What can a monokini teach us about marketing

Monokini. Do you know what a monokini is? Does the name make your mind wander for a moment? You can see  a monokini here. In a recent issue of the Vanity Fair magazine, I came across an interesting promo about one of the oldest and most recognizable brands in the swimwear industry – Jantzen. The company was founded in 1910 in Portland, Oregon, and to honour its centennial anniversary the company has recently launched the Heritage Collection by Jantzen. Click here to see it.

In the above promo about Jantzen, the word monokini was prominently featured. Why am I sharing this with you? Because a great product name can give your marketing efforts a tremendous boost. Here is what Sara Blakley, the founder of SPANX, says on this topic on spanx.com: “I knew that Kodak and Coca-Cola are the two most recognized names in the world, and they both have a predominant “K” sound in them. Also, from doing stand-up comedy, it is a known secret that the “K” sound makes people laugh. So for good luck, I wanted my product’s name to have the “K” sound in it, and SPANKS hit me like a lightning bolt. I immediately knew it was perfect! At the last minute I changed the “KS” to an “X” after doing research that made-up words do better for products than real words (and are easier to trademark). Spanx is edgy, fun, extremely catchy, and for a moment it makes your mind wander (admit it).”

My question to you is this: Why wouldn’t you give your product and/or service a name that people and the press could love?