Do you know where the brand Shinola got their name? It’s from a heritage shoe polish brand and an old, old saying, “You don’t know shit from Shinola.”
Does This Name Suck? SHINOLA
So how do they get from something that’s both off-color and an insult to a brand name? Check out this #tellthetruthsvideo to hear the story and also to find out whether we think this name sucks.
This video originally appeared in LinkedIn
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Does This Name Suck? FLYING PIG MARATHON
TRANSCRIPT:
– Hey guys, it’s Rebeca with BrandTrue. And you love when we do a, “does this brand name suck?” So we’re doing it and we’re doing it with the brand name, Shinola. Such an interesting story! I’ll try to talk fast.
Okay. So there’s an old saying in the US. “You don’t know shit from Shinola.” It’s an old shoe polish. So it’s brown. That’s where the saying comes from. So this brand is an awesome brand. These founders decided that they were going to have something to reinvigorate the economy in Detroit, something manufactured in Detroit. They started with watches but it’s really all kinds of leather goods and journals and lovely, beautifully designed things. All made in the US. All out of Detroit. Okay.
So they’ve got the idea, they’ve got the concept going and then someone in the, on the board said “you don’t know shit from Shinola” when they were trying to come up with a brand name and Shinola was landed upon. So that’s why we’re even discussing it because for people old enough, like me, to know the phrase, it’s it’s definitely got that X factor of something dark in it. But it’s also “shine” in it. It’s fun to say Shinola. It definitely has a lot of content, a lot of stickiness to it, which I love in a brand.
If we use the framework: T, is it a transparent communication? No. R is it real? Kinda, it’s an authentic brand. Not sure how authentic the name is. Is it unique? Definitely. And is it engaging? Yes, very much so. And so it’s a wonderful brand. It’s a pretty good brand name surprisingly, even though some people don’t know shit from Shinola.
That’s what I think. What do you think? Do you think this name works or do you have trouble getting past the poo factor? Let me know. Thanks. Bye!
