What's in a name?

"Branding", however it's defined, has always befuddled and amused me. It's something that everyone talks about but everyone disagrees on its definition.

Here's a good commentary by Seth Godin on how not to name products and how to really confuse customers. He uses Apple as a good example:

First, Apple was a brand that modified a noun. Apple Computer, Apple II, Apple III. Then Macintosh was a brand that was modified by a brand that modified a noun. Apple Macintosh computer. Then Apple Mac IIfx computer, etc.

Then Apple was a brand that modified a brand that modified no noun at all. Apple Newton.

Then Apple modified its own subbrand by adding the letter "i" in front of it. Apple iMac.

Then they went back to the Newton strategy, with a twist: Apple iPod. The thing is, the "i" in Mac modified something we knew what it was (a Mac). But what's a "pod"?

Wait, it gets a lot worse.
. . .
Good point.