brand glossary: when the industry speaks the same language

- Branding agency ICU created an ironic market glossary together with 26 agencies.

The creative industry is full of professional terms. But everyone who works in an agency knows: behind dry definitions lie emotions, irony, and recognizable stories. This is exactly what inspired us at ICU to launch the Brand glossary project—a collaborative glossary in which familiar words gain new meanings. Together with colleagues from different agencies, we set out to show that the industry has its own language, and it isn’t always academic—more often it’s human and alive.

The idea was born from a simple observation: every agency has its own internal memes, ironic interpretations of terms, and speech habits that only “insiders” understand. We thought: what if we bring these voices together? Thus the glossary format, familiar to everyone from school, turned into a collective project where each letter of the alphabet is represented by a separate agency, and behind every joke stands the experience of an entire team. In the end, 26 agencies joined the creation of the glossary—a rare case for branding!

The glossary became a symbol that agencies can compete in the market while still finding common ground. It served as a reminder that behind deadlines, briefs, and endless revisions are people who know not only how to work, but also how to support one another.

At ICU, our team expected the Brand glossary to become a light pause amid work tasks—an opportunity to smile at our colleagues and at ourselves. And that’s exactly what happened!

Kristina Parshova, content marketer ICU

We believe that the future of the industry lies precisely in such initiatives. They help build not only projects but also a culture of interaction. We believe that the Brand glossary was not a one-off experiment but the beginning of a series of initiatives that make the market closer, friendlier, and stronger.

Because brands are built on meaning, and the industry—on people. And if we can laugh together, it means we can grow together.

The Brand glossary itself is already open—you can check it out via the link.