We all know that an army of people is constantly working behind the scenes in Hollywood to make sure that the leading actors, musicians, reality TV stars, and celebrities look their best wherever they may be — on the red carpet, on late night TV, in a music video, or in a feature film. It’s all about the clothes, the makeup, the hair, the body… and the name. 
Names are, indeed, an important part of branding in Tinseltown, which is why actor Issur Danielovitch Demsky has always been known to us as Kirk Douglas, singer Elgin Baylor Lumpkin goes by the name of Genuwine, and actress Margaret Hyra calls herself Meg Ryan.
Naming a brand demands a great deal of thought, research, and strategy, too. I remember when I first heard of Google. The name made me think of the word ‘giggle’ and the word game Boggle. And when someone told me about a new coffeehouse chain called Starbucks, I wasn’t sure that the name was a good idea — no one will ever know or remember what the company does, I thought. Just goes to show how hard it can be in the beginning to gauge whether or not a brand name is the right fit for the product and target audience.
Here are names of some successful international brands. See if you can guess what type of products these names represent (click on each link to get the answer):
1. Pocky
3. Eno
4. Kiwi
What brand names did you find strange when you first heard them? And which ones of these have gone on to become international powerhouses?
Photo credit: David Goehring
