One of the more interesting takes on naming and branding to come dribbling down the binjo ditch today is from an article in Brandweek:

The airline that will evolve from the proposed merger of America West and US Airways will have to fight off perceptions of a brand — currently reorganizing under Chapter 11 of the Federal Bankruptcy Act — dubbed “Agony Air” by passengers and get all employees on board in defining and delivering a satisfying customer experience.

If a bankruptcy court approves and the deal closes, the carrier will operate as US Airways out of Tempe, Arizona. Leading the new company will be America West CEO Doug Parker, who transformed a dysfunctional legacy airline into the No. 2 low-fare flyer behind Southwest. The US Airways name has more brand equity than geographic limiting America West, but its aura is negative. Remember this is the airline that had to dangle free trips and other perks just to get disgruntled baggage handlers to show up for work during the disastrous Christmas travel season when thousands of passengers arrived at their destinations but their luggage-toting holiday presents didn’t.

“I don’t think the name matters,” said David Melancon, CEO of FutureBrand USA, a New York branding consultancy. “Consumers have shown us that you can slap a made up name like JetBlue and people love it because of the experience. We have lots of airline companies on our roster and one thing we learned is the brand is the experience, it’s not the advertising, the logo on the tail; the brand isn’t the name.”

FutureBrand’s CEO is clearly elucidating a contrarian viewpoint here, which is refreshing. The FutureBrand website lists naming as a specialty, and devotes an entire paragraph to the subject beneath the header “Defining new brand ideas”:

A name is the most immediate and lasting articulation of what a new brand is all about. A great name will advance the business strategy, justify premium pricing and set the tone for the personality of the brand. But with the proliferation of global trademarks, naming is also getting harder. FutureBrand combines creative excellence with a robust legal and linguistic process to develop powerful names that work in the real world.

Once more for effect:

FutureBrand CEO:

“I don’t think the name matters,” said David Melancon, CEO of FutureBrand USA, a New York branding consultancy. “Consumers have shown us that you can slap a made up name like JetBlue and people love it because of the experience.

FutureBrand Website:

A name is the most immediate and lasting articulation of what a new brand is all about. A great name will advance the business strategy, justify premium pricing and set the tone for the personality of the brand.

A third time for humor, and because cutting and pasting makes it so dosh garn easy:

FutureBrand CEO:

“I don’t think the name matters,” said David Melancon, CEO of FutureBrand USA, a New York branding consultancy. “Consumers have shown us that you can slap a made up name like JetBlue and people love it because of the experience.

FutureBrand Website:

A name is the most immediate and lasting articulation of what a new brand is all about. A great name will advance the business strategy, justify premium pricing and set the tone for the personality of the brand.

To the novice, FutureBrand’s inclusion of the qualifier “names that work in the real world” in describing their naming specialty may seem unnecessary. But naming is a niche full of micros. For instance, Landor creates names, taglines and slogans that work in the buoyancy sacks of spiny northern pike, as signals to light the fire at Croatian cremations (Solekia! Acterna!), and on girls named Rhonda.