All posts by Brent

Brand Anthropology Consultants

Brand Anthropology Notes:

  • Stay tuned!

Brand Anthropology Projects:

  • 20th Century Fox
  • The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  • DirecTV
  • IBM
  • Jafra
  • The Motion Picture Industry
  • Procter & Gamble
  • The Oscars
  • See’s

Brand Anthropology Services:

  • The Arts of Branding
  • Belief Branding
  • Brand Books
  • Brand Movies
  • Brand Positioning
  • Brand Research
  • Brand Rituals
  • Brand Stories
  • Brand Strategy
  • Brand Themes
  • Consumer Culture
  • Cultural Branding
  • The Economics of Branding
  • Employee Culture
  • Employer Branding
  • Internal Branding
  • Internationalization
  • The Linguistics of Branding
  • Localization
  • Mixed Methods Research
  • Modern Branding Theory
  • The Mythology of Branding
  • Organizational Culture
  • The Psychology of Branding
  • Qualitative Research
  • Quantitative Research
  • The Rhetoric of Branding
  • The Sociology of Branding
  • Translation
  • Video Ethnography

Brand Language Consultants

Brand Language Notes:

  • Stay tuned!

Brand Language Projects:

  • 20th Century Fox
  • 3 Degrees
  • The Academy
  • Albridge
  • Amplify
  • Andanza
  • Angel
  • Atempo
  • Atomic
  • Aviera
  • Be Social
  • Belle De Mer
  • Berlin Allianz
  • Beyond Planet Earth
  • Birmingham Salvo
  • Blueberry Toasters
  • BlueArc
  • Blueline
  • Blueskin
  • Boulevard
  • Brain: The Inside Story
  • Calypso
  • Candid
  • Creatures of Light
  • CeraVe
  • A Chorus of Colors
  • Cinnamon Toasters
  • Ciudad de México Furia
  • Coast
  • Code
  • Communicado
  • Complete
  • CORA
  • Coressence
  • Crash of the Titans
  • Crash: Mind Over Mutant
  • Del Mar
  • Digital Cinema Initiatives
  • Domino
  • Dorado
  • Dubai Mirage
  • Early Bird
  • Earthy Language
  • Energi
  • Espressamente
  • Event
  • First Suite
  • Fogbreak
  • Fox Atomic
  • Giants of the Deep
  • Glory Daze
  • Great Places
  • Ice
  • Incanto
  • Individual Fit
  • Idiocracy
  • InFlex
  • Integrated Services Routers
  • Italiana
  • Jet
  • Journey to the Stars
  • Jump!
  • Katana
  • Kona
  • Kuala Lumpur Taufan
  • K-Ville
  • Las Casitas del Colca
  • Level
  • Librisa
  • London Mint
  • Manny Cantor Center
  • Mary Lou’s Weigh
  • Memphis Beat
  • Milan
  • Milano
  • Mirador
  • Mob City
  • Mosaic
  • MOM
  • The Movie Museum
  • Muffin Tops
  • MX vs. ATV: On The Edge
  • MX vs. ATV: Reflex
  • MX vs. ATV: Unleashed
  • MX vs. ATV: Untamed
  • M-Factor
  • Nature’s Promise
  • The Outfit
  • Nuii
  • Opal
  • Orchard Perfect
  • Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture
  • OZ
  • Pacific
  • Paradise
  • Phantom
  • Picturing Science: Museum Scientists and Imaging Technologies
  • Prava
  • Prisma
  • Promptu
  • Pure
  • Pure Power
  • Quintess
  • Raumfeld
  • Rauxa
  • Race to the End of the Earth
  • Rave
  • Rebound
  • Remix
  • Rio de Janeiro Sinistro
  • Rizzoli & Isles
  • Savia
  • Savvi
  • Seoul Jinwha | Seoul Evolution
  • Singapore Sword
  • Sleekstone
  • Sleepwear
  • Slider
  • Solving Kids’ Cancer
  • Sona
  • Sonic
  • Soothing Care
  • Spiders Alive!
  • Standoff
  • Stockholm Magnetik
  • Streamline
  • Strobe
  • Sydney Underground
  • Tagma
  • Tao
  • The Nine
  • Theorie
  • The Timebuilders
  • TNT
  • Torino
  • Torque
  • Torsa
  • Universal Storage Platform
  • Unleash The Magic
  • Verve
  • Vodvil
  • Wild Card
  • Wit
  • Wuhan Dragon
  • Your Choice
  • Zazz

