#758 L

It’s coming up on a big year for the Super Bowl — Number 50.  And since hardly anyone knows that “L” is 50 in Roman numerals, the NFL has decided to break their traditional way of numbering the big event in time for #50 in 2016.  

I think it’s a wise move.  A half-century of Super Bowls is an event to commemorate and using natural numbers instead will lead to greater understanding (ok, and hype and branding — but what would the game be without that?!).

Is there something in your organization that has outlived its value?  Are you still holding on to a more traditional way of naming something?  (Think of Blockbuster Video changing their name only after years of renting DVDs.)  Could you achieve greater impact with a different name?

Just because you’ve always done it doesn’t mean you should always do it.  Look at your nomenclature with new eyes and see if there aren’t some L’s lurking in your organization.