Taxonomy of Continuing Medical Education (CME) Company Names

Most Continuing Medical Education (CME) companies have chosen very descriptive Functional names, which tend to cluster around a few key words: center, continuing, health, medical, medi, education, communications, or institute. Even attempts at Experiential names have lead to clusters around such "ad" words as ad/advance/advanced/advantage.

  FUNCTIONAL INVENTED EXPERIENTIAL EVOCATIVE  
5       5
4         4
3         3
2
  • Slack Incorporated
 
  • Discovery International
  • Impact
  • Blue Sky Broadcast
  • The Cypress Foundation
  • Heartbeat Communications
  • Pegasus Healthcare International
2
1
  • Best Doctors
 
  • Future Media Services
  1
0
  • Baystate Health
  • Systems
  • Beam Institute
  • Ciné-Med
  • Estes Park Institute
  • The Chatham Institute
  • Corinth Group Communications
  • Dannemiller Memorial Education Foundation
  • Kaplan Medical CME
  • Kendle International
  • Moceri Management
  • Pri-Med
 
  • Contemporary Forums
  • Creative Educational Concepts Foundation
  • Holiday Seminars
  • Life House Productions
  • Phase V Communications
  • Prime Medica
  • Projects in Knowledge
  • Banner Health System
0
-1
  • AKH Consultant
  • Allergy Continuing Education
  • Anesoft Corporation
  • Behavorial Technology Transfer Group
  • CECity.com
  • Cleveland Clinic Foundation Center for Continuing Education
  • Complete Conference Management
  • Distance Learning Network
  • Drug Information Association
  • The Endocrine Society
  • Endoscopic Plastic Surgery Educational Seminar
  • FCG Institute for Continuing Education
  • Frank Moya Continuing Education Programs
  • The Governance Institute
  • Hatherleigh Company Limited
  • HealthOne CME
  • HealthStream
  • HMP Communications
  • IMPC Travel
  • Informedical Communications
  • International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation
  • Joslin Diabetes Center
  • Laboratory Corporation of America
  • Lahey Clinic
  • MedCases
  • MPE Communications
  • PDI Education and Communications
  • PESI Healthcare
  • Thomson Physicians World
  • UBH International
  • ArcMesa Educators
  • AXDEV Global
  • Bimark Center for Medical Education
  • Cogenix
  • Excerpta Medica
  • Imedex
  • ImproMED
  • Innovia Education Institute
  • InnoVision Communications
  • intellyst Medical Communications
  • Intermedica
  • Meniscus Limited
  • METIS BioComm
  • Pharmedica Holdings
  • Pragmaton Office of Medical Education
  • Sicola Communications
  • Symbiotix
  • TriGenesis Communications
  • Alpha & Omega Worldwide
  • Current Communications
  • Current Therapeutics
  • Innovations in Medical Education and Training
  • Innovative Surgical Concepts
  • Omega Productions
  -1
-2
  • CME Resource
  • CME Resources
  • CME Reviews
  • CME, Inc.
  • Conference Seek
  • Continuing Education, Inc.
  • Continuing Medical
  • Education Committee of Acadiana
  • Continuing Medical Education Consortium
  • Continuing Medical Education, Inc.
  • Cruise Meetings & Continuing Education
  • Database Publishing Group
  • Educational Symposia, Inc.
  • Foundation for Better Health Care
  • Foundation for Medical Excellence
  • Health Forum
  • Health Science Center for Continuing Medical Education
  • Health Science Communications
  • Healthcare Information Technologies
  • Healthcare Management University
  • HealthPartners
  • Healthways Communications
  • Health Partners Institute for Medical Education
  • Home Study Educators
  • Institute for Advanced Health Education
  • Institute for Advanced Medical Education
  • Institute for Continuing Healthcare Education
  • Institute for Healthcare Improvement
  • Institute for Nuclear Medical Education
  • Interactive Medical Networks - Primedia
  • International Center for Postgraduate Medical Education
  • International Institute for Continuing Medical Education
  • International Medical Experience Exchange
  • International Meetings & Science
  • Joint Commission Resources
    Marketing Resources & Solutions
  • MedCases
  • Medcom
  • Medical DecisionPoint
  • Medical Education Broadcast Network
  • Medical Education Collaborative
  • Medical Education Group
  • Medical Education Resources
  • Medical Education Systems
  • Medical Education Council of Pensacola
  • Medical Educator Consortium
  • Medical Management Institute
  • Medical Media Communications
  • Medical World Conferences
  • MediCom Worldwide
  • MediTech Media
  • MedPlan Communications
  • Medpoint Communications
  • MEDReach
  • Medscape
  • Professional Information Management
  • Scientific Therapeutics Information
  • Strategic Institute for Continuing Health Care Education
  • University Children's Medical Group
 
  • AdMed
  • AdvanceMed
  • Advanced Concepts
  • Advanced Health Media
  • AdvancMed
  • Advantage Healthcare
  • Inter@ctive Information Solutions
  -2
  FUNCTIONAL INVENTED EXPERIENTIAL EVOCATIVE  
Levels of Engagement: These eight levels (y-axis levels from minus 2 to plus 5) represent the amount of material (meaning, stories, associations, imagery, multiple layers) in a name the audience has to play with and personalize – and how "engaged" they are by a name. Names in the minus 2 level are the least engaging, and likely to be quickly forgotten; the higher the number the better, with level 5 being the best.

Functional Names: The lowest common denominator of names, usually either named after a person, purely descriptive of what the company or product does, or a pre- or suffixed reference to functionality. (Infoseek, LookSmart)

Invented Names: "Invented" as in a made-up name (Acquient, Agilent, Alliant, Google) or a non-English name that is not widely known.

Experiential Names: A direct connection to something real, a part of direct human experience. Usually literal in nature, but presented with a touch of imagination. (Netscape, Palm Pilot)

Evocative Names: These names are designed to evoke the positioning of a company or product rather than the goods and services or the experience of those goods and services. Removed from direct experience, but relevant – evoking memories, stories, and many levels of association. (Virgin, Apple, Cracker Jack)

We encourage you to print this out and move names around, and see if you think they should be classified differently. It's an exercise that will get you thinking about the names in your own industry. (Here is a blank taxonomy chart you can print out.)

The first thing we do at the beginning of any naming or branding project is to thoroughly analyze the names and messaging of the competition in your business sector, and plot those names on a taxonomy chart like this one. This document is very helpful for everyone involved in the naming project to see the competitive reality and understand what types of names are overused and where we have to go to separate from the pack.

List of Naming Agencies


Further reading:

Juice Name Taxonomy