ODEON
naming and tone of voice

Overview

As part of our brand refresh for this household name and British cinema legend, we created a new tone of voice with clear, user-friendly principles. I've used it to write everything from the pre-show film to marketing materials, signage and magazine cover wraps.

But my favourite brief was to rename the cinema chain's iSense offering.

The brief

iSense is ODEON’s all-round superior cinema offering – bigger screen, better sound and bigger seats. With an ultra high-definition curved screen and truly immersive Dolby Atmos sound, it’s a significant step up from the standard cinema experience and the next best thing to IMAX. But customers find the name confusing. 

Current name

Many think iSense is a 3D or interactive cinema experience. This issue is compounded by the ‘i’-prefix, which suggests physical/digital interactions. iSense also fails to reference the three key USPs: bigger screen, better sound, bigger seats. 

Key considerations

1 Simplicity

The name should be short, succinct and give an immediate idea of what we are offering (a bigger, better experience).

2 Brand equity

The name should resonate emotionally and align with our brand experience principles and ODEON tone of voice.

3 Ownability

The name shouldn’t sound like anyone else’s offering.

Suggested new names

Ultra ODEON / ODEON Ultra

Defined by dictionary.com as ‘Going beyond what is usual or ordinary… extreme’

The name sounds current and modern and is widely understood, as in its use by Adidas for their high-performance running shoe ‘Adidas Ultra Boost’.

ODEON 3 / ODEON³

The number represents the three key USPs (bigger screen, better sound, bigger seats) – but also suggests something new and improved or, in cinema-speak, the latest instalment. Using superscript could be a memorable visual shorthand – ODEON cubed, or to the power of three.

Compare mobile phone brand ‘3’ and the TV channel ‘5’ (formerly Channel 5).

ODEON MAX

A simple, clear option – and one that works well alongside IMAX. But if anything, it's possibly too similar, so might cause confusion.

It's current, universal and unlikely to date (Pepsi Max, Nike Air Max etc.)

ODEON MAXOUT / MAX OUT

Adding ‘out’ brings energy and distinctiveness to this option – and helps to avoid confusion with IMAX. ‘Maxing out’ is defined as ‘doing or having as much as possible of something’. Also the idea of ‘Maxing out for £2 extra’ could be highly compelling for customers.

ODEON MAXIMUS

Using this Latin word adds gravitas and an epic feel. 

‘Oculus rift’ (virtual reality system) shows how Latin marries well with technology to give a feeling of emotive power and scale.

ODEON GRANDE

Another way to say ‘plus’ or ‘bigger’ with more style and gravitas. Also suggests luxury, which relates nicely to the bigger seats.

This is already widely understood in categories from cars to coffee.

ODEON X

Doesn’t necessarily suggest scale – but does say ‘extra’

Older generations might think of ‘X’-rated but this is not our target audience.

For most of us, X now means extra, enhanced or distinctive – think Uber X, Radio X (the new name for XFM) and even the Halifax. 

ODEON 2.0

Borrowing computer language, 2.0 says ‘This is a step change, the latest version, ODEON plus.’

SCREEN O

Note it’s ‘O’ the letter, not the number, pronounced ‘Oh’. This idea harnesses the iconic ‘O’ we have used extensively in our indents and visual identity as a unique property.

Screen O becomes the best of ODEON – ownable and distinctive. Screens in these cinemas could even be renumbered (instead of ‘1,2,3’ use ‘1,2 and O’).

Outcome

ODEON decided to continue to use the iSense name in the UK as it was already being used in other European markets.