Tired of associating toilet paper with quilting ladies and layers? Or the warm-and-fuzzies of bears and puppies?
Well, Cottonelle has seen to that by bringing the popular vote to a very familiar idiosyncrasy. Cottonelle’s The Great Debate asks: do you roll over or under? More...
Tags: verbal identity, verbal identity news, cottonelle, nielsen, oscars, design, creative, brand voice, diesel, be stupid |
Categories: Design, General, Verbal Identity, Verbal Identity News
By Paola Norambuena and Emma Cofer
lululemon athletica has a devoted following among yoga fanatics and sporty trendsters who value color and cut in their sportswear—but it also has a naming appeal that hooks everyday window-shoppers.
Let’s face it: the name is captivating. Even before you know what this brand is all about, you’ll pass a storefront and toy with the sound. Lulu. Lemon. L-L-L. The name trips lightly and playfully, infusing the brand with a delicate rhythm that seems oh-so-appropriate for the dually fashion- and Zen-savvy company. But its rationale was purely abstract. There’s a long version of the story involving the Japanese love of “L”s, which don’t exist in the language, but the short version is this:
“In essence, the name “’lululemon’ has no roots and means nothing other than it has 3 ‘L’s’ in it. Nothing more and nothing less.”
Thanks, lululemon.com, for getting right to the point. It’s all about the sound. But how far can the yogi retailer stretch our affection for this naming technique? Well, we’re about to find out. More...
When it comes to brands, romance is not just for Valentine’s Day. Here’s a few brands we love, simply because they bring the love, every day.
MAGAZINE: WHAT YOU LOVE MOST
It’s a love thing. At least that’s what the UK’s The Love Magazine believes about style and fashion. Indulgently about style, heavy on photography and less on coverage, and with a healthy does of celebrity worship (see Love’s blog following Victoria Beckham for Fashion Week). And the fabulously naked covers. Watch for their new movie preview, The Love Thing. More...
Tags: verbal identity, valentine's day, social media, naming, name, the love magazine, bloglovin', victoria beckham, wet, oddcast, social application, app, fashion week, new york times |
Categories: General, Naming News, Verbal Identity, Verbal Identity News
Inspired by Oscar buzz around George Clooney’s airport film, and Sienna Miller’s announcement for “a back pack and three-quid-a-night hostels” travel plans, this week’s Naming News takes a wander.
SLOW IS THE NEW FAST
New York to London in 37 hours? London-based design and innovation company Seymourpowell has announced a new - slow - travel concept. It's the AirCruise, a silent, pollution free, rush free, luxurious and very retro kite-like airship. More...
Tags: brand names, brand voice, experience, language, luxury, luxury brand, name, naming, travel, dailycandy, black tomato, aircruise, samsung |
Categories: General, Luxury, Verbal Identity, Naming News, Verbal Identity News
As the year winds down, we're compelled to look back, just as much as we look forward. This is our fascination with year-end “top” and “best and worst” lists. For naming and verbal identity, it’s no different. So, in a very, very unscientific poll, we asked our verbal identity team to submit their favorite names for 2009. Here’s what we found.
- Google Wave - inspired by the name for a futuristic video messaging technology from Josh Whedon’s Firefly, it’s nicely evocative. Catch the wave, ride the wave.
- Droid – about as opposite as possible from the human touch of the iPhone, Droid came up on our love it and hate it lists. Love it for the do-it-for-me meaning. Hate it for the remoteness.
- Nook – while Kindle set out to set the world on fire, Nook brought us back to the personal, time-for-yourself aspect of reading.
- Bing – OK, so we’re a little biased here. But we love the sound of found.
- Soap & Glory - and all their sub-brands, including the Sexy Motherpucker™ "extreme formula lip plumping gloss with scientifically proven powerfill® microspheres that explode in volume..."
Not lost on us was the popularity of short, vowel-filled name landscape: Hulu, Vudu, Qubo, Nook, Vook, Via…
The one name that topped our what-were-they-thinking list: Todd’s D-bag.
Others worth mentioning:
- Vegemite’s iSnack 2.0.
- Kellogg's® Live Bright™ Brain Health Bars - brain health is not exactly appetizing.
- Michael Kors Very Hollywood - whoops, couldn’t get the trademark.
While we love looking back, we’re also ready to look forward. So as we start the new year, we’ll be looking specifically at what’s shaping – or dare we say, trends – for names and verbal identity.
Here’s to the New Year.
