By definition, a noun is ‘a part of speech that denotes a person, animal, place, thing, or idea’ and a verb signals an action, an occurrence, or a state of being. A brand being the name of an item or product is a noun, however, over time some brands have referenced certain segments and have served as general descriptors of those segments or service – e.g. we refer to the act of using a search engine as ‘google’; even while other engines are being used. Why are some popular brands or products used as verbs in our everyday conversation and others not?
The benefits derivable from “verbification” of a brand are quite obvious; It accords top of mind awareness to the brand and by implication the brand is the first choice of the consumers. The lack of strong differentiation can be to their advantage as consumers often do not insist on any particular brand. I recall some years ago in Nigeria, every detergent was referred to as “Omo”, while every malt drink was called “Maltina”, internationally the “post it” paper is often representative of other sticky notes.
Some marketers are of the view that ‘verbification’ of a brand is the ultimate compliment you can accord a brand, as it emphasizes the connection that consumers have with the brand. There is a new wave of thinking that supports the position that brand verbification results from the several contacts and experiences of consumers with brands and the ability of the brand to be relevant and integrated with the motivations and aspirations of such consumers. The buzz is that brands should move beyond just being nouns to being energized and actioned packed as a verb!
The opponents of the position on the other hand are clear on their view that making reference to a brand name as a descriptor of an action commoditizes the brand and makes it generic. Companies usually spend a lot of money maintaining their trademarks and verbification puts such trademark at risk and the brand may lose its trademark or a competitor may use their brand name generically in their advertising campaign – can you imagine Microsoft Bing search advertising thus “use Bing search when you need to google”? ‘Verbification’ places a lot of pressure on brands to differentiate themselves leading to increased marketing spend geared towards creating a clear line of differentiation.
Verbification is more popular with brands or services that have pioneered certain segments; as you have in ‘tweeting’; when consumers/customers do not find an easy word to describe that action, they just turn the offering into a verb. ‘Verbifying’ is here to stay – brands often do not set out to become verbs in the marketplace, such position is often conferred by consumers! The proponents argue that the recall and patronage of ‘verbified’ brands far outweigh any perceived risk – better to gain market share now and worry about other issues later!
To be or not to be? Brand as a noun or brand as a verb? Share your perspective @ info@purplepearlng.com.