Branded Blog

At the foot-end of our bed is a modern wooden cube-styled wooden table on which I keep things I like to look at and that make me think.

It occurred to me yesterday that we easily judge people by what they have in their houses, and what they choose to put on display. It’s kind of an extension of Winston Churchill’s thinking when he said “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.”  We shape the spaces we exist in, and thereafter they often define and shape who we are, and I suspect who people think we are too.

So as the barefoot mountain guide discovered with raised eyebrows, I was sitting up in bed late last night staring at this display that has evolved in our bedroom and wondering just how someone looking at it for the first time might interpret  or  ‘read’ it.

It could read simply:

Lamp/ Modern print / Artefact / Books / Statue.

Or it could read

Handcraft / Modernist / Ethnic / Poetry / Buddha

But somehow I feel that most of us would come to this tableau with an agenda, a filter.

So with a slightly more political mindset it could read:

Conservative / Rebellious / Traditional / Academic / Liberal

It could represent Artistic mediums:

Glass / Print / Embossed / Books / Sculpture.

Maybe spiritual  views?

Pragmatic / Popular / Ancestral / Esoteric / Eastern

Or how about some titles for this little still life:

Things we worship:

Ability / Fame / Culture / Words / Gods

Things we create & destroy:

Glass / Reputation / History / Books / Religions

Things we seek:

Insight / Recognition / Belonging / Understanding / Hope

So which reason, which collective thematic or naming construct or grand idea is true?

Here’s the thing – they’re all true.  To someone. They’re just not all the reason that I have this specific collection in our bedroom at the moment.  In fact only one of the almost infinite possible descriptions for this fairly enigmatic and dissonant group of objects is really the driving force behind these choices and it’s not any of the ones I’ve mentioned so far!

The truth is that all these objects  are from people who mean something in our lives – they are family, friends, ex-colleagues, inspirations. For me it’s not about the objects at all, it’s not even about the symbolism they are so imbued with – it’s about whose hands they came by and who they remind me of in the crazy rollercoaster of everyday life. It’s that simple. My mom made the stained-glass lamp for me herself; my brother bought the Andy Warhol ‘Marilyn’ print in London on his first visit there; the stylized First Nations impression of a Whale is from Canada where my barefoot man’s family now live; these specific books are a sample of poetry books ranging from one called “101 poems that could save your life” which helped get me through the depths of a deep dark post-relationship pit to a Whyte collection that includes the poem “The True Love” which now represents my barefoot man for me; and finally the Buddha which was a gift from one of the most wonderful friends a girl could ever have.

And it’s by no means an exhaustive collection either – in that way it does have some symbolic resonance for me – it reminds me globally of all the people who have and do and will make a difference to my life. And that they are really what counts in the end. Prosaic, sure, but true nonetheless.

So the name for this little collection that I curate mentally every morning when I wake up and every night before bed (or sometimes when I’m already in bed, as the barefoot man will attest!) is simple (to paraphrase ex-president Clinton): “It’s the people, stupid.”

Now take a step back from the screen for a second and consider how your relationship with these 5 or so fairly random objects has just shifted. A few paragraphs ago you might well have been rolling your eyes at the religious symbolism, or sighing at how much I am “reading into” these objects, but you’ve probably gone back now to see them as I see them – representing those I love – and might even feel quite differently about them now.

And that, as they say in the classics, is the power of a name. A rose by any other….

So how much time and thought have you given to the naming of things in your business? I think often we miss the chance to create powerful, evocative and meaningful names that will help our brands, businesses, products, service offerings and employees along rather than hinder their progress.  (I guess the same could be true of the names we give our children, but I’ll leave that can unopened for now!)

So whether you have a brand or a business already, or are just starting one up – take this test and see whether your name can take the heat or might need a little more attention paid to it:

1. Do you ever have to repeat yourself when you tell someone the name of your business?

2. Do you have to spell it out when you give someone your email address over the phone?

3. Do you have to describe the story or the words or the meaning before people actually “get it”?

4. And once they do “get” your name, do you still have to explain to them what it is you actually do?

5. Does your mother or your husband or your youngest get really embarrassed when they tell people what your business or brand is called?

6. Would you feel proud to brand your car with your business name? Have you done this?

7. Do people struggle to find your website when they search online?

I’m sure you noticed that if you answered “yes” to even 3 or 4 of these, your brand name possibly needs a little attention.

If you answered “yes” to all of them, you might want to give me a call!

And also remember that this list is ONLY about the practical naming stuff – I haven’t (and won’t in this blog, you’re probably glad to hear!) even started on the myriad strategic, differentiation and other issues lurking behind the names we choose. Every one of those could also give you pause.

For now, though, I think it’s enough to say that the way you name something does matter – it can serve you, or you can be slave to it henceforth. The choice, as always, is yours!