Dell agency name is packed with baggage

As the Brand Tags project is showing, how people perceive brands can be quite different from the grand plans of marketers. WPP is of course creating an agency brand from scratch with its dedicated Dell agency. Once I heard the agency name is Synarchy, I did what many would do: I Googled it. In addition to the Scandinavian thrash-metal band shown here, I also found that it’s a political philosophy. Turns out synarchism is a mixed bag. On the one hand, synarchy described an ideal form of harmonious government. Fair enough, sounds nice. But then it became used by an occultist, involving secret societies, telepathy and some mythical subterranean caverns. Its use in modern politics is perhaps more troubling, as synarchy was associated with right-wing Mexican movements that were quite close to fascism. Then again, judging by some stories I hear about working in agencies, it might be apt.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

May 16, 2008 in Morrissey | Permalink