Archive for the ‘Viewpoints’ Category

Some tips for finding the right brand name

Often, a new name for an entity (product, brand, company) is hard to agree on because the solution is too new, too unfamiliar. Brand owners can reject ideas without giving them time to catch their imaginations. How can we help brand owners see the potential in a name?

Any name you like, as long as it’s black

“What I’ve learned in my career is it’s product that matters, not the name.” This is a big gauntlet thrown down by Ford marketing chief Jim Farley in a recent USA Today article; a whole chicken and egg debate about the place in marketing of the brand name. Surely, no one would doubt the importance of a brand name? Would they?

Posted on Jan 19th 2012 by Andy K · Permalink · Leave a comment
In: Brand Strategy, Naming, Viewpoints · Tags: , , , ,

Alexis discusses Dutch Railway ad in Fonk

Alexis, our Insight Manager in the Amsterdam office discusses a recent NS Railways ad featuring celebrities Nick and Simon. This article appeared recently in Dutch magazine, Fonk.

The Apostrophe is dead. Long live the Apostrophe.

Waterstones has lost something. The once definitive bookshop is moving ahead without its apostrophe (and yes, I did have to think twice about whether to use one there) and this has set up a media storm of Biblical proportions. What does this mean for a brand name?

A Review of new brand names in 2011

Here are a few contenders for best or worst name of 2011, although there can never really be a truly bad name – just names that get you noticed, those new ideas we all dislike at first, but which grow on us eventually…

Vodafone: Power to you. Or maybe not.

A great brand experience comes about through making an emotional connection with your consumer and, in the simplest of terms, making them feel something. So I was dismayed by a recent interaction with Vodafone, which left me feeling squashed and disappointed. Power to me? Not in this case.

Frank Reef discusses advertising in Fonk

Frank Reef, Client Director at our Amsterdam office, wrote a column for Dutch magazine Fonk about commercials in November. Here’s a summary in English.

Will a new brand name dilute your Staines?

Our naming expert Andy Kirk responds to the renaming of Staines, as Staines-upon-Thames. Will it be credible?

Posted on Dec 19th 2011 by Andy K · Permalink · Leave a comment
In: Brand Strategy, Naming, Viewpoints · Tags: ,

Why is the Compleat Cup a great piece of design?

Numerous initiatives are going on out there to make the ubiquitous coffee cup greener and whilst we all get our heads round the habit of a reusable cup, here’s neat solution called Compleat Cup from an architect in the US who developed this idea in his spare time.

Simon Black interviewed on Monocle radio

Head of Strategy, Simon Black, was interviewed live for Monocle 24′s business breakfast show, the Globalist. Simon discusses Fair Trade USA’s recent split from Fair Trade International and the branding issues they may face.