Bravia
Facing fierce competition from rival flat-panel television makers, Sony decided to create a new, slightly higher-end flat-panel television brand that would push the envelope in technology and design. The ultimate goal—to help Sony regain its edge in this rapidly growing market.
Sony selected Interbrand Japan to create a name to evoke natural, high-resolution image quality as well as style, sophistication, and an exceptional user-experience. It had to be short, powerful and trademarked globally.
Interbrand’s verbal identity specialists in Tokyo developed a naming strategy and set of creative directions to drive the naming development process. More than one thousand names had to be developed to overcome the stringent linguistic and trademark screening hurdles and arrive at a strong shortlist for presentation.
Within a month, Interbrand was able to present several dozen linguistically and legally viable naming candidates. Sony’s final choice was BRAVIA—coined from the word “bravo,” to express great admiration for stellar performances.
The BRAVIA lineup was launched in 2005. Since then, the name and brand have helped propel Sony televisions ahead of the competition. The BRAVIA brand has also helped boost Sony’s sales in other electronics categories, making it an important win for the company as a whole.