Farrow & Ball has just released a new range of paints. And more exciting for those of us of a brand persuasion – that means a new set of names. The brand famous for creating naming classics like Elephant’s Breath and Churlish Green has now gifted Broccoli Brown and Reduced Green to our cultural lexicon.
The brand’s names have attracted mockery and parody over the years, but we salute them. Their creativity illuminates some of naming’s biggest challenges and opportunities. We’ve been the unfortunate recipients of naming briefs like: ‘must fit within the expected category norms, and be short, descriptive, unique and ownable’. OK so like everybody else, but different?
To give the uninitiated a glimpse behind the curtain, you need to generate at least 100 names to find 1 that’s trademarkable. And that won’t be the one you liked; it’ll be the broken toy from the bottom of the box. For every spiffing new brand name that pings joyfully from the shelf, there are thousands of sadly discarded ideas. With this weight of numbers bearing down on the imagination, it’s no surprise that many naming projects end in disappointment.
Contrast that brief with some successful recent brand names. Octopus Energy. Lemonade Insurance. Wild body care. Liquid Death water. These names are evocative, interesting and memorable because – in their category context – they are different and unexpected. They shock the eyes and challenge preconceptions – we would say that they are Unordinary.
For a name to fulfil its potential and become a meaningful brand asset, bland and safe just won’t work anymore. Get ready for Ant’s Kneecap Shampoo, coming to a store near you.
