The Rebrand: MBA

Vespertine Agency gives the degree a new identity.

ASKED TO FRESHEN UP THE MBA, NAMING AGENCY VESPERTINE RETIRED THE outdated “master of business administration” title and replaced it with an ostentatiously named successor: the Paragon of Harmonic Enterprise. Agency founder Jason Hall says the grandiose name is designed to evoke a sense of weight and pomp in line with the effort required to earn a higher degree. While it may not tumble effortlessly off the tongue, Hall notes that many now-familiar names (e.g., the ipad) were dismissed early on. “Once the name is placed into context, it just starts to work.” The PHE invites people to think more holistically, weighing a company’s output and ethos together—an approach that actually informed the birth of Harvard Business School and the first MBA program in 1908. Its founding doctrine was to develop “a heightened sense of responsibility” among students, who learned to handle business “in socially constructive ways.” The intervening century altered the MBA’S reputation, and now the name feels too narrow, as executives add issues like sustainability and diversity to their purviews. The PHE, then, realigns with the MBA’S original vision and the evolving role of business leaders. —David Salazar

Vespertine Agency Founded in 2021 by longtime branding professional Jason Hall, Vespertine is a naming agency that has helped find new names for everything from Hulu shows to concepts like lab-grown meat and projects from leading tech companies.