Compelling words

A recent story about a three-year old boy in the USA whose parents had named him Adolf Hitler Campbell got me thinking about branding. (Read about it here.)

This little boy originally made the news when a cake shop refused to supply a cake with 'Happy Birthday Adolf Hitler' written on it.

A name is just a name, isn't it?

Apparently not when it's the name of the leader of the Nazi movement, a name that evokes memories of intolerance, hatred and genocide, a name wrapped in layers of anger, grief, fear and distress.

The situation is compounded by the fact that the boy's younger sisters – JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell – are named after high-ranking Nazi officers.

In their attempt to bestow 'uniqueness', the father said he named his son after Adolf Hitler because he liked the name and because "no one else in the world would have that name".

In marketing, branding is a long-term proposition. And your name – like it or not – is your very own brand.

Now, the beliefs of the family in question and their wisdom in choosing such names for their offspring are not central to my post here. As an aside, many people believe that the name you are given at birth is vital to the person you will become, but again, this belief is not part of my discussion.

I am curious about the challenge this child will face, lumbered with this brand.

"They're just names, you know," his father told the Express-Times newspaper. "Yeah, they (Nazis) were bad people back then. But my kids are little. They're not going to grow up like that."

During a recent marketing workshop I attended, presenter Marc Makrid advocated the following: "You are the custodian of your brand, so be uncompromising in protecting its integrity".

For little Adolf, the gauntlet is cast. He will have to confront and break though the negative connotations of his name, and build a whole new story.

Or else abandon the brand, and choose his own.


Remember to mind your language, whatever your name.