When a name is hard to pronounce – or hard to know what the proper pronunication is, that’s usually the absolute kiss of death. Yet this is the second brand that falls into that category where we think it works to their advantave. (The first was Sur La Table, and we’ve posted a link to that video below.).
Does This Name Suck? GLOSSIER
Check out our latest #tellthetruths video to see how a brand name can possibly benefit from a tricky pronunication situation.
This video originally appeared in LinkedIn
If you liked this video, check out:
Does This Name Suck? Sur La Table
How Can Different Brands Have The Same Name?
The Beautiful Challenge of Naming
TRANSCRIPT:
Hey guys, it’s Rebeca with BrandTrue, and today, we’re going to talk about this brand. Does this name suck? So there’s an issue about how to pronounce it. Apparently, you can very easily find their products online and buy one of their amazing products, I love their Cloud Paint blush, calling it Glossier. That’s what I did. But then, someone in the know, like my daughter, comes along and says, “No, it’s pronounced Glossier.” And that’s what I want to talk about.
It’s actually, if it’s hard to pronounce, is that a good thing or a bad thing? We covered this in a previous video way back when with Sur La Table. The fact that it’s difficult to pronounce is actually part of the point. I think it is here as well. Because you can buy it just fine, like I said, without knowing how to pronounce it. But if you do know how to pronounce it, it’s like this inside knowledge kind of like a dossier, Glossier. It comes from a cult blog about makeup called “Into the Gloss”.
So they then extracted and made a brand. And if you know, then you know, and if you don’t, hehe, you pronounced it wrong, I think that’s part of the thing. So separate from the pronunciation issue, let’s go through whether or not this name sucks. Let’s use the BrandTrue framework. Is it a transparent communication? I think so because it’s makeup. And so having the word gloss, I think you get what you’re getting.
Is it real? I think so that history of coming from the blog, I think that it’s definitely has some real, some authenticity. Is it unique? Very. And is it engaging? Well, it’s a little bit off-putting maybe if you find out to your embarrassment that you got it wrong. But that lovely, we know and you don’t, and it’s a club and specialist knowledge aspect that they have, that’s very, very engaging for people that are in their tribe. So I think it’s a pretty great name. It definitely doesn’t suck. What do you think? Bye.
