Mixed Messages…. What do we mean when we say that some names are “mixed messages?”
Mixed Messages, Part 1
In this tellthetruths video Rebeca talks about the power that can come from giving a brand a name that has a little pinch (or sometimes more) of negativity.
It’s counterintuitive, and a bit scary, but a lot of good can come from it.
This video originally appeared in LinkedIn.
If you enjoyed this video, check out:
The Opposite of Love Isn’t Hate
When Mixed Messages Are A Good Thing
TRANSCRIPT:
Hi guys, It’s Rebeca with BrandTrue, and today I want to bring you a video about mixed messages, specifically mixed message names. So I’ve been intrigued with names, brand names, that have a pinch of negativity, for a long time. And I listen to this famous podcast. If you do too, you’ll know where I’m going with this, where they talk about mixed messages all the time, and “mixed messies,” And every time I hear it, I laugh, because that’s how I think of these names. And there’s a lot of famous examples that I talk about a lot.
Things like Monster, is it, you know, whether it’s the Monster Energy drink, or the Monster job search board, whatever. It’s surprising that you would call something like… a monster. But it works. Or the other one that I’ve, if you follow me here, you’ve heard me say before, Slack, it’s a productivity app and we call it Slack? But somehow the negativity works. It makes people pay attention, it makes things stick in the brain, which is what we’re looking for with a name. So, some new examples I wanted to share with you, Death Wish Coffee. Really? Oh, absolutely. I mean, doesn’t that sound kind of intriguing? It may be called Death Wish, but I kind of want to learn more about it. Or there’s a makeup brand, makeup to put on your face, called Urban Decay, successful brand. There’s a watch brand that’s sort of branched into accessories. They make bags now, stuff like that, named Fossil. Fossil, besides the literal meaning, also used to mean like an old out of touch person. And then another one that I really love is Bed Head, because it rhymes and it’s short and cute. Bed Head for haircare products, isn’t bedhead how you don’t want your hair to look? But somehow it works. You see the piecey messed up hair, and it’s a very successful brand. It works!
So, I think that it’s really difficult in my seat to sometimes sell clients on names that aren’t perfectly roses and kittens and sunshine, that are even a little pinch of negativity. But the thing is, these names work. They’re also, I wouldn’t say it’s a trend, because I don’t think it’s come in quickly or leaving anytime soon, but it’s like a more modern take on naming. We’ve been seeing it growing and I don’t see it weighing anytime… waning anytime soon. So just wanted to share that with you guys. Let me know if you’ve noticed this or if you have any other examples. I might have enough examples that there’s at least one more video coming, but I’d love to hear from you what you think. Thanks. Bye!
