Wordcraft

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Five little words—BlackBerry, Accenture, Viagra, Cayenne, e-business—serve as the foundation for an exploration into the origins and impact of brand names. Words shape the modern marketplace, yet their origins often remain hidden. How did terms like Saturn and PowerBook come to be? Journalist Alex Frankel embarks on a year-long journey to trace the evolution of successful brand names, gaining access to the world of professional namers—marketers who create words that become part of our daily language. Frankel's in-depth examination reveals how companies craft their identities through naming, shaping narratives that influence their public image. He takes readers into the conference rooms of Lexicon, the largest naming firm, to uncover the story behind the BlackBerry's name and travels to Germany to see how Porsche named its controversial SUV. The creative team behind Viagra shares how they transformed a fabricated word into a powerful concept, while IBM's ownership of "e-business" reflects a corporate turnaround. Beyond business meetings, we meet characters like freelance namer Andrea Michaels, who balances her naming work with competitive Scrabble. The narrative is enriched with cultural and historical references, making it a captivating exploration of the power of words and ideas in today's marketplace.