Sabrina, Kelly, Birkin: who are they?
Brief, concise and specific, this is requested by a well-informed client that uses naming! A few words and seconds to obtain a desired object, a brand new Gucci bag.
No more alphanumeric codes or ambiguous descriptions but an actual name to identify the product.
Naming is becoming more common in accessory companies that manufacture for both the luxury and the mass markets.
In the current market, it’s no longer good enough to just choose the right trends, colors, shapes and sizes of new products. You need to make up a convincing story about the product in order to have it perceived as unique. This is why accessory companies now need to create something more than just an “eye-catching” bag but rather a product with a “catchy” name.
The product name must be something more than simply a way to distinguish one product from another; it must be a real brand business card for consumers.
A modern brand is actually a much more complex asset than a simple logo. It creates a network of mental associations and behaviors in consumers through interactions with the product, the brand, advertising and word of mouth. The primary stimulus is the product name, which must be consistent with the overall image of the brand.
Following on a tradition from the world of jewelry, fashion brands worldwide are adopting the “naming” strategy for their accessories.
Major French fashion houses have already been doing this for their accessories, such as: “Kelly” for the Hermes bag, 2.55 at Chanel, and Lady D at Dior.
Until just a few years ago, “naming” clashed with brand building.
The main trend was to focus on the product (or on a product line) rather than on the brand with regards to the development of both ranges and types and the need for continuous and rapid change seeing the speed of product consumption.
A few years ago, it was enough to have a “Gucci”, a “Louis Vuitton” or a “Chanel” bag. Nowadays, the request is more specific: “Not just a Chanel bag, but a Coco’s Croco by Chanel!”
This leads to having to clarify one thing immediately: naming is not only a creative exercise.
It calls for strategic evaluation on both short-term and mid-to-long-term levels with respect to widening of product ranges, market changes and name obsolescence.
The “Pantone” line created by Mango for their stores is a good example of successful, cross-market strategy from the luxury to the mass market.
Each major fashion house adopts its own personal method.
Dior’s “Samourai 1947” collection simultaneously recalls the classic shapes of the Forties and the Japanese Samurai breastplate.
Balenciaga’s “Giant” focuses on the product’s distinctive details, such as the big stud (the brand symbol), which is even bigger in their new product.
For brands such as Yves Saint Laurent, the product name embodies the maison style: “Downtown” for their casual look and “Uptown” for their urban-chic look.
Marc Jacobs chooses his brand names based on inspiring “Muses“. His first bag was called “Venetia” after Venetia Scott, a fashion editor and friend. Then came the Julianne (Moore), the (Hilary) Swank, the Carolyn (Bassette and Kennedy) and the most recent Stam, after his favorite model Jessica Stam.
Along with creative reasons, there are also marketing motivations that push for the use of “naming”. The idea is to create a product family that will last more than one season. So, as in a human life, after a child’s baptism, the company hopes it will grown up to take its place in the House’s Brand Heritage.
A very interesting aspect is cost, which are actually not that high in comparison to the benefits and return on the communication project.
At Mandarina, “naming” is done by the Marketing office during the analysis of new materials and creation of new lines. Very often, our product names refer to their components.
For Spring/Summer 2008, we’ve called one of leather lines Handle, because the bag handles are not just functional but also decorative.
Same philosophy for our Judo line (one of my favorites), where the shoulder straps have visual seams reminiscent of Judo belts and can be knotted to make he association even stronger.
As for our travel lines, which are very important to us, we have chosen highly impacting and efficient names (Tank, Work and File) that recall our heritage.
I think that a very fitting example is “Joy”, which speaks of the happiness of our eco-friendly line, of its bright orange and red (coming soon) and happy, informal nature of Mandarina Duck.
It’s obvious that “naming” can be an excellent strategy for building a valid brand image in all small, medium and large companies.
Technorati Tags: bags, Sabrina, Gucci, Kelly, Hermes, Lady D, Dior, Chanel, Coco’s Croco, Giant, Balenciaga, YSL, Marc Jacobs
3 November 2010 at 04:54
Hello, just doing some research for my Marc Jacobs website. Lots of information out there. Looking for something else, but nice site. Have a good day.