What's in a name?

The Post Office is soon to become history when it changes its name to Consignia. The management advisers Anderson Consulting are now known as accenture.

Confused? So was Greg Watts. Just who are the people who do today's branding?

PEOPLE talk about brands when they really mean logo," says Glyn Britton, 27, associate director of Interbrand Newell and Sorrell. "We see branding as the soul of the company." And Jeff Bezos, chief executive of Amazon.com, adds: "Branding is what people say about you when you are not there."

We might think of brand in terms of a product name - Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Chanel - rather than our experience of a company. But the unhelpful monotone telephonist, the haughty waiter, and the offhand reply from customer services are all part of what makes a brand.

Branding, continues Britton, is also often confused with advertising and marketing. "It's the values that make you who you are. The logo, the visual image, is the clothes you wear. Advertising is about making promises about your brand to your customer."

Formed 25 years ago as the first specialist branding consultancy, Interbrand Newell and Sorrell has offices in Covent Garden and Primrose Hill, as well as 22 other locations around the world. It has worked with some of the world's best-known companies and invented names such as Hobnobs, Prozac and the Mondeo.

The name of a product or company is, of course, crucial. But who would have thought that a simple word like "orange" could work so well for a mobile phone company, or "virgin" for an airline and record company?

"You just can't create names in a vacuum. We like to talk to the client about how they are going to position their brand in the market place and what the personality of the brand will be," says Suzanna Trollope, who, as director of naming, is paid to dream up catchy names.

"Before we show a name to a client, we have to make sure it's appropriate to a particular culture," she adds.

A glass display cabinet at the Covent Garden offices contains products such as sweets, cereals and crisps with names that may work in, say, America or Italy but in Britain would produce derision. I mean, would you ask for a packet of Crapsy Fruit or a jar of Manx Nobs? The trademark law team check all names to make sure they are not already in use.

Brainstorming sessions with her team of 11, and with potential customers of a client, are important in thinking up the right name for a product. But Trollope readily admits that the brightest ideas often pop up at the most unlikely times.

Britton also confesses to spending 25 a week on magazines to keep up with the latest ideas and styles.

So what sort of skills are needed for a career in branding? "We're looking for people who can think both creatively and strategically. You need to be a good listener, have excellent communication skills, be able to argue clearly and be organised and flexible," says Trollope, who has a degree from Oxford in Modern Languages.

"You need a passion for what you want to do, be able to come up with sparkling ideas and be a team player," says Britton.

"We work closely with web and advertising agencies, marketing departments, interior designers, PR companies and architects."

With more and more businesses going global, a career in branding will include meetings overseas. In the past six months Britton, who worked in marketing at BA before coming to Interbrand Newell and Sorrell, has travelled to New York and Stockholm, while Trollope has been discussing ideas with clients in Dusseldorf and Mexico City.

The decision by the store Iceland to change its name to its internet address is an example of how the internet is affecting branding.

"The internet means we have to do what we have always done, but better. A web-site doesn't have a physical presence.

Through the text and graphics, you have to communicate a well- defined vision about what your brand means," says Britton.

Britton would acknowledge that consumers are more sophisticated and able to see behind the hype surrounding a company or product: "We can do all the work in the world, but it has to be backed up by something tangible."

THERE is no specific qualification or training programme for those wanting to enter a career in branding, which is an arm of marketing. While it's common for those in advertising and public relations to cross over into branding, theoretically the doors are open to anyone who possesses excellent communication, analytical and interpersonal skills and can show an everyday awareness of brands and branding issues.

For information, phone the Chartered Institute of Marketing on 01628 427500, or visit their website: www.cim.co.uk.

Copyright 2001
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.