I’ve sometimes wondered why agencies don’t apply their creative energy to the ultimate sign of their brand—their names. Many still default to the law-firm convention of using the founders’ names. This being advertising, ego surely comes into play. You can’t say the same for Humongo, the new moniker that Danbury, Conn., agency Plaid has taken after its acquisition by MDC Partners shop Source Marketing. The acquisition was an opportunity to create a new identity, according to agency founder Darryl Ohrt. The seven-person shop sorted through 2,000 possibilities during brainstorms. They settled on Humongo because it’s “fun to say and rolls off the tongue,” he says. There were practical considerations to the oddball name: It avoided trademark problems and was available as an Internet domain and presence on Facebook and Twitter. Ohrt says he was never tempted to go the ego route, even when founding the shop with the unfortunate name Visual Intelligence Agency. “To have my name on the door would have been ridiculousness,” he said.
—Posted by Brian Morrissey