Despite the fact that giving your business an embarrassing name is like sending it through the valley of death, where the market's gaping jaws are ready to devour it, many entrepreneurs continue to launch their businesses with names that alienate their target audience.
Companies like Ayds Diet Candy, i.Beat Blaxx, and ISIS, the Belgian chocolate company, have all faced severe backlash as a result of their brand's cringey name.
So, if you don't want your company to experience a tragic fate as a result of a poor brand name, make sure to avoid these blunders while naming your company.
Don’t Use Names that are Hard to Say, Hear, or Spell
Avoid using difficult-to-pronounce brand names because clients will be annoyed if they have to waste time trying to pronounce your company's name.
Businesses with names like "Susan's Special Shoe Selling Shop" would have to use a simpler name if they want their target audience to love and promote their brand.
Customers prefer short, memorable brand names to lengthy ones because they are easier to say, remember, and find online. Long names have a number of disadvantages, one of which is the possibility that customers would misspell a letter while searching for your store online.
Your company's name creates the crucial first impression that your business requires to establish a strong foundation in the minds of its clients. So make sure you choose a great name that’s short, easy to say, spell, and sounds beautiful.
Apply Caution in Political Situations
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It's important to remember that offending customers is a tried-and-true recipe for brand failure. Many companies have made the mistake of demonstrating their uniqueness by using a goofy brand name, and it has never worked out well for them.
And in these times, when customers are much more aware of the brands they buy from, sending the wrong message about issues of culture and politics through your brand name will undoubtedly create a huge gap between your brand and its customers, just as Aunt Jemima's name did before it was renamed to Pearl Milling Company.
So, even if you've come up with a distinctive name, avoid doing anything that will make your clients cringe. Entrepreneurs must show extraordinary prudence when dealing with political situations.
Customers couldn't distinguish the difference between Mike Lindell's business, MyPillow, and his activities because he became so involved in politics. As a result, his client base was harmed, prompting David Hogg, a Parkland shooting survivor, to start his own pillow company in an attempt to put MyPillow out of business.
Not Properly Positioning Your Brand with Your Audience
Even if the primary purpose of any business is to generate revenue, it will not be able to do so if it does not address the pain points of its clients. As a result, if you want your company to flourish, avoid giving it a name that doesn’t align with your target market.
According to a recent survey by Squadhelp, customers between the ages of 25 and 34 prefer new and innovative names over traditional and trusted brand names. In contrast, customers between the ages of 45 and 65 prefer traditional and trusted names.
It’s vital that you take your customer’s perception of the tone of your brand name into consideration. Edgy names like Alienware would work for a company targeting Millennials because it resonates with them, but if your target audience are Baby Boomers though, you should avoid using edgy names altogether.
So, understand your target audience's demographics and create a name that reflects their demands and personality. And one of the best ways to get a great brand name is to use a reputable business name generator.
Grant Polachek is the head of branding for Squadhelp.com, 3X Inc 5000 startup and disruptive naming agency. Squadhelp has reviewed more than 1 million names and curated a collection of the best available names on the web today. We are also the world's leading crowdsource naming platform, supporting clients such as Nestle, Dell, Nuskin, and AutoNation.
Not Testing Your Brand Name
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Failure to test your brand name with an audience is another sure path to ending up with a name that’ll make your customers cringe.
So, devote time to find out if your name resonates with your customers by testing it with a small sample of your target audience. Testing your name won't only tell if customers love your name but also show you if your name will confine your company to a niche or allow it to grow.
Now, one thing to keep in mind is that most business owners don’t see the need to test their brand name on a regular basis to ensure that it continues to assist their company's growth. And this failure to retest its brand name was the cause of Ayds Diet Candy's demise.
A simple test would have shown that it was time for the brand to change its name to avoid being associated with the terrible disease AIDS.
Embrace Uniqueness
Any name that sounds too much like that of your competitors should be avoided. While it may look that leveraging the brand power of a successful firm is a wonderful idea, doing that will only confuse your target audience and make your brand appear unoriginal and lazy.
So every entrepreneur must carefully choose brand names that’d help their companies stand out in its niche, even if it’s surrounded by a ton of competitors.
Grant Polachek is the head of branding for Squadhelp.com, 3X Inc 5000 startup and disruptive naming agency. Squadhelp has reviewed more than 1 million names and curated a collection of the best available names on the web today. We are also the world's leading crowdsource naming platform, supporting clients such as Nestle, Dell, Nuskin, and AutoNation.
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