Word collisions are unexpected juxtapositions of language that can create memorable brand names. (Example: DreamWorks.)
The studio name DreamWorks combines an old factory term (“works”) with images of fantasy and reverie.
Here’s another example from Hollywood. What’s the last word you would expect to follow the two words “Industrial” and “Light” in a business name? Well, the word “Magic” might be a good guess. But that’s exactly what George Lucas did in naming his special effects factory: Industrial Light & Magic. The unexpected pairing of something magic with something industrial is what makes this moniker resonate in our brains.
- Consider the TV show titled Dark Angel. Wait a second — aren’t all angels bright and uplifting? That’s the “gotcha” in the name.
- Someone had another kind of vision several decades ago in naming a computer company Thinking Machines Corp. Machines that think? At the time, it was a wild notion to put those contradictory terms together.
- Soft Logic is another example of a surprising contrast. Logic is meant to be crisp and specific. Not soft and fuzzy.
- The educational toy store Zany Brainy. Another intentional dissociation.
- A super glue named MegaDrops (big + tiny).
- The airport in Phoenix called Sky Harbor (a safe place for “airships” to dock).
Once the prospect gets familiar with that word collision, you’ve taken meaning and memorability to a new level.
Why a new level? Because, consumer psychologists tell us, these odd couples start with a burst of dissonance (“Hey, that doesn’t make sense!”) and then rapidly broaden our consciousness.
These paradoxical pairings are surprising and playful, and they engage the left and right brain at the same moment.
The Blake Project Can Help: The Brand Positioning Workshop
Branding Strategy Insider is a service of The Blake Project: A strategic brand consultancy specializing in Brand Research, Brand Strategy, Brand Licensing and Brand Education
