When I started my digital marketing consultancy, one of the first things I had to decide was whether to do this under my name or create a brand under which to do business.
The uncomfortable truth–and apologies to my parents– is that I don’t particularly like my name*. The number of famous Barry’s isn’t the most distinguished list in the world. In North America there are a few luminaries from the sports world–Bonds, Sanders–Ranker.com has the most popular Barry’s as Manilow and Gibb; not the aesthetic I was shooting for.
So next route was to think about what name or brand should I look at. Do I still stick to my own identity and perhaps look at my surname or initials? I knew I didn’t want to revert back to the first wave of digital agencies from the late 90’s early 2000’s where you pick a colour and a fruit or animal and run with that–although kudos to Blue Chicken for persevering.
In the end, I have gone for something that (I hope) feels somewhat serious yet has plenty of personal connection: 18 Digital.
'18' has a little more of a story to it. My family and I packed up and emigrated to Canada in 2018, the biggest decision we made (and I’m happy to tell our story to anyone interested over a coffee), so that year is hugely significant to me. I also felt that 18 indicated a degree of maturity. My goal is to provide clients with a serious, results-focused strategy to drive their business forward, and while I intend to have fun working with them, I want them to be assured that I’ll be wholly dedicated to their objectives.
So that’s the reason for 18 Digital. Names and branding are important, and I hope to grow 18 Digital into a company that becomes synonymous with digital excellence and stands for the core values I believe in.
*True story: when we moved to Canada in 2018, I saw it as an excellent opportunity to rebrand myself and shake off the yoke of Barry-ness. Unfortunately, within days of landing in Calgary, I met so many great people who have become firm friends that I couldn’t execute the re-brand as I’d hoped.