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The company is the most common trap names – creating a business name that is accurate and descriptive, but utterly forgettable. And it is easy to see how it happens. Unlike the real life application, naming is usually done in a vacuum – without context, without the accompanying logo, website or brochure copy. A group of key decision makers sit in a room together and throw names around in the air. And no supporting cast, no background, no accessories, good name often seem disconnected even ridiculous. At this stage the mind wants to give meaning to the names and without context, without support elements default to the free associations of the past. This is what kills more than a great brand.
Imagine a committee looking for a brand name for a new computer company. Someone suggested the word "apple".
"Apple?" the group reacts in shock and bewilderment.
"That makes me think of my mother saying," One rotten apple spoils heap "," a committee member of protests.
"It sounds to me like something fruity," says another. "We can not be perceived as a fruit company! "
"What about worms that get into the apples," a third member agrees. "And the way they fester, and how the juice is sticky, and how …"
"All right," the apology suggestee, huddled in a position fetal close, and promised never again to another idea now.
And for the group to reach a complete agreement that the name should convey what the company does. So the next series of suggestions are right on target …
"United Computer Manufacturers"
"General Systems"
"Quality Computer Corporation"
"Superior Computer Builders
"Global computer world"
The closer the Committee aims to describe the "what" of the company, most are homogenized and mixed well with the rest of their industry. Sound more like a description of the business of a brand name, and by doing so conceal the very identity they are trying to create. They do not realize that the new company name exist in an environment that helps define, so the name is free to evoke feelings and emotions. An apple is fresh, accessible, healthy and stimulating. And so a company can borrow in the inherent attributes of a topic completely unrelated to communicate the way they approach their business.
So if you are creative company names much more memorable and effective than the descriptive names, why is that so many companies make this mistake based? This is largely because we are conditioned from childhood to adapt, be like others and to follow the leader. As much as we like to admit, most of us prefer to follow a trail that to open a new one. One of the first questions I ask potential clients is whether they want their new company name to mix, or to highlight. Most say they want to categorically excel, but when are the names are submitted, the red flag up.
"I'm not sure," you might say. "These names are unique, but are so different from anything else in our industry. "
And so on. The names continue mixing until someone names a company Virgin air instead of Southwest. Or a Monster online job site CareerBuilder site. Or a massive online store instead of Amazon Books-A-Million.
No names are descriptive only less dramatic, is more difficult to visualize. I imagine a monster, but I can not imagine a career builder. When it comes to shoes beach, I can imagine a pair of Crocs, but a couple of Keynes. These vivid mental images provide another way to anchor the brand in the minds of the customer to facilitate recovery.
The names of the creatives are also less restrictive. If you have a purely descriptive name, what happens if the main products your business or services in return? How much additional advertising for Burlington Coat Factory needed to convince customers to sell more than just layers?
Names are easy to remember the only way to go? No. Some small businesses do not have the luxury of a marketing budget and resource literal names for short-term need. And there are other feasible strategies of names that work well. But for those looking to build a brand that differentiates them and reserve space More on the mind of the customer, then an evocative, memorable name is the way forward. Seth Godin makes a compelling case for business names memorable in his best-selling The New York Times, Purple cow: transform your business still remarkable.
So if you name the company after a river, fruit, dessert, a reptile, or even a strange color of the bovine species, it is likely that you, at a minimum, make a name for yourself. And once that potential customers notice and remember your company, the rest is up to you. If you do your job well, you have a company that is not only memorable, but one that is unforgettable.
Phillip Davis is president and owner of Tungsten Branding, business naming consultants specializing in brand creation, product naming, tag line development, corporate identity and strategic brand repositioning. Phil’s client list includes PODS, Team Logic IT and Sea Of Diamonds to name a few. His complete client list and company naming philosophy can be viewed at http://PureTungsten.com
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