Brand Language Services:

  • Brand Architectures
  • Brand Extension Names
  • Brand Linguistics
  • Brand Messaging
  • Brand Names
  • Brand Nomenclature
  • Brand Themes
  • Brand Voice
  • Branded House Names
  • Category Descriptors
  • Character Names
  • Copy Editing
  • Copy Writing
  • Line Extension Names
  • Mascot Names
  • Master Brand Names
  • Naming Systems
  • Range Brand Names
  • Sub-Brand Names
  • Umbrella Brand Names
  • Words To Own

Brand Nomenclature Consultants

Brand Nomenclature Notes:

  • Stay tuned!

Brand Nomenclature Projects:

  • 20th Century Fox
  • 3 Degrees
  • The Academy
  • Albridge
  • Amplify
  • Andanza
  • Angel
  • Atempo
  • Atomic
  • Aviera
  • Be Social
  • Belle De Mer
  • Berlin Allianz
  • Beyond Planet Earth
  • Birmingham Salvo
  • Blueberry Toasters
  • BlueArc
  • Blueline
  • Blueskin
  • Boulevard
  • Brain: The Inside Story
  • Calypso
  • Candid
  • Creatures of Light
  • CeraVe
  • A Chorus of Colors
  • Cinnamon Toasters
  • Ciudad de México Furia
  • Coast
  • Code
  • Communicado
  • Complete
  • CORA
  • Coressence
  • Crash of the Titans
  • Crash: Mind Over Mutant
  • Del Mar
  • Digital Cinema Initiatives
  • Domino
  • Dorado
  • Dubai Mirage
  • Early Bird
  • Earthy Language
  • Energi
  • Espressamente
  • Event
  • First Suite
  • Fogbreak
  • Fox Atomic
  • Giants of the Deep
  • Glory Daze
  • Great Places
  • Ice
  • Incanto
  • Individual Fit
  • Idiocracy
  • InFlex
  • Integrated Services Routers
  • Italiana
  • Jet
  • Journey to the Stars
  • Jump!
  • Katana
  • Kona
  • Kuala Lumpur Taufan
  • K-Ville
  • Las Casitas del Colca
  • Level
  • Librisa
  • London Mint
  • Manny Cantor Center
  • Mary Lou’s Weigh
  • Memphis Beat
  • Milan
  • Milano
  • Mirador
  • Mob City
  • Mosaic
  • MOM
  • The Movie Museum
  • Muffin Tops
  • MX vs. ATV: On The Edge
  • MX vs. ATV: Reflex
  • MX vs. ATV: Unleashed
  • MX vs. ATV: Untamed
  • M-Factor
  • Nature’s Promise
  • The Outfit
  • Nuii
  • Opal
  • Orchard Perfect
  • Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture
  • OZ
  • Pacific
  • Paradise
  • Phantom
  • Picturing Science: Museum Scientists and Imaging Technologies
  • Prava
  • Prisma
  • Promptu
  • Pure
  • Pure Power
  • Quintess
  • Raumfeld
  • Rauxa
  • Race to the End of the Earth
  • Rave
  • Rebound
  • Remix
  • Rio de Janeiro Sinistro
  • Rizzoli & Isles
  • Savia
  • Savvi
  • Seoul Jinwha | Seoul Evolution
  • Singapore Sword
  • Sleekstone
  • Sleepwear
  • Slider
  • Solving Kids’ Cancer
  • Sona
  • Sonic
  • Soothing Care
  • Spiders Alive!
  • Standoff
  • Stockholm Magnetik
  • Streamline
  • Strobe
  • Sydney Underground
  • Tagma
  • Tao
  • The Nine
  • Theorie
  • The Timebuilders
  • TNT
  • Torino
  • Torque
  • Torsa
  • Universal Storage Platform
  • Unleash The Magic
  • Verve
  • Vodvil
  • Wild Card
  • Wit
  • Wuhan Dragon
  • Your Choice
  • Zazz

Brand Nomenclature Services:

  • Brand Architectures
  • Brand Extension Names
  • Brand Names
  • Brand Nomenclature
  • Branded House Names
  • Category Descriptors
  • Character Names
  • Line Extension Names
  • Mascot Names
  • Master Brand Names
  • Naming Systems
  • Range Brand Names
  • Sub-Brand Names
  • Umbrella Brand Names

People

We know who we are.

