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What's In A Brand Name?

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 12, 2007

Updated: 09/10/2007 07:34 pm

Everyone knows the famous quote from William Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet': 'What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.'

Evidently, at least according to 21st century market research, The Bard was wrong.

In today's world, image is everything. Name is a large component of image, and image is huge in the idea of brand. Brand not only affects perception, to a large extent brand is perception. Perception can shape behavior, behavior is another word for customer response, and response certainly has a direct impact on value.

In Tampa, new names are popping up all over.

Last week, in the wake of much anticipation, the venerable MacDill Federal Credit Union opened for business as Grow Financial Federal Credit Union. Rather than merging operations or being gobbled up by a competitor, the big name change is about what the marketing people call 'brand presence.'

Branding, in essence, seeks to embed as much information as possible about a particular business into one unifying image. Consequently, strategists teach that any encounter with that image will evoke a brand-oriented response, excite customer expectations and potentially build market share.

The idea is to associate an image or idea with the content and the exclusive benefits of one easily recognizable enterprise. Trading time-honed familiarity for a carefully crafted new image may look like a gamble, but the marketing psychology of branding is an increasingly popular strategy in today's business climate.

The United Parcel Service hit the branding jackpot by co-opting a color - brown, and American Express is trying to do the same with blue. So, if Grow Financial is successful, any encounter with the word 'grow' could potentially yield customers and boost the parameters of brand identification.

Even area churches are getting in on the act. Bay Life Church in Valrico and The Crossing Church in Tampa have built brand identification around carefully selected logos; the label 'Southern Baptist' doesn't even appear on their signage. Other examples include HopeWeaver Community Church (Baptist) in Plant City and Relevant Church (nondenominational Christian) in Ybor City.

The concept tickles the imagination. In fact, I would like to rename a few select agencies around town in an effort to more accurately reflect the core values and behavioral trends associated with day-to-day operations.

Instead of Hillsborough County School Board, for example, our own magnificent seven could adopt the moniker Charm School Dropouts, Family Feuders or Why Build Consensus When You Can Whine and Pout?

I would rename the Hillsborough County Commission as Seven Reasons Brandon Should Incorporate; my cable provider would become Bait and Switch TV; and, for the gasoline industry, Gouge USA: We Have You Over Our Barrel comes to mind.

I knew a family in the Midwest that tried to use the branding concept when naming their daughters. I'm not making this up, I swear. I wish I were, but I'm not. They named their first child Mercedes and gave the girl a 280 SL convertible the day she turned 16. The second daughter, Porsche, received a brand-new Boxster sports coupe. The third, Lotus, had just taken delivery of her namesake the week we met.

'We want them to develop a positive self-image and we think the names really help,' their father told me. 'There's nothing sexier than a fast car.'

If I had been born into that family, I'm convinced they would have named me Yugo, Pinto or Gremlin. But he was right in one way: The names certainly took. All three were high-maintenance, expensive and demanding; they attracted all kinds of men, they were hard to keep on track, and they broke their parents' hearts.

I think my friends Tim and Kelly had a better grasp on the concept when they named their baby boy Micah - he's 3 weeks old. Micah means 'Who is like God?' It's a direction and a question with the potential to shape his life and direct his path in all the best ways.

So here's a thought: How's your personal brand coming along? When people hear your name, what unifying image comes to mind? We can all work on our content; why should Grow Financial have all the fun?

Columnist Derek Maul can be reached at derekmaul @gmail.com.

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