Brand Story

What does it take to build brand names? It’s a pretty involved process, but we think of it in terms of four main steps: STRATEGY, IDEATION, SELECTION AND CLEARING.

It’s usually a BAD thing when it’s not quite obvious how to pronounce a brand’s name. But there are exceptions. (See our video on Sur La Table’s brand name.) Glossier is another such exception. The insider knowledge around how to pronounce the brand name is a great reinforcer for the brand. We think this brand name does NOT suck.

My LinkedIn friends love a good “does this brand suck?” discussion so today we’re going to analyze the brand VRBO, as well as their decision to change their name to Vrbo. The change looks subtle when you read it but it’s a completely different pronunciation.

A name can’t be all things. That’s important to keep in mind when selecting among different brand name options. The idea we share in this #tellthetruths video is that names, being such small pieces of communication, can seldom convey everything you want to say. And that’s okay!

What do YOU think of the name of this popular fitness studio brand, Orange Theory?

I really wanted to run the T.R.U.E. analysis on the Goop brand and… well, you’re just going to have to watch this #tellthetruths video to see what I think about whether or not this brand name sucks.

This video is about the need for brands to act quickly if circumstances are forcing them to change their names. Name changes shouldn’t be undertaken lightly, of course. But when BAD THINGS happen, brands are more likely to drag their feet then act quickly and that just makes a lousy situation even worse.

We post a lot of content here and lots of times we’re sharing great ideas we’ve gotten from YOU. We’re very grateful and this time we’re asking for it. Can you help? Do you have any ideas we could share?

And that’s a good thing. Check out this #tellthetruths video about the brand name Red Bull and why we think it works so hard. (Hint: one part of the answer lies in the visual reinforcement of vigor in the logo.)