In this series of posts I aim to bring to light off-beat stories from the world of marketing, ranging from serious successes to downright abysmal failures.

Despite appeals to continue writing on murky themes I’ve decided to lighten the tone this week by talking about a few fantastic examples of the importance of rigour in brand naming. Great creative names often steal the limelight in marketing (think ‘I can’t believe it’s not butter’ in a world of ‘Flora’ and ‘Lurpak’ or ‘Egg’ in a world of ‘Natwest,’ ‘Barclay’s’ and ‘Lloyd’s). But so many times it’s the unsung hard work of people with common sense that makes the real difference. And alas for the brands in question, it’s only through lapses in rigour that its importance is revealed. There are countless blunders in the annals of brand naming but here are some recent favourites:

The joint venture in June between Nigeria’s state Gas company and Gazprom: Nigaz http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8118721.stm

A self-deprecating solicitors firm recently pointed out to me by a friend: http://www.wrighthassall.co.uk/

And the Wisconsin Tourism Federation which (given its logo and acronym) recently decided to make a change:

        
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