“I don’t think the name matters,” said David Melancon, CEO of FutureBrand USA, a New York branding consultancy.

“Consumers have shown us that you can slap a made up name like JetBlue and people love it because of the experience. We have lots of airline companies on our roster and one thing we learned is the brand is the experience, it’s not the advertising, the logo on the tail; the brand isn’t the name.”

Melancon was talking to Brandweek – a magazine read by his peers and potential clients – about the name that America West and US Airways will choose following their reorganization under Chapter 11 of the Federal Bankruptcy Act Dubbed “Agony Air” by passengers, the two airlines face a branding challenge.

But the name doesn’t matter?

While Melacon is stating his point of view, it runs very much counter to what his company, FutureBrand does. One of the company’s specialties is – you guessed it – naming. Here’s what their web site says:

A name is the most immediate and lasting articulation of what a new brand is all about. A great name will advance the business strategy, justify premium pricing and set the tone for the personality of the brand. But with the proliferation of global trademarks, naming is also getting harder. FutureBrand combines creative excellence with a robust legal and linguistic process to develop powerful names that work in the real world.

So which is it? “Names don’t matter”? Or “...the most immediate and lasting articulation of a new brand”?

If Melacon is trying to express a contrarian viewpoint to gain interest in his company, then he’s going about it the right way. But he’s stating the opposite of what his company does. Either that means he doesn’t believe in what his company does, Brandweek caught him on an off day, or… (you come up with reasons why he would contradict his company’s web site).

To us, branding and marketing need to be consistent – and repeated often – to be effective. Yes, the brand experience is important, but the brand experience begins with the brand name.

[Hat tip to Igor International’s brilliant Snark Hunting for the links.]