As baby boomers begin to retire and the next generation becomes the leaders of tomorrow, companies are recognizing that they must change to meet new consumers and influencers. This new, younger generation has been influenced by technology. Digital cameras, MP3 players, DVDs and mobile phones have all played a role in defining the latest color trends. Noticing this, companies have used these palettes — bright, vivid and futuristic pinks, silver and bright purple — to attract the new audience.

While Generation Y continues to age with Generation Z at their heels, don’t forget about the classic colors of black and white; they will always have a place in any communications piece or logo, no matter what the target audience.

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It’s no wonder that big brands often have strong color palettes. But what happens when those big brands — or any size brand for that matter — have a line extension? The question becomes: Should a new color be added to the brand’s palette and, if so, how do you introduce your customers to it?

The short answer is: Stop! (imagine screeching brake sounds now).

The long answer is: Proceed, but with caution. This is more than a design decision. Adding color to the palette requires an evaluation of the brand architecture to determine what makes the most sense. And if your company determines that adding color to a brand’s palette is a good idea, it also needs to take a strategic approach to migrating the new color into your brand’s collateral, website, etc. This is where a good marketing communications plan can make all the difference in the world.

Color plays an important role in branding (logo, collateral and everything) — after all, 80 percent of visual information is related to color. Don’t underestimate its value by making the decision flippantly.

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Pictaculous generates color palettes from images and then it references other color resources to give you additional palettes to incorporate into your designs. It is slick. Here is the color palette generated from my Go East avatar:

There is too much beige in my palette, but I like some of the ColourLovers suggestions!

Color crowd sourcing is the way to go!

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We are proud to have partnered with Fairview Clinics to launch the “Care That Fits Your Life” campaign. The fully integrated campaign includes TV, radio, print, outdoor and web banner advertising. Check out the TV spot on YouTube and let us know what you think.

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Go East sorted the names of the top 100 revenue-generating Minnesota companies into four categories — descriptive, dreamt up, humanistic and suggestive.

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Juliet:
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”

Shakespeare, “Romeo and Juliet” (II, 1-2)

We look to Shakespeare as the authority on all things related to the most excellent use of the English language. The bard was both poet and playwright, crafting language that created characters that have lasted half a millenium. And yet, in “Romeo and Juliet” he has Juliet diminish the most fundamental act of language — naming. True, the flower came before its name, yet its name embodies — with sound and later meaning — all that we come to associate with the name “rose.”

Naming

So, when an organization seeks a name for itself or its product, to whom should it look to create a name? Where do we find modern-day Shakespeares who can craft language to meet the many needs of modern-day name?

Understanding brand, what builds brand and how the name must truly embody the brand is critical to naming success. At Go East, we believe branding provides differentiation, which promises business success. A name is the core of differentiation execution. Taking a too-cautious approach to naming risks developing a name that refuses to stick in the mind of your customer. Living too much in the past can create a name that doesn’t work for future growth. And creating a name that is so different that there is no context, no point of reference, or is just too weird risks alienating the people you want to engage.

Finding the perfect name requires a balance of art and science. We believe naming is a craft that combines strategy and poetry, semantics and sound. There are so many considerations needed to create a relevant name it is imperative that businesses partner with agencies that have a robust naming processes that take all aspects into consideration. Our process, based on the best industry practices, allows us to flex our linguistic skills within our brand-building context to meet our clients’ business needs. We provide clients with a fresh perspective that considers all the angles — trademarking, digital needs, visual and verbal impact. And we help our clients to look forward to their business vision and ensure that the name can withstand the test of time.

I wouldn’t go so far as to go head-to-head with Shakespeare, but I will name a rose a rose when it makes sense for the brand.

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Shave and a haircut, two bits.

Did you just hear the Bo Diddley rhythm in your head? Admit it, you know you did. That’s because the power of rhythm and language is so strong, it can create powerful word/sound associations that stick in your brain longer than you may want them there. (No offense, Mr. Diddley.)

Being a drummer, I’ve always been fascinated by the relationship between language and rhythm. So often we use words to conjure up visual images and we forget the impact of their sound. The advertising world, however, has long been aware of this powerful combination and has not been shy in employing it in the process of naming products.

Here are some ways in which product names are regularly enhanced with sound.
1. Onomatopoeia — Words that sound like their meaning. Examples include: “Snap! Crackle! Pop!” (Kellogg’s Rice Krispies),  KABOOM bathroom cleaning products and “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz” (Alka-Seltzer). OK, maybe I’m the only one old enough to remember this last one, but you get the idea.

2. Rhyming — Rhyming words can not only make you groan, they can also serve as powerful memory-joggers. Lean Cuisine, YouTube and  Crunch ‘n Munch all benefit from enhanced memorability due to their simple rhyming structure. (The latter is also a good example of onomatopoeia.)

3. Alliteration — A repetition of sounds in two or more neighboring words, i.e. Bed, Bath & Beyond, Dunkin’ Donuts and Jimmy John’s. These names all have their roots in the “Peter-Piper-picked-a-peck-of-pickled-peppers” school. Although I don’t believe this is where the term “Peter Principle” originated.

4. Neologisms — Making new words by combining two or more existing words. Snapple = snap + apple,  Nyquil = night-time + quiet,   Dayquil =  … well, you get the picture.

5. Haplology — A three-word phrase with the middle abbreviated. Land O’Lakes, Bit ‘O Honey and Rid-X (ok, somebody here was just being lazy) are a few examples. In addition to making every day sound like St. Patrick’s Day, the word “haplology” also contains “lol” in the middle of it, which I like to think is more than just a coincidence.

These are just some of the ways in which naming exploits the sound of words for maximum impact; there are many others.

Well, I hope you enjoyed our little trip through rhythm land. Here’s hoping it gave you a bunch-o-fun, bang for your buck and made your day funny, sunny, and a little less craptacular. (Ba-DUM-boom).

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