Does Your Name Say What You Do?

I have had some interesting conversations with some members of my business organization about the name of my company. We are getting ready to do some rebranding of our business and expand some of our services (I’ll announce that as soon as we are complete) and it sparked a great conversation on what the name of a company should be.

There were a few that I work with that felt that the name of a company should reflect very specifically what you do for your business. I really struggled with this concept. Although I think that a name shouldn’t distract from what you do, I think that if you build your business right, your brand will help others to see what it is that you do.

Your name, in my opinion, doesn’t define you. Your name, in my opinion, doesn’t define your brand.

Think of it this way. Take a look at the top 100 global brands according to Interbrand. If you aren’t familiar with what the company does, would you have any idea what the name of the company was trying to tell you about it?

What is a Blackberry?
How about an Apple?
How about Canon… and why is it not spelled like Cannon?
Isn’t Google just a big number?
Is Walmart a market that sells walls?
What does a caterpillar have to do with tractors?

The other problem with the name of a company is that it may illustrate what you are doing today, but will it communicate what you do as your business evolves?

BMW (Bavarian Motor Works) used to be an aircraft manufacturer.
General Electric builds train engines.
Pepsi makes far more than Pepsi.
Xerox doesn’t sell copiers.

Your name doesn’t need to reflect what you do to tell a story. Your brand does.

If you make your brand stand out, your name becomes that brand. Then people will remember you.