Skunky? Yes, really.
Does This Name Suck: Skunky
In this video, I break down why this name might stink… but only in the best possible way! It’s a great example of how modern brands often lean into real-world language, even when it’s a little funky, and still land strong with their audience. Is it risky to name your brand around the opposite of the benefit? Maybe so, because it’s a cheeky way of naming the problem the brand solves. And it’s also memorable, playful, and rooted in truth. I’ve got opinions—but I want to know yours, too. Would you give this name a pass or spray it down?
This video originally appeared in LinkedIn.
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TRANSCRIPT:
Hey guys, it’s Rebeca with BrandTrue and we’re going to do another, “Does This Name Suck?” Today we’re going to do a brand called “Skunky.” Interesting! So… many thanks to Bill Chidley, who is probably my number one source of names. He sent me this one a long time ago and I unearthed it and thought, “oh yes, we must talk about that!”
So Skunky is a wipe and we had a lot of fun talking about Dude Wipes on my LinkedIn recently. So I thought, alright, let’s go there. It’s important to talk about what it is. It’s kind of innovative. It’s a wipe, but it’s not wet and it’s kind of big and thick. You add water and it makes suds and you can clean up and you don’t need to rinse. then you just dry off.
So you can imagine if you’ve like just played a sporting game or I don’t know, you’re at work and you get sweaty… it’s really, really convenient for cleaning up. So the question is, what do we think about naming such a thing “Skunky?” And I think it’s great because I think that in general, names that are super down to earth and authentic, like, “Yeah, this is what we’re dealing with. We’re dealing with stink, we’re dealing with skunkiness,” they connect. It’s a very modern, fresh approach and people… our culture’s just less formal. People like that. It’s sort of charming.
Also, it definitely speaks to the benefit of eliminating odor by talking about skunky. It sort of makes you think of funky, which again, just seems very relevant. It’s fun, it’s silly, it does have that pinch of negativity because you don’t want to smell like a skunk. But we see a lot of names that skate that line, that, you know, even if it’s the opposite of the benefit, it doesn’t necessarily kill the name to have that there. In fact, it keeps the benefit very top of mind. So I think it works. I think it’s controversial, maybe. It’s right on the line. So more than ever I’m going to say, I really want to hear what you guys think! Let me know. Thanks! Bye.
