SANITA SLIP-RESISTANT CLOG
When the Denmark-based design team at Sanita developed a new slip-resistant professional clog, the product line needed to be appropriately named.
Here’s a look at how I helped Sanita to re-think their original idea and develop the new product name.
The Denmark’s team first take
Initially, the product team in Denmark proposed naming the new slip-resistant clog the Sanita MaxGrip. However, before it launched, they asked for feedback from the U.S. team.
After evaluating, I identified the following issues with this product branding strategy:
Sanita’s brand was normally associated with more gender-neutral marketing. The extreme toughness of the name “Max Grip” seemed unusually masculine.
“Max Grip” was also hyper-specific in the sense that it only described the shoe sole. The new clog line needed room to grow. For example, what if the team added a new shoe feature or an extra insole? A different name might allow the brand to improve the clog’s technology without continuously having to rename it and launch a new product branding campaign.
The criteria that shaped a new name
Based on above analysis of Max Grip, I developed some brainstorming criteria for naming the slip-resistant clog. These questions included:
Would the name work well with Sanita’s other branding and marketing?
What are the American connotations of the words used in the product name?
Does the name appear masculine, feminine or neutral?
Is the name general enough that it could be used if additional enhancements were added to product line?
Is the name trademarked, or has it already been used?
A smarter name
With those key questions in mind, I developed a list of alternative product names for the new clog.
At the top of my list was: the Sanita Smart Step.
Here’s why:
Technology and car companies were beginning to use “smart” terminology a lot. It suggested better performance and better technology. Why not bring this to the footwear industry? (No one else had yet.)
The "smart" term worked well because it would make customers feel like they were making an intelligent purchase by opting for the safer, slip-resistant design.
Using the word “Step” rather than “Grip” made the product feel less masculine. As a more gender-neutral option, it wouldn’t turn off the female demographic.
The name was more general and would allow the product team to add new features to the clog without having to re-brand the product.
After pitching this to the Denmark team, the Sanita Smart Step name was vetted and the new name was adopted in 2012.
