Author Archives: Beth Gerber
Just when I think I’ve seen every possible kind of bad verbal branding, from awful taglines to bizarre product and company naming, something comes along that manages to shock me. This time the honor goes to Philadelphia Cream Cheese, whose … More »
Naming is naming, right? Wrong. In fact, company naming and product naming differ significantly, from naming strategy and name development to the logistics of your name launch. Here are the top five ways they vary, and some tips for navigating … More »
From Midnight in Paris to White Diamonds, the fragrance industry’s brand names have always reeked of fantasy, with promises spun out of thin air. And the fantasies are usually carefully orchestrated by gender. Just compare brand names like Chantilly, L’Air … More »
When it comes to wordplay, I’m as big a fan of the portmanteau as the next person. (For those of you who don’t know, a portmanteau is a word formed by squishing parts of two other words together.) Snapple (snap … More »
Today marks day 27 of the movement known as Occupy Wall Street. Initially conceived by the Canadian group Adbusters as a modest protest on Wall Street (and heralded with the hashtag #OccupyWallStreet), it has morphed into a “people powered movement … More »
In general I’m not a fan of initialisms in product and company naming. Unless they form real words (acronyms), they usually convey nothing at first blush and they make the customer work too hard. Of course, if you’re a world-renowned brand … More »
So David & Victoria Beckham had their first baby girl Sunday, and named her Harper Seven. As an ambisexual name, Harper certainly works. But what’s with the 7? Apparently, the Beckham infant weighed 7 pounds 10 ounces, was born on the seventh … More »
If my dad had carried the day, I would probably have been named Bethesda. As it was, my parents came to a workable compromise, and my proper name is Beth Linda. Not as memorable as Bethesda, but probably not as … More »
Sometimes I may laugh or shake my head at a brand name that misses the mark, but it’s rare that a brand name actually gets my goat. Then the other day I ran across Honeys and Heroes in San Francisco. … More »
Typically, I approach reading a book about a scary global problem with about as much enthusiasm as going to the dentist. (Necessary, but can’t we do it later?) So a book title that actually makes me want to read about the … More »