Naming with Unilever

Here’s what I learned having Unilever as a client for 2 years and working with their product development and brand strategy teams:

Naming is both EVERYTHING and NOTHING simultaneously.

It’s EVERYTHING because it’s what all your other positioning is attached to.

Anyone who uses soap knows Dove.

And I don’t know about you… but I’d never buy soap named Pigeon (although there’s a Japanese brand with this name).

The name creates a first impression.

It’s the first point of contact with customers.

And it encapsulates the brand’s identity…

Which instantly conveys its positioning.

That’s why choosing the right name can communicate the brand’s values, personality, and even its promise in a split second.

It’s not a coincidence that doves (the bird) represent purity and peace.

And it’s not a coincidence that most people assume Dove soap is white.

But today Dove is much more than soap.

It’s a powerhouse brand with tons of products under its name.

And that name, along with its promise and values, has to constantly be redefined.

To redefine “purity” Unilever launched Dove’s Real Beauty campaign.

They showed how make-up and photo editing software manipulate the appearance of real women to an unachievable beauty ideal…

“No wonder our perception of beauty is distorted.”

And they positioned themselves as truth-bearers, fighting for purity and honesty.

Now when most people hear about a soap brand fighting against something…

They think of germs…

But Dove fights against unrealistic beauty ideals.

And this isn’t a new idea or a trend…

Back in 1957 they sold the Dove Beauty Bar:

“Revolutionary new beauty cleansing bar”

That’s one of the ways it’s positioned as a premium brand with a higher price.

But they had a problem…

“Beauty Bar” resonated very well with women… but not with men.

From 2014 to 2018 they targeted male customers and closed the gap between men and women in the haircare product sector...

But they are still working to close that gap in the skincare and cosmetics sector.

This shows you how naming is innately linked to culture…

And great naming takes into consideration cultural sensitivity.

But at the same time naming is NOTHING.

You can slap a new name on a product and sell it the same.

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

Because the quality of the product itself…

And how the customer experiences that product…

That’s what will ultimately determine their association they have with the name.

So the name should enhance the experience of a great product.

The value of the Dove name is what you feel after you’ve used the product.

You don’t feel “pure” when you buy Dove…

You feel “pure” when you use it.

So the name means nothing without a product that delivers on the promise.

But most people have never heard of Unilever before…

Even though it’s one of the largest consumer goods companies in the world.

And what does Unilever even mean? What does it stand for?

The name Unilever definitely doesn’t enhance anything about the name Dove.

This is more a question of how shareholders will view it…

And how talent will perceive it.

It’s almost useless to the end customer.

If you look up Unilever’s brand promise…

They are all about paying livable wages (to their talent)…

And diversifying their supply chain (for their shareholders).

But the biggest takeaway from working with teams inside Unilever…

Was how they spend their money.

Unilever spends about $1B per year on research and development.

They constantly reinvest into their products.

So when it came naming products…

The product teams and brand strategy teams that I worked with…

Got a new product, flavor, size, type before they named it.

The name came after the product…

Because they understand that the name enhances the experience of the product…

It does not define it.

Too often I see brands come up with a catchy name first…

Only to worry about the product later.

They try to match the outcome and experience of the product to the name…

Which is backwards.

Even if your product isn’t finished or hasn’t been created yet…

Its name should reflect the outcome your audience wants to get from your product.

And remember that a great product is much more important than a great name.

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