It doesn’t sound like a credit union
In a rebrand project for a credit union, we were getting the same response to some of the names we presented: “I really like it, but it doesn’t sound like a name for a credit union.” So, I did what any great brand strategist would do… I invited them into my shower.
With a family of four, our shower has four brands of shampoo: Redken, Aveda, Axe and Head & Shoulders. Each has its own brand story:
- Redken. – Paula Ken started Redken in 1960 with Chemist Jehri Redding to form a low PH product.
- Aveda. – This brand was founded in 1978 after Horst Rechelbacher visited India and was introduced to the Hindu science of Ayurveda.
- Axe. – Formed in 2009 by Unilever, Axe is based on a French brand, Lynx, that launched in 1983.
- Head & Shoulders. – This anti-dandruff shampoo was introduced by Procter & Gamble in 1961.
Examining these names apart from their brands, would they pass for shampoos of today?
Few today would know (or care) about the significance of Redken’s name. Without 50 years of brand recognition, you may have no idea what Redken even represents. A type of fish? Brand of shoes? Paint color? Aveda, too, is a made-up name, and harkens back to an idea of a mind-body health system. Its name has more to do with philosophy than the act of shampooing.
