Can you suggest how to change the perception of this product line?

Why on earth do you want to change the perception of the product line? That is a key part of your brand's differentiation!

Walking away from "natural" or "organic" in the product brand (and I'm talking about the essence of those qualities, not the words themselves) if you have the product to back it up is silly. You'll have to work harder to recover the people who don't give your product a second glance because it doesn't identify its qualities on a branding level.

As far as product names go, I would keep them natural and simple (presumably, like the products themselves). e.g.: Winicki's Naturals (brand) Skin Soothing Salve (product); Winicki's Naturals Herbal Heat Treatment, etc. The downside is that such product names are not trademarkable. Well, that and "Winicki's Naturals" as a brand name leaves one key element to be desired: the native American angle. You might consider that your brand name needn't sound like a brand name, e.g. a brand like What The Natives Knew.

If your product is truly effective, by the way, you'll get more out of a sampling program than through an extensive naming exercise. If the sample cures my ills, it could be named Raving Idiot's Rancid Axle Grease and I'll still buy it, and tell my friends, and the buzz will grow from there.


John Kuraoka, freelance advertising copywriter