Renaming for Financial Advisors: The Value of a Brand Name

The brandscape of financial advisories is crowded with self-named practices — advisors who started business under their own name. But as financial advisors become more savvy about branding and marketing — and major franchisers like Ameriprise relax their co-branding...
Absurdly Turdly: Computers Creating Metaphors

Absurdly Turdly: Computers Creating Metaphors

Metaphors are powerful. As James Geary explained in his Ted Talk, “Metaphorically Speaking,” we get a more vivid understanding of something because of all the analogies triggered by its metaphor. In branding, metaphors create expectations by linking the...
Kraft Gets Startlingly Honest

Kraft Gets Startlingly Honest

No parent is perfect, but sometimes you can do better. Other times you can’t, and that’s why there’s Kraft Mac and Cheese. Honesty is powerful. Instead of delivering yet another tired promise of convenience and time-savings, some brand manager at...
Cosmetics Names Push the Envelope

Cosmetics Names Push the Envelope

“Orgasm.” “Asphyxia.” “Underage Red.” “BleachBlack Dick Weed.” Beauty products are experiencing the “Miley Cyrus effect”—the need to get edgier every year in order to be noticed. Some of these names clearly...