Archives for October 2020

People have always adored this brand. Their apparel might be based on sportswear, traditionally, but they have risen to become a trendy brand. 

Adidas clothing, shoes and accessories are proudly worn by fashion-conscious individuals from every walk of life, particularly the youthful and active members of society.

Adidas is a sports apparel brand with a special focus on sports shoes. The brand is based in Germany but quickly became the second largest manufacturer of prestige sportswear in the world, after Nike which was rated number one. They claimed the title as the most popular sportswear brand across Europe. 

Adidas: A brief history

What started as a single company between two brothers, became two separate entities, each claiming its own crowning glory in the world of sports apparel. Puma and Adidas were the result of a feud between two brothers from the family Dassler. The family originally began manufacturing shoes when the first world war ended, as their family business. 

The first step to success for the Adidas brand occurred in 1936 when track-and-field star Jesse Owen wore a pair of shoes that were gifted to him by one of the brothers. Owens enjoyed a winning streak and the shoes he wore got significant attention. 

This cemented the brand into the minds of many sports fans and the brand enjoyed significant positive attention as a result. 

However, the brothers, Adi (Adolf) and Rudi (Rudolph) had a feud which saw them ending their business relationship when they were unable to reach a compromise. They each started their own endeavour, giving birth to the two brands Adidas and Puma. 

Both brands have gained significant popularity among consumers and both brands are considered an authority in the sportswear industry. 

The brand’s image

The simplicity of their branding has certainly played a significant role in their success. The iconic three stripes in a mountain-like slant in monochrome black and white are synonymous with an image of sportiness, trendiness, and practicality. 

Their decision to write the brand’s name all in lowercase was a bold move for its time. Ignoring the rules of grammar in favour of a trendy image with a rebellious streak further built their brand in the minds of their consumers as an authority with a mind of its own. 

Adidas is actually the combination of the founder’s name and surname. His name was Adof Dassler, although he was nicknamed Adi. He took his nickname and added the first three letters of his surname, forming the word Adidas. 

There have been rumours among fans over the years that the name is actually an acronym for the phrase “all day I dream about sport”,and while it fits the brand, its image, and the phrase perfectly, it’s unintentional. 

The power of a name

Adidas is a simple and straightforward name that’s easy to remember. The name is iconic and aligns with the brand’s simple and black and white text and logo design. 

The brand’s target market is predominantly people (especially males) with an interest in sport and practicality. The simplicity in the branding sells the name, and as powerful due, they sell the image which sells the products. 

For some brands, finding a simple and effective name like this comes naturally. For others, the perfect name is elusive. 

Fortunately, with today’s technological advancements and innovative inventions, there are many resources that simplify tasks like choosing a brand name. This is an important step in cementing the success of your brand at a foundation level. Using a tool, like naming experts, can yield the perfect name to enchant your audience and gain you lucrative attention. 

Rakuten is a tech e-commerce platform that specializes in B2M E-Commerce. They were based in Tokyo only, at first, but quickly rose to success and expanded from there. They are now in partnership with some of the biggest e-commerce giants of the world, creating a partnership with their traders that seeks to uplift, empower, and inspire entrepreneurs – demonstrated in their apt business name. 

Like so many successful brands, they have a powerful name for their organization. With many entrepreneurs searching for names that will represent their ethos in a succinct manner, a number of people wonder how the founder came upon such a catchy and meaningful name. 

Before we get to look at the cultural influences and the meaning of the word “Rakuten”, we must understand the brand’s journey and how its name aptly umbrella’s its ethos under a single term. 

Understanding the company culture and its background

The e-commerce culture has always favored the store visitors, the shoppers, over the traders. This makes sense since the origins of the funding are where you need to be investing if you want good conversion rates and repeat business. 

Rakuten turned that upside down. They proudly state that they support disruptive ideas and forward-thinking businesses, and that might be because they’re somewhat disruptive in their approach to e-commerce, themselves. 

Instead of building a business that sells itself to online shoppers, they worked to appeal to the traders. Rakuten created a space that supports innovation, they chose a business name that expresses this. They want a dynamic approach to selling tech. Richard Brandson actually works with an idealogy that’s very similar as demonstrated by his famous quote: 

“Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.” 

-Richard Branson. 

Rakuten: The backstory and the business name

First founded under the business name Rakuten Ichiba in 1997, this online marketplace hit the world of trading with a fresh take. They wanted to offer the exact opposite of what larger and well established online marketplaces, like IBM, were doing. Instead of controlling traders to try and achieve uniformity among their stores, Rakuten Ichiba decided to appeal to traders rather than shoppers. 

They offered lower store fees, more flexibility in terms of customizing the appearance of the storefront, and great freedom to individualize their marketing and their products. 

This was an interesting new take because by targeting entrepreneurs and vendors rather than shoppers, they empowered the store owner to do the hard work – which is engaging the customers. 

The eclectic mix of stores naturally attracts a wider range of shoppers. The success of this strategy is clear as day. It became known as the Amazon of Japan, but it also operates in 29 countries outside of Japan until it officially expanded throughout the world. 

Rakuten: What’s in the name?

In June 1999, two years after the company was founded, they changed the business name to Rakuten (dropping the Ichiba as a second part of the name). The word “Rakuten” means optimism in Japanese, and the brand states that this is because, at their core, they want to empower businesses and individuals to embrace a great optimism when they think about the future. They chose a short single-word business name that aligns with this philosophy.

Their mission statement says: “Walk Together” expresses our dedication to building a better, more optimistic future by empowering individuals, businesses and societies to realize their dreams.” The word “Rakuten”, when used as a business name, certainly portrays a sense of hope, partnership, and creativity. 

The power of a business name

Choosing the perfect business name for your brand isn’t a task worth skipping over. It is worth it to think about the best possible way, to sum up, what you stand for and what you offer to the world, and how your brand’s name plays into that. Of course, it’s not always easy, It’s a whole lot simpler when you assist a brand naming agency.