Author Archives: Beth Gerber
If you ever asked me for evidence of how far good brand naming can take a company, my Exhibit A would be Spanx. For those of you who live under a rock or aren’t women (or both), Spanx is the … More »
OK, I’ve been whitening my teeth lately, so I’ve been paying more attention to the naming of tooth whitening products. Take the (extremely) pricey little ampoules I got at my dentist’s office. Brand name? Opalescence. Good naming choice. Fancy-sounding coinage … More »
I love running across great brand names, and this week it was Naked Pizza. Here’s a name that not only sparks my interest, but starts a conversation about what makes this brand different. (10 whole grains and other natural stuff, … More »
Ah, romance. Chocolates and roses, stolen kisses and sexy lingerie…and of course, the predatory exploits of the ancient Roman Empire. That’s right: the origins of the word romantic were not exactly, um, lover-ly. And, like so many romances, it’s a … More »
When it comes to product naming—at least of their Android smartphones—no one can accuse HTC of understatement. For starters, there was the HTC Legend . . . the HTC Dream . . . the HTC Supersonic . . . and … More »
Some brand names are forgotten as soon as they’re heard. Others are PR powerhouses. A friend called me the other morning because she’d heard the name of a company being talked about on the radio, and it was so memorable, … More »
It’s not easy to judge potential brand name candidates when all you have is a list of names on a piece of paper. When Catchword presents ideas to clients, we’ll typically contextualize names visually to help bring them to life. … More »
If you’re intrigued by the ways we reveal (or don’t reveal) ourselves in speech, check out this 6-minute video featuring actor and playwright Anna Deavere Smith. She talks about the ways our individuality lie in the sounds and movements we … More »
A tagline is a tricky little beast. It needs to get right to the heart of the brand and do so in a way that’s intuitive, memorable and absolutely pitch perfect. In very few words. (Like Fed Ex’s old “When … More »
Word freaks, namers (i.e., word freaks who get paid for their freakishness), and anyone else looking for an etymological chuckle or aha: check out yesterday’s KQED interview of Phil Cousineau, author of the newly published book Wordcatcher. There’s a new … More »