Tips For Evocative, Distinctive Company Names

Tips For Evocative, Distinctive Company Names

by: Marcia Yudkin

As the sponsor of a NameThisCompany Contest, I’ve been watching suggestions come in by the dozens every day. Unfortunately, the great majority of names submitted so far do not pass ขgo.ข A good company name is not only catchy and evocative, but also pronounceable, spellable and not likely to backfire because of unsavory associations.

Since the contest offers a prize of $100 for the best business name submitted, along with the chance to become a professional ขnamer,ข getting paid to think up new product names, new company names, tag lines and ad slogans, I would guess that the same flaws occur when company owners or managers sit down to think up a new name for their own business.

So here’s a quick quiz to sensitize you to important factors in potential company names. To which of the following names would you give a thumbs up and which a thumbs down – and why?

1. Zyklon Bikes

2. Quirinus Quarterly (political magazine)

3. The Energy Spot (web site selling healthy snacks and diet plans)

4. Elkins Enterprises (mail order company)

Answers: All the above names deserve thumbs down. Here’s why.

1. ขZyklonข sounds fast and energetic. However, it’s also the name of the gas used by Nazis to kill millions during World War Two. A British company that announced this name for running shoes earned terrible PR.

2. Quirinus was a Roman god of military and political affairs, so the meaning of this name fits. But even most Ph.D.s and history buffs would not be able to spell or pronounce the name with confidence.

3. Start the name of an ecommerce company with ขtheข and customers won’t easily remember whether or not ขtheข is part of the domain name. ขTheข followed by the letter ขeข is even more problematic for spelling a web address. People will hesitate to type ขtheenergyspot.com.ข

4. Like ขQuirinus Quarterly,ข ขElkins Enterprisesข has alliteration in its favor. But so many dubiously honest and struggling but honest businesses have used ขEnterprisesข that it sounds suspicious to many people as a business name component.

Although our namethiscompany contest has a deadline of August 31, after that date there will always be another contest at that URL. People from any country and of any age are eligible to enter as many times as they like. Nonwinners who submit captivating names will be considered for a post as a professional namer, as will the contest winner.

Happy naming!

About The Author

Marcia Yudkin is the author of 6 Steps to Free Publicity and 10 other books hailed for outstanding creativity. Read about her new discount naming company, Named At Last, which brainstorms company names, new product names, tag lines and more for entrepreneurs on a budget, at http://www.NamedAtLast.com . The contest URL: http://www.NamedAtLast.com/contest.htm

[email protected]

This article was posted on September 05

by Marcia Yudkin

How To Avoid A Business Naming Disaster

How To Avoid A Business Naming Disaster

by: Marcia Yudkin

An entrepreneur of my acquaintance, in a rush to get his new company up and running, launched his new online publishing venture with a press release and great industry fanfare. Not three days later, he received the kind of letter business owners dread: a ceaseanddesist request from the lawyer for a company that said the name of the new venture infringed on their trademark. Ouch!

My colleague held emergency brainstorming sessions with his cronies, registered a new domain, announced the name change, only to receive a barrage of criticism from British and Australian colleagues that for them, the new name had negative and even somewhat obscene connotations. He changed the company name and corresponding URL again. Quadruple ouch!

The moral of the story: Names matter. In your inventor’s zeal for getting the technical stuff right, don’t leave a blank for the company name and then pick one at the last minute. Take the time to choose a business name that has these characteristics:

Suggests the content or subject area of your business

Has pizzazz

Makes a positive impression on your target market

Can be easily spelled and pronounced

If the company will mainly do business online, corresponds to an available domain

Is legally available for use

Tips for Brainstorming Names

A comprehensive, free guide to brainstorming a winning company name can be found at www.yudkin.com/generate.htm. Another series of steps to follow are these:

1. Find 810 company names that you like – not necessarily in your own industry.

2. Analyze the type or formation of these names. For instance:

Google, Yahoo – short, sounds humorous

Dr. Pepper, Green Giant – based on a fictitious character

Done Yesterday, Call Caren! – describes a result or says what to do

Speedy Muffler, One Stop Frame Shop – states the competitive advantage

A Quiet Touch, Tranquility Day Spa – emphasizes a feeling

Queen of Clean, A Hire Authority – catchy, uses a meaningful rhyme or pun

Riviera Diamonds, Niagara Well Services – evocative geographical reference

3. Use the patterns of the names you like to think up new names that fit your line of work, target audience, competitive strengths and personal preferences. Always brainstorm dozens of possibilities, not just a few.

4. Run your candidates through the criteria listed above. Get feedback from trusted friends, clients and colleagues. Select your top choice from those remaining.

Checking the Availability of Company Names

The surest way to avoid getting a ceaseanddesist letter is to hire an attorney to do a trademark search. Refer also to these free online resources for business name availability in various Englishspeaking countries:

United States:

http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=tess

About The Author

Marcia Yudkin is the author of 6 Steps to Free Publicity and ten other books hailed for outstanding creativity. Find out more about her new discount naming firm, Named At Last, which brainstorms company names, new product names, tag lines and more for entrepreneurs on a budget, at http://www.NamedAtLast.com.

[email protected]

This article was posted on August 31

by Marcia Yudkin