. Sort of like now.

New York City has long been a center for creativity in the arts, and in business. When some new idea or process is invented, no matter where the origin, it inevitably, if it is good enough, shows up in New York. But in the case of naming rights the World City appears to be a little behind the times.

Recently the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) decided to visit (or perhaps re-visit) naming rights. What motivates this concern for new revenue is the lack thereof in the city for maintaining the subways, tunnels and ports. It is a “revenue strategy” that is being taken quite seriously now.  Now that potential advertisers are reaching out to the MTA and negotiations are underway, it is time that this idea meets the light of day.

The central argument against naming rights is that renaming stations that have traditionally been named for the geographic location of the station. New names mean confusion for the subway rider. Change 77^th Street and Lexington Avenue to Edward Koch Station and you have a lot of New Yorkers complaining, to put it mildly.

Clearly the New Yorkers heading up this campaign to bring revenue in by eliminating simplicity and clarity, should take a lesson from the non-profits. Namely, just do the name, and let the people get the message. After all, we’ve got a business to run here.

Naming Rights