What Does Your Brand Name Say About You?

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Today's post is about brand name connotations.

A Brand name is a key asset of an innovative company. But - What does your brand name say about you (or your products)?

Here's a little test.

In July 2006, a business trade journal rang up the customer service Helpline for a well known branded product. The journalist was posing as a customer asking questions about the product.


Your Task:
What brand do you think the journalist called? Why do you think it's the brand you have named? Please post your answers on-line as Comments on this Post.


Here's how the conversation went...


Brand: Good afternoon, [brand name], How can I help?

Journalist: I read that 8,000 litres of [brand name] leaked into a river, killing loads of fish, and I want to know if it's dangerous for humans.

Brand: Not at all. They've actually relaunched it and the ingredients have changed, so it's a lot better for you now than a lot of fruit drinks are.

Journalist: How has it changed?

Brand: Let me check. Sorry to keep you. [Journalist has to hold for a while] All that has changed is that it has less sugar.

Journalist: I also saw that it turned the river bright orange. What gives it that colouring? Is it artificial?

Brand: Yes.

Journalist: It's not going to turn my insides orange then.

Brand: No. As I said, it's one of the best fruit drinks for you now in the supermarket.

Journalist: What are the ingredients?

Brand: This is for the [names a flavour variant]: water; fruit juice and concentrate; orange; mandarin; lime and grapefruit; sugar; glucose; fructose syrup; citric acid; preservatives; polyphosphate; potassium sorbate; thickener; guar gum; vitamins pro-vitamin A, B1, B6 and C; modified starch and natural flavourings.

Journalist: You said this was one of the healthiest drinks on the market?

Brand: Yes, because it contains the least amount of sugar now.

Journalist: But it has loads of added ingredients, so it can't be that healthy.

Brand: Well it's down to the individual if they want to drink it.

Journalist: But compared with pure orange juice, it's not better.

Brand: Well, yes.

Journalist: Yes it is or yes it isn't?

Brand: No, it's obviously not.

Journalist: How much vitamin C is in the product?

Brand: For 100 ml it has 30g and for 200 ml it has 60g. If you want more information, you can go onto our website at [then gives a website address which is incorrect].

Task for Product Innovation students:
What is the brand? And why did you think it was that brand? Please post your answers as Comments to this post.