Names are a powerful part of any brand. I was reminded of this recently with two stories of food items I heard over the last couple of months.

The Story of the Chilean Sea Bass

First, let's start with what this fish's real name is – the Patagonian Toothfish. It is neither a bass, nor Chilean – its actually from the Arctic. In the 90′s, Chileans simply discovered this fish to be very versatile in cooking and understood that no one would choose to eat a fish called "Toothfish", so they gave it the name "Sea Bass". It quickly spread in popularity in Chile with its knew found name. Soon thereafter, chefs from the U.S. caught wind of this phenom and gave its complete name, the "Chilean Sea Bass", adding to its mystique. Many chefs in the most upscale restaurants in NY & LA began using the Chilean Sea Bass in their recipes, adding to the popularity of its use. When the fish first began growing in popularity, it was widely available. Today, after a decade of popularity in the U.S. which caused overfishing, the Chilean Sea Bass is on the verge of extinction. Many of the very chefs who gave it its popularity are now banding together to attempt to save the fish from such a fate. This fish went from obscurity to one of the most popular ingredients in restaurants all because its name was changed to something that communicated a different message to consumers.

The Story of the Portobello

The portobello mushroom has a similiar story. This mushroom is nothing more than a brown crimini mushroom allowed to grow larger. This mushroom actually used to be something that farmers couldn't sell and had to throw away…"The name ‘portobello' began to be used in the 1980s as a brilliant marketing ploy to popularize an unglamorous mushroom that, more often than not, had to be disposed of because growers couldn't sell them."(The New Food Lover's Companion, Sharon Tyler Herbst, 3rd edition [Barrons:New York] 2001 p. 485M). Again, something that was considered unpopular, but in plentiful supply, was given a new name and marketed as a high-end product, and began being used in upscale restaurants and recipes. Today, this ingredient is something we hear about all the time.

Both stories show us that names are a crucial part of branding. Names set the tone for how someone will perceive any organization or product. Next time you're thinking about naming something, just think about the stories of the Toothfish and the brown crimini mushroom.

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