I have a little exercise I like to do every so often when I’m rowing the boat: a word association game. I say the name of a company or brand, and the person fishing up front blurts out the first word that comes to mind. It actually gives me a good snapshot of how people perceive those brands, for better or worse. For example, I might say “Field & Stream” and you’d say “brilliant.” Or something like that. There are no right or wrong answers, and you can even play at your desk (just don’t shout the words out too loud, or people will think you have a screw loose.)
Give it a whirl with the following 20 names (If you don’t know the company, just skip it):
Orvis
Sage
Simms
Hatch Outdoors
Scott
Patagonia
Winston
Nautilus
St. Croix
Scientific Anglers
RIO
Redington
Fishpond
Costa
Smith
YETI
Tenkara
Abel
Hardy
Loomis
Here’s how my wife answered the other day:
Orvis (Tradition)
Sage (Fast)
Simms (American)
Hatch Outdoors (Solid)
Scott (Colorado)
Patagonia (Fleece)
Winston (Green)
Nautilus (Slick)
St. Croix (Value)
Scientific Anglers (Line)
RIO (Line… again)
Redington (Boots)
Fishpond (Eco)
Costa (Cool)
Smith (Ski)
YETI (Works)
Tenkara (Kids)
Abel (Cork)
Hardy (England)
Loomis (Bass)
Anything interesting come from you or your friends?