If you love seafood like I do, you’ve probably eaten one of the ugliest looking fish around. And you’ve probably asked for more. In the areas where it thrives, it’s known as the Patagonian Toothfish. For years, commercial fishermen avoided catching this “cod of the deep” because nobody wanted to eat this nasty-looking thing. Today, things have changed.

According to “Hooked: Pirates, Poaching, and the Perfect Fish,” it took a Los Angeles fish merchant to rename this saltwater monster in the late 70’s to change Americas’ palate. Even though this fish is neither a bass nor from Chile (it is found both in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans), it was renamed “Chilean Sea Bass.” Today, this ugly beast is one of the most sought-after fish around and is in danger of being overfished.

When I first heard his story, I was reminded of the Chrysler Cordoba commercials. Having named the car after a town in Spain, the advertising team chose to hire Mexican actor, Ricardo Montalbán, to give this car an international flair. To make this car feel even more sophisticated, Chrysler went as far as to invent “Corinthian leather” to describe their seat coverings. Although manufactured in New Jersey, Corinthian leather was nothing more than the standard leather used in car upholstery. Yet, this name gave the Cordoba a unique selling proposition that no other car brand could match.

This just goes to show that product names can make a big difference for a brand. But knowing what your customers want is the key when creating one.

Karl Gromelski is a copywriter at sgdp in Chicago. He loves advertising and blackened Chilean Sea Bass with a lemon butter sauce. He also blogs at sgdp.com.

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Filed under: Advertising, Branding, Marketing Innovation