Many businesses, no doubt, dream of becoming a household name like Nike or Starbucks. But until they do, some experts caution, businesses should be careful about how they choose a name. It takes a lot of effort — and money — to get consumers to remember a brand, and even someone as ubiquitous as McDonald’s spends millions of dollars to make its catchy tune “You deserve a break today” roll off the lips of consumers on cue.
“You are asking people to remember something (like a business name) — you may be taking a huge step into oblivion,” said Bill Hoke of Hoke Consulting, who has been in the advertising business for 30 years and helped launched several big brands.
Hoke learned first-hand about the difference a name can make. When he first started his own business, he called it Mountain Production. But a friend told him later he couldn’t find the company because he didn’t remember the name — and that was the beginning of Hoke Consulting.
“I say, if it’s a service company, use your own name, or a word describing what you do,” he said.
Businesses are complicating their brand even further by having both a nondescript name and a complex logo. “People are going to remember the name or a symbol but unlikely to remember both,” Hoke said. “People’s ability to remember takes a lot of impressions and reminders over time.”
He gives the example of Nordstrom, which uses a simple typeface for its logo, yet it’s very distinct and memorable because the company has built its brand based on customer experience.
Logos were born in the days when people couldn’t read and places like apothecaries had to use symbols, or brands, to identify their type of business. Hoke says that concept is still a good tactic, using a name that people will easily figure out. “Quit looking for complicated solutions to a simple process,” he said.
Annie Eissler, vice president of client services with Mixtur Interactive, Inc., a Bainbridge Island strategic marketing firm, said choosing a company name depends largely on the target audience. For example, a business-to-business company could be better served with a descriptive name while a consumer-oriented business may want to look at something catchier.
“The uniqueness and brevity of the name is important,” she said. “You’ll appreciate that it’s short when you use social media.”
Another consideration could be geography. For example, a local company could benefit by using the geographic name (e.g. Kitsap) especially if consumers look for its service online — the geographic name will help with search engine optimization, Eissler said.
“With cutesy name, you have to spend more energy to make people aware of it,” she said.
One way to expand on the business name is by adding a tagline describing the products or services. “Their purpose is being part of conveying more information about who you are and what your value and services are,” Eissler said. “…It could be simple, vision or mission oriented.”
Often taglines are catchy phrases but they don’t necessarily have to be. Some businesses simply use — successfully — three- or four-word phrases that explain exactly what they do.
“Fun is good but it must absolutely support your mission,” Hoke said. “Don’t make the taglines your focus, because you don’t have the media weight to promote them.”
Eissler recommends using one of several criteria when choosing a tagline: brand attributes and personality; a key differentiator or competitive advantage; the target audience (e.g. “government”); even an aspiration of the target audience.
“Which one you choose often depends on the culture of the company,” she said. “…When you’re coming up with a company name and tagline, plan to spend the time to really think these things through.”