We’re a multi-faceted, multi-talented, multi-ethnic, multi-generational, multi-lingual team of talented individuals who specialize in the extraordinarily challenging but equally rewarding art, science, and craft of branding. In short, we’re a diverse group with a shared purpose: to make your brand stronger.

Meet Brent Scarcliff.

Brent has that very rare gift: the ability to think equally well both strategically and creatively. The combination of that talent and his unique background make him the ideal choice to serve as our creative strategy director.  He first became interested in the intersection of culture and language as a Ph.D. student at UCLA, where he specialized in the Indo-European and Malayo-Polynesian language families. He earned his M.B.A. at Loyola Marymount University, where he wrote one of the world’s first branding dictionaries as his thesis project. After directing communications for a global publishing house,  he co-founded our company in 1998 and hasn’t looked back.

Fun facts.

  • A native of Los Angeles, Brent grew up in the famous South Bay community of Manhattan Beach.
  • In his spare time, he’s writing The Earthy Language Cycle, a series of epic novels set in Earth’s past, present, and future.
  • He serves on the Gabrielino-Tongva Language Committee, a UCLA-affiliated Native American group working on the documentation and revitalization of L.A.’s indigenous Uto-Aztecan language.
  • He’s ambidextrous.

Meet Joy Salvador.

Joy is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. Everyone who meets her says so, or else. In her role as our managing director, she relishes the challenge of making sure our clients are satisfied with every aspect of our work, from a smooth start to a successful finish. In addition to coordinating each of our projects, Joy serves as our CFO and maintains our web presence – a never-ending task.

A native of Chicago, Joy grew up in Silicon Valley and graduated from the University of California at Davis with a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development, where she focused on early childhood language acquisition. Her linguistics background includes Ilocano, one of the principal languages of the Philippines, and the Romance languages.

Fun facts.

  • Joy has a huge family. We mean a really ginormous family. If you’re Ilokano, you’re probably related to her.
  • She’s famous for her pancit. if you don’t know what pancit is, ask.
  • She photographs everything. Thank goodness for digital cameras.
  • She loves kids, including her own.

Meet the team.

Anthropologists. Animators. Artists. Attorneys. Biologists. Designers. Educators. Filmmakers. Researchers. Writers.

This what we believe.

We believe branding is an art, a science, and a craft.

The art is design. The science is anthropology. The craft is business.

We believe there is no substitute for experience.

Our clients range from the Global and Fortune 500 to the major motion picture, television, and gaming studios to start-ups whose only claim to fame is a cool idea. We work across the globe, from the Americas to Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. The proof is in the portfolio.

We believe in the big picture.

Naming may be our speciality, but it doesn’t define us. Unlike many of our our competitors, we’re equally at home working upstream on your strategy and downstream on your story.

We believe in team play.

Branding is a team sport, with real winners and losers. If you choose us, we’re on your team, and we’ve got your back. If you don’t, and your competitor does, watch out! By the same token, if we’re on your team, we expect you to treat us like partners, not pawns.

Quotations

Susan Brind Morrow, American Egyptologist

“A name is a mirror to capture the soul of a thing […]”

W. H. Auden, Anglo-American Poet

“Proper names are poetry in the raw. Like all poetry they are untranslatable.”

Dr. David S. Slawson, American Landscape Garden Artist

“Names are an important key to what a society values. Anthropologists recognize naming as ‘one of the chief methods for imposing order on perception.’”

Claude C. Hopkins, British Advertising Pioneer

“The right name is an advertisement in itself.”

Mitch Hedberg, American Comedian

“I want to get a job as someone who names kitchen appliances. Toaster, refrigerator, blender … all you do is say what the shit does, and add “er”. I wanna work for the Kitchen Appliance Naming Institute. Hey, what does that do? It keeps shit fresh. Well, that’s a fresher … I’m going on break.”

Expertise

What Can We Do For You?

We offer our services à la carte (freelance-style) or as part of a comprehensive brand development package (either as the lead agency or as a sub-contractor). If you don’t see what you’re looking for, feel free to give us a call or drop us a line. We’d be happy to point you in the right direction!

