Unless you’re a psychopath it’s very likely you carry some ‘imposter syndrome’ on at least one of your shoulders. We all live with the secret fear one day we’ll be exposed as not so clever or competent as we pretend to be. The weight of our (self-imposed) expectations of ourselves forces us to be complicated. … Continue reading Why we’re afraid to be simple
Category Archives: Brand name
Don’t repeat your ‘what’ if your business name gives me a clue If, by luck or construction, your business name gives me a clue what you do…great start. Doing so allows you greater freedom in playing with the next few words, especially to achieve an emotional connection with a potential customer. If I know your … Continue reading Don’t repeat your ‘what’ if your business name gives me a clue
Imagine you read, “XYZ company, delivering creative solutions collaboratively, while empowering intelligent customer synergies”. Do you have a clue what they do? Have any of the words they’ve used to describe themselves provided points of difference compared to competitors? Would this first statement encourage further exploration of a website? The answer is unlikely – unless … Continue reading Why generic words are meaningless
Many of us have struggled with what to call something or someone. In the case of a child’s name it can be a nightmare. After all, we don’t want to lumber our offspring with either too common a handle or something so obscure it invariably results in variations on ‘pardon?’. A business name is similar, … Continue reading Why your business name should start your story
Ever been at a function, say a BBQ, and asked someone what they do…their story business-wise? Some people come back with, “well, we do lots of things.” Immediately you begin to switch off. That person has irretrievably lost their best chance to pique your interest. They’ve frittered their golden opportunity for you to ask “tell me … Continue reading Why you can only tell one story (at a time)
The billboard I walk past often first got me interested when The Good Taste Company’s dips, endorsed by chef Michael van de Elzen, used the term “My great tasting dips are good from scratch”. Originally, it was the ‘good from scratch component that took my fancy Good from scratch is very close to, though obviously different to … Continue reading Good Taste cook themselves a million dollar message
Inspired, or rather uninspired by the use of the world ‘solution’ in a brand name or tagline, the thought came around what other words should be given the big miss. Without too much trouble, superior, excellence, committed, unique.There’s two good reasons to steer well clear of such terms. They mean nothing – and, in actual … Continue reading ‘Solution’ is not the solution – even if it sounds like it should be
Look at the following picture outside Trade Aid’s central Wellington shop. Then check its tagline (which indeed is the first thing you see) Hand made change Three words that combine to make a distinctive, different and desirable message. Not only does it reflect the change that Trade Aid is helping to bring to under-developed economies, … Continue reading A tagline…nailed
Or, why your tagline needs to nail your company’s promise If your company name doesn’t indicate what you do, then the tagline, sometimes known as a slogan, is especially important. It needs to be distinctive and different; and that’s what makes it valuable. That’s because it is the start of your conversation with your customer. … Continue reading Would you start a story by giving it a misleading headline?
What do you think the billboard pictured below in Wellington, New Zealand’s capital city, is ‘selling’? You certainly can’t tell from its tagline – defined at About.com as “a slogan or phrase that visually conveys the most important product attribute or benefit that the advertiser wishes to convey”. Well, if “Delivering exceptional customer experiences since … Continue reading So, what does CallActive actually do?