Last time I was at this hotel in New York I had seen the brick-walled private outdoor garden, festooned with twinkling lights, tables and heaters. Waiters scurrying in bearing goodies and drinks for the diners in their what-are-those-thingees-called?
So I was delighted to finally put a name to the dinner service. It was “Winter Garden Private Dinner Yurt”, and I could book one for an hour and a half.
Which reminded me…
Some of the best names for companies, products or services are intriguing AND highly descriptive. Highly descriptive is relatively easy to illustrate. My offerings NoSweatWebsites.com and NoSweatSocial media. And, ThingsToDoInPlymouthMA.com. Need I say more?
Intrigue, or a heightened sense of interest, well, that’s a little more difficult. There can be a fine line between intrigue and annoyance. Between “I really want to hear more” and “You gotta be kidding, don’t waste my time” or, even worse, “what a dumb name.”
Intrigue comes from two primary sources:
- a loyalty or love of the issuing company or brand (you want to read about anything they’re announcing). When Apple came out with the iPad, we didn’t say “What a stupid name” we said “Tell me more.” or
- the highly descriptive name sounds like something that would cure one of your pains (or at the very least, scratch an itch).
Is a name even important? If you work primarily by referral, have limited capacity, and are already busy, not very. Unless you also have plans to franchise and/or sell down the road.
However, for people looking to grow a business, it’s usually very important.
’’The name should “match” the offering. In gravitas. In mood. i.e. Your name shouldn’t be cutesy unless you’re in a cutesy industry. Or, unless you’re wanting to disrupt, and your prospects have a cutesy affinity.
There’s lots of other things to consider, including “stickiness” in peoples’ minds, ease of spelling, availability of trademarks, domains/URLs, etc.*
And yes, they had me at “Winter Garden Private Dinner Yurt.”
*Contact me or attend an upcoming Free Office Hours to discuss your naming conundrums.
This blog is originally published in Marilee's newsletter.
Subscribe to receive these articles and more.
Posted in Speaking of Strategy