Branding

Brand Architecture, Brand Audits, Brand Communications, Brand Personality, Brand Strategy, Competitive Brand Research, Corporate Branding, Cultural Branding, Experiential Branding, Messaging, Positioning, Product Branding and Service Branding, Verbal and Visual Branding, Word Of Mouth

Naming

Brand Naming, Category Naming, Company Naming, Movie Naming, Naming Architecture, Nomenclature, Product and Service Naming, Theme Park Naming, TV Show Naming, Video Game Naming

Tag Line Development

Advertising Themes, Catch Phrases, Copy Lines, End Lines, Head Lines, Slogans, Story Line Development, Strap Lines, Tag Lines

Copywriting

Advertising Copy, Interactive Copy, Lyrics, Packaging Copy, Press Releases, Positioning Copy, Promotional Copy, Speechwriting, Translation, Web Copy

Creative Services

Brainstorming, Creative Concepts, Ideation, Product Placement, Story Development

Design

Advertising Concepts, Brand Experiences, Design Concepts, Logo Concepts, Photography

Entertainment Services

Copylines, Movie Titles, Product Placement, Studio Names, Taglines Storylines, Television Show Titles, Video Game Titles

Consumer Research Services

Consumer Anthropology, Consumer Ethnography, Consumer Psychology, Focus Group Consultation and Moderation, Integrated Research, Mixed Methods Research, Qualitative Research and Data Analysis, Quantitative Research and Data Analysis, One-On-One Interviews

Cultural Research Services

Asian Brand Research, Asian-American Brand Research, Cross-Cultural Brand Research, Cross-Cultural Brand Name Research, Ethnography, Hispanic-American Brand Research, Linguistic Research, Semiotic Research, Sociological Research

 

The Things We Do Best — Our Areas Of Expertise

Here’s a fairly comprehensive list of our areas of expertise. If you have a particular type of project in mind and don’t see it listed here, feel free to ask if it’s something we do. If it’s not, we’d be happy to point you in the right direction.

Brand Development

Brand Architectures, Brand Communications, Brand Implementation, Brand Management, Brand Messaging, Brand Positioning, Brand Strategies, Celebrity Brands, Consumer Brands, Corporate Brands, Cultural Brands, Emotional Brands, Entertainment Brands, Ingredient Brands, Internal Brands, Master Brands, Product Brands, Product Positioning, Rebrands, Service Brands, Technology Brands

Name Development

Brand Names, Code Names, Company Names, Consumer Names, Department Names, Division Names, Drink Names, Fragrance Names, Movie Names, Naming Architectures, Naming Protocols, Naming Systems, Nomenclature, Product Names, Retail Names, Service Names, Street Names, Subdivision Names, Team Names, Television Show Names, Theme Park Names, Themed Attraction Names, Themed Entertainment Names, Video Game Names

Title Development

Album Titles, Book Titles, Film Titles, Job Titles, Movie Titles, Song Titles, Television Show Titles, Theatrical Titles, TV Show Titles, Video Game Titles

Tagline Development

Brandlines, Catchphrases, Copylines, Endlines, Headlines, Loglines, Slogans, Storylines, Straplines, Taglines

Copy Writing

Advertising Copy, Interactive Copy, Lyrics, Magazine Articles, Press Releases, Packaging Copy, Point Of Sale Copy, Positioning Copy, Promotional Copy

Creative

Brainstorms, Creative Concepts, Ideation, Marketing Concepts, Story Consultation, Story Development

Entertainment

Book Titles, Character Names, Constructed Languages, Copy Lines, Dialect Coaching, Dialogue Continuity, Film Titles, Invented Languages, Language Effects, Linguistic Effects, Log Lines, Movie Marketing Concepts, Movie Titles, Pitches, Place Names, Product Placement, Promotional Copy, Reconstructed Languages, Script Research, Story Consultation, Story Development, Story Lines, Tag Lines, Television Show Titles, Theatrical Titles, Video Game Titles

Research

Anthropological Research, Brand Audits, Brand Research, Brandscapes, Competitive Analysis, Competitive Landscapes, Ethnography, Focus Groups, Integrated Research, Linguistic Analysis, Linguistic Research, Mixed Methods Research, Qualitative Data Analysis, Quantitative Data Analysis, Psychological Research, Semiological Reseach, Sociocultural Research, Sociological Research

Brand Culture Consultants

Brand Culture Notes:

  • Stay tuned!

