Levity in Heavy Machinery Branding
Who knew that naming heavy industrial machinery was even a thing?
METROLINX — On February 1, 2022, Metrolinx announced the winning name chosen for the Scarborough Subway Extension’s Tunnel Boring Machine following a contest to crowdsource the name. “The Scarborough Subway Extension’s TBM – Canada’s largest such heavy equipment – will be named Diggy Scardust. Metrolinx reported that after receiving hundreds of submissions for names from the community and a shortlist was voted on, Diggy Scardust was ’the one that stuck.‘ ”
According to the Metrolinx blog, the name Diggy Scardust, submitted by Jean-Pierre Veilleux, came to him very quickly. He was somewhat influenced by the popularity of the Boaty McBoatface name, the result of the British government agency letting the Internet suggest a name for its $287 million newest polar research ship. The story garnered international press as an example of what can happen when web users are asked to unleash their creative energy.
About the approach
Upon reading the Metrolinx online post soliciting suggestions from the public, “Diggy” immediately sprung to mind, and from there, it took about half a second to draw a line to Ziggy Stardust. With the obvious and highly fortuitous assonance of ‘Star’ and ‘Scar’ (for Scarborough), the leap to “Scardust” was immediate. So there was no protracted or strategic creative method involved or any review or selection process needed. The name was born in an instant, and I promptly submitted it. I forgot all about it as it was a few months later that I received an email from Metrolinx advising me that they had selected my submission as the winner.
Why the name works
Nothing succeeds like humour. But it’s magic when you can frame it within a cultural narrative that everyone will get. People just love pop culture references. The trick is to make it relevant and accessible, but importantly to inject it with a twist. It makes people feel that they’re “in on the joke” as it elicits a chuckle and makes them feel smart, all at once. Can you dig it?
Diggy Scardust is also a name that evokes warm or nostalgic feelings in many people’s minds, even for those who may know relatively little about the outsized influence David Bowie has had on rock music, an influence that is still felt strongly today. Coincidentally, 2022 marked the 50th anniversary of the release of Bowie’s seminal and iconic album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
I was subsequently invited to visit the immense launch and assembly shaft at McCowan and Sheppard Ave East in Scarborough, where Diggy was lowered, before embarking on its 4-year, 7.8 km subterranean tunnel boring journey.
Thank you David Bowie for creating such enduring cultural personae, and God speed Diggy Scardust!