Google was originally called Backrub, believe it or not (imagine a world where we’d say “I’m not sure, let me Backrub it for you quickly”).
Pepsi used to be called “Brad’s Drink”. Jif changed its name to Cif after they realised it meant… unfortunate things, in other languages.
And Hiro is now Locket.
But why did we change it, and what does it mean?
We originally called ourselves “Hiro” partly as a play on words: we wanted to become the “Hero” that could protect you, the people and the things you care about from harm.
But the more we thought about it, the more we realised that was wrong. We’re here to support and enable you and have your back when you need it most.
But ultimately, this is about giving you the tools, technology and knowledge to better do what you’ve always done – protect your home and your family.
We’re not the hero in this story; you are.
We also spent a lot of time thinking about what Locket really stands for.
Something our community has told us time and time again is that the most valuable things in life don’t necessarily have a high price tag.
Sure – some of them do. But for every one of you who told us about priceless antiques, instruments, jewellery or artwork, there was someone else whose most treasured possession was a ticket stub from the event where they met their future wife.
A stuffed toy they’d brought everywhere since childhood; the ashes of a loved one.
The “financial” value of those things was usually approaching zero, but the emotional value was immeasurable. Those things can’t be insured, only protected.
And it made us realise: Locket really has two missions.
To insure the things that have conventional, financial value;
And to help you protect the things that can’t be insured in the traditional sense.
Insurance for the things you have; protection for what they mean.
Protection is important because it extends not just beyond monetary value, but also beyond material possessions themselves.
You can’t insure that ticket stub from the event where you met your life partner. Even if you could, how much money would it take to make you feel better about losing it?.
You also can’t insure things like “the sense that your home is a safe place”. 60% of burglary victims never feel safe at home again; 34% of people develop lasting mental health problems like insomnia, PTSD, depression and panic attacks.
That can only be protected, fought for, not insured in the conventional sense.
That’s why we decided one of our new mottos would be “don’t take cover, take action”.
An insurance pay-out is a valuable safety net if the worst comes to the worst, and Locket does include fully-featured, Defaqto-rated home insurance with great cover as standard.
But our mission, in a perfect world, would be to make sure you never even need a pay-out.
In reality, nobody can predict or prevent everything. The world is an uncertain and sometimes chaotic place.
But by equipping your home with smart technology to actively respond to threats; by learning about the most common causes of damage to your home and how to prevent them; you can massage the odds in your favour.
Proactive prevention is a big part of our identity, and not just when it comes to protecting your immediate bubble.
We’ve also been deeply committed to building an ethical, sustainable business since day zero: taking action to protect the planet, support good causes and bring people together.
We’re carbon positive, meaning we offset 25% more carbon than we produce by investing in reforestation and environmental protection schemes.
We’re working with three different charities to support causes close to our hearts: ending homelessness, providing clean water for all, and mental health support for the victims of crime.
Okay, so why Locket?
A locket is a way to keep something that’s important to you safe and close at hand.
A locket would traditionally hold a photo of a loved one or a lock of their hair, and be worn around the neck, close to the heart.
The locket itself isn’t usually the prized possession – it’s just the protection around it; a way to keep the contents close.
We liked that phonetically, it’s the same as “lock it”. If you love something, Locket. It’s affirmative and confident.
We liked that a locket is something that can integrate seamlessly into your life without ever getting in the way – you can carry it around all day and never think about it, but if you want it, it’s right there.
The locket itself can be beautiful and sophisticated and enjoyable and enhance your life in more ways than protecting the contents. But the truly important part is always what’s inside, not the locket itself.
And our new logo reflects that: the star inside is you, your family and the things you care about; the things that are meaningful and precious.
Around it, like a bubble or a barrier, is the protection you put in place to keep it safe. It could be a locket with a gem set in the centre, but also it’s evocative of a photo frame or maybe a house.
In addition to helping us more clearly articulate our mission and direction, it opens up multiple international territories where we’d been advised the Hiro brand might be contested.
We’ve redesigned our app and website and we’ve got lots of exciting news to share with you over the coming weeks and months.
We’re excited about our new identity and we hope you love it too.
Our new identity was developed with help from Ragged Edge, an outstanding design agency behind some of Britain’s freshest brands like Bulb energy and Mindful Chef.
