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April 18, 2007

Broin’s Poetry in Naming

broin_logo.jpgBroin Companies, the nation’s second largest ethanol producer, and a significant bio fuel researcher, has changed its name to Poet.

Chuck Offenburger worte an insightful blog post about it, and loves the company name change. He even asked a few poets what they thought of the name change. Robert Dana, a Poet-in-Residence and Professor of English at Cornell College, stated “It strikes me quickly as both preposterous on one hand, and possibly marvelous on the other hand.”

I had a similar reaction to Ballad Enterprises, Sonnet Technologies and Song Airlines.

You can watch a short video on the company's web site that explains the name change. The company’s CEO Jeff Broin was quoted on the Domestic Fuel Blog: “We wanted a name that would represent, rather than describe, who we are and what we do.”

I think Broin's comments are spot on.

POET_logo.jpgIt’s no secret that ethanol is the “green” fuel alternative and Broin has positioned its brand and its name perfectly to stand for more than just fuels. Bringing poetry to their brand is just the first step. It also brings resonance and meaning to products that some may find rather uninspiring.

There may be a few critics of the bold name change, but I think that by changing its name to “Poet,” Broin has transcended the category of selling fuel to creativity, ingenuity and a better world. Those are things that poets have hoped for through the ages.

And that argument is a lot like the one Apple Computer (now Apple Inc.) made to creative types with its successful Think Different campaign.

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Posted by William Lozito at April 18, 2007 12:25 PM
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