What’s in a Name?
Caribbean and west indies: the brands that make us
The smile I make when you ask me questions.
the power of a name
Hi Guys, Welcome back!
Now after Life of G hit the scene people started asking; “Why West Indies”? Concerns were made about its relevancy, meaning and possibly antiquated nature. It’s a question I am thankful for because having to put my argument to the page gave me even more clarity on why we need it.
As human beings, we assign meaning to names and things. We think of names as the embodiment of all things holy, the full representation of that which it refers to. However, don’t you have that one friend who totally by chance, let slip that their real name is not the one you’ve been using this whole time? The world tilts and for about 5 seconds you’re on the verge of mini-mental collapse. Your entire view changes, about what you thought you knew, who you thought they were, even who you think you are. You toss this new signifier around in your mind and ask yourself if that “new name”, these physical words add up to the person, the reputation and all that you see in front of you? In most cases, the answer is usually no. So you just remove the blasphemous new name from your subconscious and return to the name, the brand, which has given you the most comfort. In so doing returning to all the meanings and associations that go right along with it.
This is the power a name posses, the ideas it can inspire with a single utterance. Like the power of going from Facebook to Meta or the subtle world shift that takes place when a “Miss” becomes a “Mrs” and funnily enough the same reason why many don’t. Why for many reasons I personally am Ms Georgina Callender and not Mrs Green for example. “Georgina” as a living breathing person is in fact a brand, one I worked hard to define. Along the way, “G” was gently given to me. An idea and reputation that resonated with others which they, in turn, projected onto me. I didn’t fight it, I tested it out until I purposefully claimed it as my own.
your name is your brand
That’s how Brands appear. The brand story your name represents can either be given, purposefully built and defined, or taken away when you lose power over the narrative. A brand is defined as:
Patterns of familiarity, meaning, fondness, and reassurance that exist in the minds of people.”— Tom Goodwin
Taking charge of the brand narrative and how it’s represented in people’s minds is the most important thing any brand can do if they want to be successful. This is the reason why large corporate companies spend small fortunes on PR agencies or build an entire PR department. Their intention is always to control their story in the public eye. In some cases, they even change the entire name to start a new one. Mark Zuckerburg rebranding Facebook as Meta, or in the wake of Black Lives Matter Quaker Foods rebranding its Aunt Jemima Pancake Syrup as Pearl Milling company to distance itself from its racially questionable choices.
The idea of changing a name to create a new brand story hasn’t been limited to the world of big business or even basketball (“when fans get mad at me, they can't say, 'I hate World Peace.”) A name especially when speaking of geographical spaces becomes the signifier of your brand. Whole nations are understanding what a name change means for your rep across the world including your tourism sector. As mentioned in Life of G is Here this is why the Netherlands opted to ditch Holland internationally, even changing their logo, we don’t think about it but they’re a lot of national logos and corresponding brand identities (Russia Tourism, I’m hoping you’re more nuanced in Russian).
These national name changes and cultural rebrands have existed even in the annals of history. Byzantium becoming Constantinople? Each name either adds or removes said patterns of familiarity, meaning, fondness or reassurance. I’m sure the Netherlands got pretty tired of people being fond of their Red Light District. Whereas Constantine the Great decided Byzantium a city that existed way before him, with its own history, culture and heritage, could all be washed away and replaced in honour of him, cause who are you anyway? Yea the people got tired of him, his s*** and his s***ty statues (aka ancient branding) and changed it to Istanbul. By the way as a total aside New York use to be New Amsterdam, the English conquered the Dutch colony and renamed it after the Duke of York. It’s all in the name.
So the fact most countries especially those who trade in tourism, have a logo and I’m sure a pretty intense list of brand guidelines it’s safe to say that countries are indeed brands just like Nike or Apple, with reputations to defend or in some cases change. It can be hard to see the place you live as a brand, cause we live there every day. However how we see our “home” and how others do are usually two different things. Here comes the Caribbean and “I live where you vacation”.
“Sea & Sand” versus “Respect & Quality”
Any Caribbean islander can speak to the fact that no matter what you say about any island you are from, you are forever associated with never-ending vacations and not much else. Our identity is tied up with pleasure-seeking pursuits and service with a smile. However, on the flip side speak to any Englishman, Pakistani or even Australian about Sir Garfield Sobers, Brian Lara, the 3Ws and West Indies cricket and their reaction is of grave respect, comradery and the highest quality in Cricket. Story time: An Englishman once met Sir Garfield Sobers while playing the Green Monkey course at Sandy Lane Country Club. He gushed at meeting a living legend! He called his father all the way in England to share the moment and asked Sir Gary if he would be so kind as to say hi, it would make his father’s day. Sir Gary willingly obliged and moments later both father and son shed tears of joy because they interacted with a living legend, a great West Indian cricketer. #TrueStory
Stepping away from our sporting arena we can find similar respect for our academia. Mentioning the University of the West Indies to any non-Caribbean student, even though existing in the land of sunshine, is also met with respect. UWI is regarded as a regional institution of the highest learning. My American born friend, even though of Barbadian heritage considered going to UWI Cave Hill but bowed out in concern they would not be able to keep up. Without realizing it we created two separate brands with two completely different associations operating in one sphere.
