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The human side of business

Big Brands

Itches.

May 30, 2017 · By Amy Swift Crosby

If you want to know more about someone, participate in a naming exercise. You’ll learn a lot, and fast.

Whereas in many other business interactions it is hard to decode individual and organizational motivation, the process of naming a company, product or brand is an easy tell about the stakeholders.

One of my primary jobs is to name things. In the past few weeks, I’ve found myself around the conference room table with multiple teams in different cities, trying to name companies. Some yearn for clever names that sound like rock bands or production companies, while others want more neutral, confident references that speak to DNA or methodology. Certain generations are solving for Instagram hashtagability, while others are measuring against the seriousness of an investor deck.

One of my favorite aspects of this process is that you can start to see who needs to be creative (maybe they’ve been handcuffed by a suit), or who wants to leverage lowest common denominator (franchise owners). Need is worn right on the sleeve when it comes to names.

Taken further and applied elsewhere, it’s easy to see a hidden agenda unearthed when someone dominates a conversation (control) or mentions their accolades at any opportunity (acknowledgment). It’s all there if you’re paying attention.

All of us have a creative/emotional/professional itch we need to scratch. Sometimes it’s more obvious than others. But certain habitats reveal them in such a poignant way.

It’s so fascinating to watch these unintended confessions revealed. Naming discussions just happen to be an easy place to hear them. But they’re actually everywhere, if you listen.

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About Me

photo of Amy Swift Crosby

Amy Swift Crosby is a brand strategist and copywriter who has positioned or voiced messaging across the commercial spectrum, from icons like Ford, BVLGARI, Pottery Barn, Pantene and Virgin, to boutique brands like The Wild Unknown, fitness franchise Barre3 and the rebrand of legendary metaphysical bookstore, Bodhi Tree. She has leveraged this expertise to help entrepreneurial women and small businesses owners hone their skills, mission and message, while uncovering their own “voice.” This blog explores “the human side of business,” and universal themes like uncertainty, anxiety, the tension between engagement and disconnection, personal value and most importantly, of finding - and hearing - our own voices in our everyday life.

Photo - Andrew Stiles

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SMARTY began as a thriving community in Los Angeles and Boston with weekly panel discussions and events designed to better understand the mindset and growth strategies behind successful entrepreneurs. Today, SMARTY is a weekly blog written by Amy Swift Crosby who chronicles her life as a creative, parent, entrepreneur and spiritual seeker. As an urban refugee living in a New England seaside village, she unpacks topics ranging from uncertainty and doubt to the built environment and advertising. More on Amy.

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