Contrary to popular assumption, business names rarely exist outside of contextual support. Can you name an instance where your name alone has to explain what you do, how you do it, and why you're better at it than your competitors? Wal-Mart isn't a specialty store that sells wall coverings. How does a sign that says The Gap tell us they sell shirts and pants? And I strongly suspect that Virgin Airlines has employees and passengers that aren't virgins. Bottom line: Names are highly overated. In the grand list of things that contribute to the success of a business, names are down near the bottom. Put your energy into something that will create a reputation
so that your name will actually stand for something in the mind of your prospective customer.
Roy Williams is the founder and president of international ad agency
Wizard of Ads. He's also the author of numerous books on improving advertising efforts, including
The Wizard of Ads and
Secret Formulas of the Wizard of Ads.