Krystian Zajac
CEO & Co-Founder
Krystian refused to write a bio for the blog because he felt it was too corporate and sales-y.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
How Hiro became Locket
In case you missed it, Hiro is now Locket.
Not every company keeps the name it’s born with. Google was originally called Backrub, believe it or not (imagine a world where we’d say “I’m not sure, let me Backrub it for you quickly”). Pepsi used to be called “Brad’s Drink”. Jif changed its name to Cif after they realised it meant… unfortunate things, in other languages.
And Hiro is now Locket.
But why did we change it, and what does it mean?
We originally called ourselves “Hiro” partly as a play on words: we wanted to become the “Hero” that could protect you, the people and the things you care about from harm.
But the more we thought about it, the more we realised that was wrong. We’re here to support and enable you and have your back when you need it most. But ultimately, this is about giving you the tools, technology and knowledge to better do what you’ve always done – protect your home and your family. We’re not the hero in this story; you are.
We also spent a lot of time thinking about what Locket really stands for. Something our community has told us time and time again is that the most valuable things in life don’t necessarily have a high price tag.
Sure – some of them do. But for every one of you who told us about priceless antiques, instruments, jewellery or artwork, there was someone else whose most treasured possession was a ticket stub from the event where they met their future wife. A stuffed toy
they’d brought everywhere since childhood; the ashes of a loved one. The “financial” value of those things was usually approaching zero, but the emotional value was immeasurable. Those things can’t be insured, only protected.
And it made us realise: Locket really has two missions.
To insure the things that have conventional, financial value;
And to help you protect the things that can’t be insured in the traditional sense.
Insurance for the things you have; protection for what they mean.
Protection is important because it extends not just beyond monetary value, but also beyond material possessions themselves. You can’t insure that ticket stub from the event where you met your life partner. Even if you could, how much money would it take to make you feel better about losing it?. You also can’t insure things like “the sense that your home is a safe place”. 60% of burglary victims never feel safe at home again; 34% of people develop lasting mental health problems like insomnia, PTSD, depression and panic attacks. That can only be protected, fought for, not insured in the conventional sense.
That’s why we decided one of our new mottos would be “don’t take cover, take action”. An insurance pay-out is a valuable safety net if the worst comes to the worst, and Locket does include fully-featured, Defaqto-rated home insurance with great cover as standard. But our mission, in a perfect world, would be to make sure you never even need a pay-out.
In reality, nobody can predict or prevent everything. The world is an uncertain and sometimes chaotic place. But by equipping your home with smart technology to actively respond to threats; by learning about the most common causes of damage to your home and how to prevent them; you can massage the odds in your favour.
Proactive prevention is a big part of our identity, and not just when it comes to protecting your immediate bubble. We’ve also been deeply committed to building an ethical, sustainable business since day zero: taking action to protect the planet, support good causes and bring people together. We’re carbon positive, meaning we offset 25% more carbon than we produce by investing in reforestation and environmental protection schemes. We’re working with three different charities to support causes close to our hearts: ending homelessness, providing clean water for all, and mental health support for the victims of crime.
Okay, so why Locket?
A locket is a way to keep something that’s important to you safe and close at hand. A locket would traditionally hold a photo of a loved one or a lock of their hair, and be worn around the neck, close to the heart. The locket itself isn’t usually the prized possession – it’s just the protection around it; a way to keep the contents close.
We liked that phonetically, it’s the same as “lock it”. If you love something, Locket. It’s affirmative and confident. We liked that a locket is something that can integrate seamlessly into your life without ever getting in the way – you can carry it around all day and never think about it, but if you want it, it’s right there. The locket itself can be beautiful and sophisticated and enjoyable and enhance your life in more ways than protecting the contents. But the truly important part is always what’s inside, not the locket itself.
And our new logo reflects that: the star inside is you, your family and the things you care about; the things that are meaningful and precious. Around it, like a bubble or a barrier, is the protection you put in place to keep it safe. It could be a locket with a gem set in the centre, but also it’s evocative of a photo frame or maybe a house.
In addition to helping us more clearly articulate our mission and direction, it opens up multiple international territories where we’d been advised the Hiro brand might be contested. We’ve redesigned our app and website and we’ve got lots of exciting news to share with you over the coming weeks and months.
We’re excited about our new identity and we hope you love it too.
Our new identity was developed with help from Ragged Edge, an outstanding design agency behind some of Britain’s freshest brands like Bulb energy and Mindful Chef.
