What’s in a Name?

Laurel Sutton, a linguist, strategist and co-founder of the naming agency Catchword, points out that recent years—and recent recessions—have taught us that even lofty institutions with names built to inspire trust for generations are not necessarily more trustworthy than anyone else.
March 1, 2020
By Fiona Soltes

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There’s a lot more than you might think behind those whimsical insurtech identities.

In the early days, Jason Keck, CEO of Broker Buddha, came across it often: “Oh! I’ve heard of you! I have no idea what you do. But I love the name.”

It didn’t bother him one bit.

“As a startup, brand awareness is your biggest problem,” Keck says. “Nobody knows who you are. But even getting the tip of the spear in there, being able to stick in their minds, is super important.”…

There is, perhaps, a bit more: Laurel Sutton, a linguist, strategist and co-founder of the naming agency Catchword, points out that recent years—and recent recessions—have taught us that even lofty institutions with names built to inspire trust for generations are not necessarily more trustworthy than anyone else. Those of millennial age and younger have grown up in a time when the perception of friendliness, accessibility and a dose of fun are equally—if not more—important.

“It’s entirely a generational thing,” she says. “Over the last 30 years, people have really played on that idea of, ‘Hey, don’t trust the big institutions. Trust the friendly, small entrepreneurs. We’ll take care of you. We’re real people.’” Why not, then, engage with a financial services app called Albert or a protection plan platform named Clyde? …

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