New Business Names: Naming for the Ear
by Marcia Yudkin
Published on this site: December 9th, 2005 - See
more articles from this month
It's surely happened to you, too: You call someone back from
a telephone message, not sure who they are or what they want,
and what the receptionist recites upon answering comes off
as a complete blur. It doesn't even separate into words.
In many cases this has nothing to do with the diction of
the receptionist. Out of context, the company name simply
makes no sense to the ear.
Years ago I had an extreme version of this experience when
a gardening columnist I was interviewing said something interesting
about "squash vine borers." Listening, I could not
form words out of those sounds. I had to ask her to repeat the phrase three times. I still wasn't sure I'd gotten
it right and emailed her to check, only to learn that what
I'd finally heard as "bores" should have been"borers."
Two names submitted in our first Named At Last naming contest,
for a web design/search engine optimization company, exemplify
this problem. Each contains the kernel of an appealing visual
image, but out loud they don't work:
Ducks Tech Web Agile Impala
In the first name, the consonants smudge into one another,
and in the second example, the vowels blend together when
they shouldn't. Corral a colleague who hasn't read this article,
and test this by saying each name naturally, without exaggerating
the space between the words. Ask them to spell what you just
said. Most of the time, the colleague will look stunned, unable
to echo the sounds, much less spell words.
Use "the receptionist test" on any name you're
considering for a company or product. Even if you primarily
sell through the written word, there will be times when you
need to call a business partner and have the name create
understanding rather than confusion.
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 company, Named At Last,
which brainstorms new company names, new product names, tag lines and more for entrepreneurs on a budget, at
www.NamedAtLast.com
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