Drum Roll, Please

If you tuned in last week, you’ll know that Think Substance is going through rebranding. I  also promised I would reveal the new name today, so TADA…….Here it is: JAE JULIAN

Why JAE JULIAN? My daughter’s name is Sally Jae and my son’s name is Amos Julian. I basically took their middle names to create my new brand. Who knew how difficult a task it would be to come up with a new name?!  While it’s always nice to associate a brand with a person, I just couldn’t see Linda Werner or my maiden name Montellano  (which most people  mispronounce since the double L sounds like a Y) being a good brand name. JAE JULIAN however, sounded soft and fashion forward, just like my hemp.  Plus, this name received lots of positive feedback in our marketing research.

We are now hard at work developing a new logo, a new website and fresh new pieces to add to the line and I’m very excited about moving forward.

Just How Good Is Our Luxury Hemp?

I’ve received so many amazing testimonials verbally about how good our products feel, that I think it would be great to start collecting some of these in writing.  So, if you’ve had a chance wear our products, it would be great to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

I ‘ll be keeping you posted on how the rebranding process is going here on my blog but it would be great if you would visit our temporary site and sign up so you can get a direct announcement when the site goes live.

In the meantime, here’s to  JAE JULIAN becoming a global brand!

Cheers!

Linda

What’s in a Name?

Sorry I’ve been off the radar for a while, but there’s been a lot going on behind the scenes, namely…….rebranding. OY!

What comes to mind when hear the word “substance?”

Do you think of a person of substance, or something positive? Or does your mind immediately go to drugs and substance abuse?

After much soul searching and even more research, it turns out that there is a dire need for rebranding my luxury hemp clothing line, Think Substance.  While the name’s purpose was meant to literally provoke thoughtful consumerism, it seems that I may have missed the mark. We decided that a softer, more fashion oriented name was more representative of the luxury hemp we are bringing to the market. So after months and months of going back and forth between several names, it looks like we finally made a decision. I’ll be announcing the new name next Friday.

In the meantime, I wanted to share with you some factors that went into this decision.

I found my father-in-law’s 1946 College Dictionary lying around the house so I decided to look up the word “substance.”  Here is a pic of what I found:

Compare this to the modern definition posted below from  http://www.merriam-webster.com

sub·stance [suhb-stuhns]

noun

1.  that of which a thing consists; physical matter or material: form and substance.

2. a species of matter of definite chemical composition: a chalky substance.

3. controlled substance.

4. the subject matter of thought, discourse, study, etc.

5. the actual matter of a thing, as opposed to the appearance or shadow; reality.

As you can see, controlled substance is now the third most popular definition of substance, but check out the date of origin for this word:

controlled substance

noun

any of a category of behavior-altering or addictive drugs, as heroinor cocaine, whose possession and use are restricted by law.

Origin: 
1970–75

The Nixon Connection

The Controlled Substances Act  was signed into law by President Richard Nixon on October 27, 1970. This is when the word “controlled substances” took root and it’s original meaning began to fade.

It’s definitely a bummer that I will not be keeping the name that I’ve grown so accustomed to, but my team and I have decided that we don’t want to fight a negative perception right out the gate. Thanks a lot tricky Dick!

I hope you’ll check back in next Friday when I will announce the new name. While the Controlled Substances Act is kind of a sore subject, I thought I would bring some levity this situation with this Rodney Dangerfield clip. Enjoy!!!!!