Where does the name of Mailand come from?

Company naming processes tend to get complicated. They start with idea workshops or name competitions. Management teams and board members throw in their heavy weight thoughts. Consultants produce long lists. Finally, a suitable name draft is found. Then it will be further finetuned, spiced, polished – and registered.

Mailand’s name was born a lot easier. It originates from an observation I made in the 1990s.

In those days I edited a customer newsletter for a paper company. Therefore, I went on business trips across Europe to interview newspaper, magazine, book and even telephone directory publishers. Waiting for the home flight at the airports, I used to read my souvenirs – publications printed on Finnish paper – Die Welt, Le Figaro, Corriere de la Sera, Daily Telegraph, Time Out and El Pais, to name a few.

At airports, as we all still remember, most of the time is spent waiting. So I had also time to follow the announcements and info screens. My attention was drawn to the fact that from German cities a lot of planes flew to Mailand. It took a while before I realized it was the German name for Milan.

At the time the PR consultancy was established in 2007, the word came to my mind. The company needed a name with a prefix or suffix ‘land’ to refer to positioning which is a cornerstone of communications and branding. Mailand suited the need perfectly – Mailand, my land.

I can’t say if Mailand is the perfect name, but for us it has meaning and a story.

Alpo Räinä