RuDa v/s Puma v/s Adidas

Fact of the matter is, no matter how stale an interesting fact is, it's still interesting. Jumped into this when I read this. And then, I decided to jump into a quick analysis of what if RuDa had been launched as the brand instead of Puma? Would RuDa have made for a better brand name? No. Why? Because the name Puma comes with very powerful back story that adds equity to the word. And while RuDa does sound stronger and more macho, Puma sounds classier, cooler, faster and more graceful - all useful qualities to have in this category. At the end of the day, a brand name for a fashion, sports and lifestyle product that riffs off one of the meanest cats in the animal kingdom definitely makes for a better choice than a name like RuDa, which starts without much of a back story and with not much more than a strong 'D' and an end 'A' sound going for it. My gut feel would have gone with Puma. And so would research. Put differently, would I rather have a Puma at my feet than a RuDa? Yes.

Interestingly enough, I think RuDa makes for a better name than Adidas. One reason: 'RuDas' sound way cooler than the shortened form of Adidas, which is 'Adis'. It also sounds stronger. So why is Adidas a bigger brand than Puma? Ah well, if you've been paying attention you ought to know by now that naming is not the be all and end all of good brand strategy.