What’s In A Name?

Recently, I saw a screenshot on Supercar Blondie’s Facebook post that showed the Kia Soul flying into the air after being commandeered by a loose tire from a truck while on the road. It wasn’t the first time that I had seen that post; however, this time around, a question came to mind that made me post in reponse, “What happens if you sell a Kia Soul? Would the buyer own your Soul? LOL” That question was a bit of a joke in wordplay; however, it makes me want to bring up the topic of names and branding, especially if you want to walk the path of success.

To continue off that joke, the name of that car tells me that Kia is selling their Soul as a corporation. And why would anyone let alone a corporation want to do that? The jokes, the implications, everything else that could happen as a consequence could potentially be disastrous. That’s why you should carefully consider the name for your brand before deciding to proceed with the production. I did reach out to Kia to inform them of this horrible branding decision as well. I sent an email to Michele Cameron, as well as Seungkyu Yoon; however, the latter’s email had bounced back.

For Kia, this may have been a mistake of poor consultation with a marketing company. Or perhaps it was the fault of their own marketing department for failing to have the proper vision. But if we’re talking about vision, that would take us directly to the top of the corporation. How and why did the CEO not even consider to question the implications of the name? Was it poor English communication/understanding skills? Poor consultation? Whatever the case, my suggestion to Kia would be to recall all their Kia Soul and start fresh. The vehicle seems OK, but the name isn’t right.

I’ve come to the theory that women are the soul of men. When you think about it, is it any wonder why comedians like Ester Ku are throwing out jokes like “Asian women don’t want to get with Asian men?” When you’re selling your Soul to the world, there could be more at stake than you think.