#stage-names

#stage-names

I want to grow brands that I'm passionate about, and dirty soda has always been a part of my life. It wasn't just this viral moment that people who watch Secret Lives saw. It was something that's more sustainable.

"Any time you have to explain your name, you're essentially apologizing for it," says Alexandra Watkins, the founder of naming firm Eat My Words. Her deal-breakers for names include 'looks like a typo' and 'hard to pronounce.'

I don't think that I've ever said this in a public forum ... I don't even think I've said it fully to even my friends or my family. But as a 43-year-old woman, I'm very proud of myself for owning my sexuality at this age. I think I'm a very strong person for doing it in somewhat of a spotlight, with people criticizing and judging and making assumptions. I'm really proud to be bisexual.

A brand name is not merely a marketing decision. It is a long-term asset decision with deeply personal consequences. For founders, naming a brand after oneself can feel like the most natural-and powerful-choice. A personal name signifies authenticity, craftsmanship, and accountability. Consumers feel they are not just buying a product, but a person's vision, values, and reputation.

And by "Who-dom," I don't mean the Seussian variety but the taxonomy coined by 's Lindsey Weber and Bobby Finger: the vast, sub-stratospheric tier of celebrity occupied by figures whose fame is intensely meaningful to some and virtually nonexistent to everyone else. Whos are defined in opposition to Thems, the indisputable celebrities known to most except those living under a rock or who willingly reject the very notion of pop culture,

The Human Artistry Campaign's " Stealing Isn't Innovation " movement launches today with over 800 signatories. Those include many Hollywood actors, including Scarlett Johansson, Cate Blanchett, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as well as writers such as Jodi Picoult and Roxane Gay, and musicians like Cyndi Lauper and They Might be Giants. The campaign has a simple message: "Stealing our work is not innovation. It's not progress. It's theft-plain and simple."

From helping Beyoncé figure out how to launch an album exclusively on social media to onboarding Pope Francis to Instagram (he held my hands and asked me to pray for him) to watching creators become the next generation of entrepreneurs, the impact on culture that me and the team have been able to have is something that I take great pride in.

We went to a restaurant the other night, and the waitress kept calling me by my name. She was like, 'Khloé, do you want another drink?' Whatever. And True was going, 'How does she know who you are?' And I go, 'Oh, I just come here all the time.' Which I don't, but they don't realize that we're on TV. Like, they don't know the difference, 'cause I'm not talking about it," she recalled on the On Purpose podcast.

Nearly two-thirds (63%) of Super Bowl ads featured one or more celebrity talents this year, according to data from TV measurement company iSpot. Back in 2011, only around a quarter of ads included an A-lister, but a reliance on Hollywood names has been typical of Big Game ads since the start of this decade. It's part of a broader pattern. The "built-in affinity" a top name can bring means it's "an easy place to go," said Mike Hayward, chief creative officer at agency Copacino Fujikado.