Brand Culture Projects:

  • 20th Century Fox
  • The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  • DirecTV
  • IBM
  • Jafra
  • The Motion Picture Industry
  • Procter & Gamble
  • The Oscars
  • See’s

Brand Culture Services:

  • The Arts of Branding
  • Belief Branding
  • Brand Books
  • Brand Movies
  • Brand Positioning
  • Brand Research
  • Brand Rituals
  • Brand Stories
  • Brand Strategy
  • Brand Themes
  • Consumer Culture
  • Cultural Branding
  • The Economics of Branding
  • Employee Culture
  • Employer Branding
  • Internal Branding
  • Internationalization
  • The Linguistics of Branding
  • Localization
  • Mixed Methods Research
  • Modern Branding Theory
  • The Mythology of Branding
  • Organizational Culture
  • The Psychology of Branding
  • Qualitative Research
  • Quantitative Research
  • The Rhetoric of Branding
  • The Sociology of Branding
  • Translation
  • Video Ethnography

Brand Language Consultants

Brand Language Notes:

  • Stay tuned!

Brand Language Projects:

  • 20th Century Fox
  • The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  • Diamond
  • DirecTV
  • Disney
  • Jafra
  • Herbal Essences
  • Olay
  • Procter & Gamble
  • The Oscars

Brand Language Services:

  • Brand Communications
  • Brand Editing
  • Brand Lines
  • Brand Linguistics
  • Brand Messaging
  • Brand Naming
  • Brand Voice
  • Brand Writing
  • Category Names
  • Copy Editing
  • Event Names
  • Internationalization
  • Linguistic Research
  • Localization
  • Product Names
  • Service Names
  • Slogans
  • Tone Of Voice
  • Verbal Branding
  • Words To Own

Proposals

Promise

If you become our client, we promise to provide you with state-of-the-art brand strategy services, on time and on budget. To deliver on that promise we invest in talent and technologies, not offices and extras.

Fixed Fee Proposals

Once we understand the goals of your project, we’ll provide you with a straightforward fixed-fee proposal, including the option to select additional services, if appropriate. You’ll know exactly what you’re getting and what it will cost.

Three Month Branding Projects

A typical brand anthropology project takes twelve weeks, for which our standard fee is USD $5,000 per week. This usually includes one week of discovery and strategy, one week of creative exploration (with feedback), one week of creative development (with feedback), and one week of evaluation and selection. We may budget for additional weeks if we are naming your new company, if you are targeting more than one market, if your decision-making process is unusually complex, etc.

One Day Branding Workshops

If you’d like to bring your branding team together for an intensive brand anthropology session, we can lead a workshop for a fee of USD $1500 per day (including a prep day and, if appropriate, one or two travel days).

Annual Retainers

If you have a long-term need for our brand strategy servicesetc., we may suggest an annual retainer arrangement. Our retainer fee is fully negotiable based upon your specific requirements, but USD $90,000 per year is typical.

Discounts

We don’t discount our services except for non-profit engagements, simultaneous naming projects, and naming agency of record agreements. We believe in being paid what we’re worth — no more and no less. We do consider equity or payment-in-kind arrangements.

Options

We offer all of our services à la carte at our standard rate of USD $5,000 per week.

Expenses

We’ll bill you for any project-related expenses we incur at actual cost. We’ll include a good faith estimate of our expected expenses (travel, respondent recruitment, etc.) on our first invoice and make any appropriate adjustments (up or down) on our final invoice.

Processes

The Way We Work

This sample project plan will give you a good sense of how we do what we do, but it’s important to note our methodology is a tool, not an ideology. We feel free to tailor our approach to suit your particular needs.

Inspiration

  • Get to know one another
  • Discuss your project’s purpose and context
  • Define it’s timeline and key mileposts
  • Review any relevant background material
  • Profile your internal target audiences

Insight

  • Explore your offering
  • Explore the category
  • Define your brand architecture
  • Define your marketing strategy
  • Define your sales strategy
  • Define your communications strategy
  • Define your positioning
  • Define your ideal category name
  • Define your ideal social (viral) brand strategy
  • Define your ideal belief (cultural) brand strategy

Imagination

  • Develop a set of short-term tactics and long-term strategies

Implementation

  • Present the results of our work in a report and/or a closed or open forum, as desired.

Innovation

  • Remain available to discuss any future internal or external developments which affect your brand including new markets, cultural shifts, acquisitions, etc.