Helpful words:
About Branding
Ingredients to run with
- About: Branding, Naming, Naming Ecosystems
Taking a closer look at running shoe ingredient branding There is a vast world of running shoe ingredient brands. What started with Nike Air and Asics Gel has exploded into a supernova of running technologies™️. While these running companies are busy churning out new innovations, what are they actually communicating to their customers? Do runners…
We’ve Got Your Number: Brand Names that Use Numbers
At A Hundred Monkeys we know that names are made up of interesting stuff. Sometimes there are rich stories, curious histories, or interesting etymologies baked in. Other times brands include unexpected “characters” like letters from ancient alphabets, mathematical symbols, or numbers. I was curious to explore the latter of these three types of names and…
Brewing Good Humor: An Interview with Alex Zobel of Armistice Brewing Company
At A Hundred Monkeys we believe that employing humor in company and product naming is a good way into people’s hearts and minds. A jocular name can stand out in a crowded competitive landscape and communicate an intriguing story with levity or a wink. With nearly 9,000 craft breweries in the US, it’s an industry…
Once, Twice, Three Times Creative: How to enjoy an effective extra round of creative work
Creative endeavors can sometimes produce an environment where a client is curious to see as many options as possible. In the case of our naming business we call this a third round. For reference, we typically develop company and product names across two rounds—a third is rare, but sometimes helpful. We’ve built our naming process around…
The good, the bad, and the bubbly: Naming premixed cocktails
I first became aware of premixed cocktails a few years back via a client project at A Hundred Monkeys. This modern beverage invention — a can, bottle, or ball containing an alcoholic mixture — takes a novel approach to drink-making by putting alcohol in a vessel along with traditional cocktail ingredients and sealing it shut. Premixed cocktails, for the…
The Proof is in the…: Why Feats of Service Make an Impact
A few months back I needed to have the oil changed for my car — a nearby auto shop happened to be the best reviewed so I drove over. The mechanics were polite and gingerly set to work on the request. A few minutes later one of them beckoned me back over to the car….
30 years of A Hundred Monkeys in 30 minutes
I interview my dad, A Hundred Monkeys founder Danny Altman, on the early days of the company and the evolution of naming. We try not to dwell on the the past too much around here but every once in a while it’s nice to take a look around and ask, “how did we get here?”…
Table fellowship: Talking passion and Sonoma County with winemaker Carl Formaker
Carl Formaker, Assistant Winemaker at Three Sticks Wines, was raised a stone’s throw from Sonoma County’s Russian River. Many winters heavy rains cause the river to crest over its banks and flood parts of the Russian River Valley, leaving behind silt and fertile topsoil. That cycle helps create perfect conditions for growing wine grapes and…
Getting by with a little help with your words
Sometimes knowing your brand means knowing when to get creative help. It’s hard to talk about yourself. How much time is spent crafting dating profiles or resumes, or finding the best anecdote to tell on Jeopardy? We all want to make a good impression and usually end up overthinking every word. But how many of us…
« Nombres en México »
This spring I traveled to Mexico to take in the sights, sounds, and names of La Ciudad de los Palacios and the Oaxaca Coast. I found the names of shops, restaurants, bakeries, products, and even creative agencies were at times nuanced, mirthful, and clever — and other times mucho menos. « Romance de la lengua extranjera » Some of…