Apr 21 in Branding
Written by: Heather Rast
While making a quick grocery run last night, a friend ran by an end cap in the beverage section that gave her pause. I’m not a big wine drinker so maybe this isn’t news to you as it was to me–but evidently there’s a wine on the market named, of all things, Bitch.
Now that’s different, admit it. One wine reviewer is quoted as saying “Bitch Grenache…Supple, sweet, and tasty, this wine totally over-delivers for its humble price and is an exceptional value.” I’m not sure I reconcile the review with the brand name. Kind of expected something more along the lines like “Tart, flirty, and totally kicked my ass.”
At Ovation (my employer), we’re working through a whole brand audit, rebranding, and repositioning process. Giving great consideration to our name is certainly something I’ve dedicated a lot of energy and think-time on, along with research and ideation sessions with talented creative thinkers.
And I can’t say that my mind would have ever laterally wandered to such a provocative (not to mention potentially polarizing) epithet.
I’m not put off by a curse word for a name. In fact, it’s intriguing on one level that a company would be so bold. But I’m disappointed because I don’t see that there’s been any follow-through on the “Bitch” promise in their marketing or even on a packaging level (I don’t actually think of tiny pink hearts when I think of Bitch). There’s no clever Web site with the back story, there’s no community movement of wine drinkers sharing the inevitable memorable story when they gave a bottle of Bitch as a hostess gift. There’s no branded Bitch Wine merchandise. There’s no intrigue, no mystery. No story.
I think this could have been a great consumer interest hook among wine drinkers. Right now it’s just a bottle of squished grapes.
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5 Comments for: The Name Says It All
Being a marketing guy that encourages intrepid marketing, I love it when companies do something bold like naming themselves “Bitch.”
But you are right, what a disappointment that there has been no follow-thru…
Wow…they really missed the boat with this one. What marketing fun that could have been had…a shame. 
Heather, BTW, I like you better than Seth. You have smarts and personality!
heatherrast
Twitter: heatherrast
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April 27th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
I agree, a name like that just begs for clever execution across all tactics following a well-thought brand development strategy. I mean, who comes up with a name like that and doesn’t intend to leverage the idea across every touchpoint? Any purpose they might have had in staking a bold claim against the competition frankly isn’t worth the label it’s written on, IMO.
LUV the endorsement, Mrs. Harte. BIG smile!
[...] Brand development is an important part of building a business, and often relegated to a few perfunctory tactics. Have you stopped to consider the overall image your brand projects, and effect that image has on the aggregate long term? [...]
heatherrast
Twitter: heatherrast
Reply:
April 27th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
“Bold” is an adjective I’d use to refer to a characteristic, a quality of something/one. In this case, it feels more like a misnomer and less like a moniker for the product. I’d even go so far as to say it’s fraudulent because the wine stakes a claim that no where (inasmuch as I can uncover) does it deliver.
Thanks for stopping by, Todd.
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