Melting cars, skyscrapers and social media

September 5, 2013

For a couple of days now I’ve been reading City AM‘s passionate reports on my way to work, about one of the latest scandals in London’s City. This time it is nothing to do with the usual hype around investment banks, bonuses, interest rates and share prices. It is the Walkie Talkie. The skyscraper that melts cars, sets carpet on fire and bakes eggs.

I told them, but would the listen! Walkie Talkie melts Jag https://t.co/2TKSYrDeB0 It’s like the eye of Sauron, scorching South London!

— John Jeffery (@architectjj) September 2, 2013

The British public have taken the story with humour, and as usual, a nickname competition has started, and is spreading globally. Similarly to Boris Bikes that have been renamed despite the corporate attempts to brand it otherwise, it is unlikely Walkie Talkie will keep its original name for long. After a brief look into social conversations about the tower, three obvious alternatives crystalise:

Option 1: Death Ray Tower

At the Walkie Scorchie Death Ray Tower earlier. pic.twitter.com/hjveT447HW

— Polly (@Polly_Graph) September 4, 2013

Option 2: Walkie Scorchy

The Walkie-Talkie has earned itself a new name… Walkie-Scorchie. It’s melting parked cars! https://t.co/CmQ9VTNJjf

— Everything London (@LDN) September 2, 2013

Option 3: Fryscraper

“Walkie Talkie” is getting rebranded as the “Fryscraper” Glare from London ‘fryscraper’ blamed for melting cars: https://t.co/ahaonq1zQl

— Eric Hannell (@erichannell) September 5, 2013

Social media, as we know, is a great crowdsourcing and listening platform. The open conversations taking place on micro-blogging sites and open social networks provide the ideal democratic, non-solicited feedback that many brands are desperately looking for. And the same listening can help us find out public opinion, even on such trivial matters as naming a tower.

So, what do the results reveal?

So the new tower is now called Fryscraper, according to quite a clear consensus across social media platforms.

Do you have another name in mind? What’s your favourite? Share your comments below!

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