• by Wayne Friedman , July 17, 2009

The new moniker of Syfy -- one of the oldest TV networks attending the burgeoning Comic-Con fan event -- might still be a main topic of the buzz-centric event, along with its TV shows.

Syfy, a network that has long been closely associated with the event's core fans, will bring its top shows for big panels -- which can attract 5,000 people. Series include "Sanctuary," "Stargate Universe," "Caprica," "Warehouse 13" and "Eureka." For entertainment marketers, these are key consumer marketing efforts.

The NBC Universal cable network will make its ninth appearance at the event, which will be held July 22 to July 26 in San Diego, Calif.

Syfy will also take over the Hard Rock Café at the Hard Rock Hotel during the entire event -- rebranding it as Café Diem, a fictional get-together place in its "Eureka" show. The network will also have special preview screenings of "Warehouse 13" and "Eureka."

Many entertainment marketing moves at Comic-Con are directed at bloggers-hybrid-journalists who buzz reviews around the Internet. Callaway now says increased attention from mainstream media is a welcome addition. More special sections about the event in major publications -- such as Daily Variety and Entertainment Weekly -- help justify TV networks and other entertainment marketers' participation.

While the network has a growing array of devoted fans in the science-fiction category, critics/fans are still brooding about a highly public and controversial marketing transformation at the network: the name change from Sci Fi Channel to Syfy, announced in the spring and officially changed earlier this month.

But don't look for the network to address much of this at Comic-Con -- apart from a new logo of the new channel's name, a new brand campaign "Imagine Greater" and other on-site marketing materials.

Blake Callaway, vice president of brand marketing for Syfy, says that ultimately, the fans at Comic-Con come to see the shows. "There is a misperception. All the talent that they enjoy will be there. Syfy is still sci-fi. It sounds the same way."

Not all the attention has been bad news. "There is something to be said about fans that care about us that much," says a Syfy spokesman.

A main reason for the change -- somewhat flying under the radar for most fans -- is that "Sci Fi" is a generic term, something that can't be trademarked like other networks. Bottom line: it makes it harder to do licensing and merchandising deals.

Callaway says you can do a search of "Sci Fi" on Hulu.com, co-owned by NBC Universal, and find shows that weren't Sci Fi channel shows. That was a problem for the network.

The burgeoning convention, which now boasts many TV, movie and other entertainment companies, is becoming increasingly crowded. "It's harder and harder to stand out," says Callaway. "I don't think it can get noisy enough," he says. The question is: "How do you raise the bar and get more attention?"