Fun & NAMES

A great, descriptive, memorable name for your company is the AH-HA moment worthy of champagne toast and rounds of slaps on backs. The name is a work of art... give your brand the gift that leads to immortality.

Great names are:
1. descriptive, evocative, or colorful in some way
2. ownable by you
3. easy or pleasing to say

Some of my favorite brands have their distinct selling idea built right in! Like: DieHard Batteries, EZ Pass, Egg Beaters, Rainex, Honey Baked Ham, SuperBowl, Chain Link Fence, Head & Shoulders Shampoo, Hefty Trash Bags, Ziploc Sandwich Bags... you get the picture.

Even made-up or tech-y names can be inspirational when they "sound" right. Example: Compaq starts with computer but implies the friendliness of a pact between you and your machine. Drug companies make up amazing names that always hint at their descriptive purpose. Example: Viagra has virile and aggressive in it.

Rule of thumb: name only what is truly proprietary and pivotal to your overall brand. That usually means your company itself, a key product or service, and one or two specialty attributes, properties, or ingredients.

Lastly, watch out for the nicknames that your company brand can turn in to. After a while, no one wanted to say International Business Machines any more and IBM was born. This isn't a bad thing, once your brand is firmly established after years of dominance. Don't name your company Richard if you prefer not to be called Dick. And don't name your insurance division "P"remier "I"nsurance "G"roup, either.