to think that hiring a marketing agency for unborn baby is odd, odd, odd?!

[trilogyofjuniper]

Or am I just over-thinking things?

An acquaintance is pregnant and is paying a marketing agency to choose a name for the baby, given a list of 'brand values' that she would like them to use - so, things like: intelligent, artistic, adventurous, interesting, influential. She's not secretive about this at all, by the way.

The agency's work will also help her and her DH design the baby's bedroom and toys etc.

I've never heard of this before. She's from the States, so perhaps this is more commonplace over there? Her DH is Welsh. Maybe this is big in Swansea?! I honestly think this is barking, but perhaps I'm out of touch (I'm about to become a gran, so it's a while since I've thought of baby names!)

Stuart Baggs The Brand anyone ??

FredFredGeorge really? REALLY? Investing - ok, etc - what? You invest in a child, not sure what you mean by etc. it sounds like you're along the same lines as the marketing company.

Investments are made in children, yes; but creating their brand is not investing, it is controlling. That small human being will have its personality controlled by parents who try to stick to the brand of child they have seemingly bought. Not an idea I'm comfortable with at all.

On the lighter side, I'm agreeing with Ezio - absolute wankbadger. Love it!

Wow

Another money making venture....?!

More money than sense to put it mildly.

Genius. The child will end up with a name like something from an 11th hour cafe discussion on The Apprentice.

Accenture Destination Jones
Prime Dynamic Pugh
Innovita Thrustina Pritchard

That was on an episode of "Pregnant in Heels" (which, shamefully, I have been known to watch, on occasion, under duress ).

What do you bet the "international marketing" company helping them pick a name and decorate the bedroom is the local interior designer who mum to be had a short conversation about names with.

I work in a marketing agency. Honestly the account managers will be laughing hysterically every time they work on her account.

This is not normal!

Oh bullshit.

The only focus group needed for naming my children was me and dh - our interests, people we admire and family traditions etc.

The fact that you can hire a focus group via a 'Baby concierge' is just another indication that modern life is rubbish and meaningless.

To be honest, we did this with our kids and it didn't really work:

Snazzypants is a scruffy brat

Intelligentsia is as thick as two planks

Gorgeousina is a bit of a plain Jane

and Altruista is a self centred cow.

i s your friend a Kardashian

what a loon

Horrible! However I do have 2 lovely friends who named their Dd's adjectives and they suit them brilliantly! Could have backfired in a big way though!

First thing that came to mind was Rosie Pope too.

Mad as a box of frogs.

I don't think the "brand values" bit is completely mad - I think most people choosing "Jack" over "Horatio" will not just be doing so because of ease of pronunciation and spelling. We inevitably associate different attributes with different names. Using a marketing agency is clearly extreme though.

One of the authors of a baby-name book I repeatedly borrowed from the library did advertise a consultancy which would help select a name for your baby. He did seem to go along the lines above, namely what sort of attributes you wanted to bestow on your child. Not sure it extended to decorating the nursery or bringing in a focus group...

Not being that sort, I simply kept renewing the books (while getting larger and larger) until even the librarian commented "had we still not decided yet"!

ps - as per the others, all names have "brand values" we just don't generally call them that (or, perhaps acknowledge that Chardonnay and Camilla call to mind different ideas....)

Yay! Welcome baby Snickers.