The Caribbean vs West Indies. Sun, sea and sand Vs Respect and Quality. Let’s remove the history for one moment. Don’t start up with the colonial mess of “West Indies” from a historical standpoint cause as far as I’m concerned “Where the Carib’s have been” where Carib is essentially a Spanish conquistador’s racial slur is no better and completely misrepresents a people whose true history should be taught to every child in this region. If we are not Kalinago or Taino we are all colonisers.
The “Caribbean” Brand
Stepping away from the historical aspect we can see direct brand associations which have already been made to our Caribbean brand. Thanks to the tireless work of our various tourism industries Caribbean on the international stage has been solidified as:
Vacation
Relaxation
Service
A break from Reality
These associations and fond memories came heavily to light during the latter part of pandemic year 2020. Many visitors showed little respect for us, willfully breaking rules and exposing entire nations to the crippling effects of covid-19. In each case these visitors to our shores showed little to no remorse and in some cases utter confusion because the “Caribbean” brand had made them certain promises. We couldn’t renege on them now.
However we’ve been given an unexpected out. Unbeknownst to us in the background the name West Indies was building itself an alternate brand story. One that shares all the joy of its caribbean sister but none of the ill effect, except the historical ones. Yes, it is true the term was given by colonising European powers and specifically:
Denotes the group of islands (including Guyana, which is in South America) that lies in the western half of the Atlantic Ocean, between North and South America. Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Antigua, Leeward and Windward Islands […] linked by cricket and the English language.
However as Prime Minister of St. Vincent Dr. Ralph Consalves (or Ralph de Vincy as my mother likes to call him) notes; “History and the knowledge of it is vital... or else the region will be adrift”. During his keynote address - The Importance of History to Regional Integration and Development he reiterates that history is:
In fact vital for the region to understand how alienated it had become from itself.
“Gonsalves said history went hand in hand with sustainability and regional development and he was a supporter of the mandatory teaching of the right type of history in schools, but because so little of it was being taught, many students and teachers as well, were likely ignorant of the identity and importance of regional heroes.”
“The Vincentian leader said the region now had to redefine itself and look at itself with greater confidence.” A confidence that can only be attained when we look at the reality of history and not just the versions that sit well with us. As Know Your Caribbean points out “Caribbean history is not just black”:
The Caribbean is not a monolith. The Caribbean is many things, our history is filled with beauty, but also a lot of violence and pain, and yes much of this pain was caused by Europeans.
Sample Made in The West Indies Logo by Made for Media
The “West Indian” Brand
We are a melting pot of cultures. However, The “Caribbean” brand as developed by our tourism industries, is purposefully designed and marketed to the same European nations. We take issue with the idea of acknowledging them but we create our regional brand identity to cater to them. We wash away the many layers of our society to create a monolithic entity that can be easily digested by these visitors and perpetuated by ourselves.
On the flip side the West Indies as a brand forces both sides to acknowledge an active history of equal parts pain, courage, unity, and excellence in adversity. Also in reclaiming something old to remake it anew we create a space that allows a broadening of meaning, and a point where new discourse can arise. The West Indies if truly adopted as a brand would allow us to shed the Caribbean caricature and step on a platform where we can now start telling high-value stories through various mediums.
When I say high value I mean we’re looking at a premium and luxury high-value market. No coconut bras and jewellery imported from China on the side of the road. I speak of artisanal, local, handmade crafts. When used correctly a high-value regional brand can actually maintain a region’s tangible cultural heritage. Made in France brand has been doing this successfully for years. When I speak of various mediums, I am referring to our skilled craftsmen and creatives who would no longer need to leave the region to successfully execute their craft. There is now a space created specifically for their work to thrive.
In Conclusion, This is our narrative
This would be our brand built and reclaimed by us. We can stretch its parameters to suit ourselves. It doesn’t have to be limited to historic geographical spaces. That was set by whom? It’s our story now we decide what Made in the West Indies means and who it applies to. Our West Indies will speak to the cultures and peoples from the Bahamas in the north to Guyana in the south, Barbados in the east and Belize in the west. To every island, languages, ethnicity and unique culture between. The next step is to accept we can’t be for everyone, who’s our target market? Let’s stop selling ourselves short.
Now don’t think I’m saying we have to kiss the name Caribbean goodbye forever. It’s still our name and a brand we’ve successfully built. We’re like those friends who have two names, the name you use depends on who you’re talking to and what you’re talking about.
So from Georgina, Gina, Genes and G, all of which is the brand of me. Thank you for reading.
