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Naming your business - get it right or face an expensive rebrand

By sjr4x4 : Administrator

Published 17th January 2012 |

Read latest comment - 7th March 2012

One of the hardest things to do when starting a company has to be naming it.

But when you named yours, did you think through all the marketing mediums you are likely to use, or is your logo just as good offline as it is online?

The British High Street Chain (yep there is still one left!) Waterstones has upset the Apostrophe Society by dropping its apostrophe and making it's name more usable in online marketing and digital media. The fact they are a book reseller seems to have made things worse

But that simple change will cost a fortune as it's rolled out across all it's stores.

BBC News - Waterstone's drops name apostrophe

Seems a brave decision in these turbulent times

Steve Richardson
Gaffer of My Local Services
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  Name: mrb
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mrb : Forum Member
17th January 2012 5:57 PM

It'd be interesting to know what the cost will be?

I see why they are doing it but I don't believe it's necessary. As the article states, Sainsbury's and McDonald's seem to do ok?

Or is it me?

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mrb
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  Name: CareersPartnershipUK
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CareersPartnershipUK : Forum Member
17th January 2012 7:56 PM

But Waterstones has got free national publicity out of all this, to put against the cost of changing letter heading, website etc. Ask even the non-reading public to name a book store right at the moment and I'm sure they'd respond "Waterstone's".

I suppose it would be just too cheeky for them NOW to say - "We've changed our mind, forget it, we didn't realise how much y'all loved our apostrophe!"?

Linda
CareersPartnershipUK

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sjr4x4 : Administrator
17th January 2012 8:51 PM

Originally Posted by CareersPartnershipUK

“But Waterstones has got free national publicity out of all this...?”

ha ha, love the cynical approach Linda

What is it they say, all publicity is good publicity?

Steve Richardson
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  Name: Reg Addking
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Reg Addking : Growing Business
18th January 2012 9:58 AM

I do not understand why companies junk loads of marketing materials when they do a rebrand. And you're also messing with an image which might have a lot of loyalty.

I wonder if its just MBAs with time on their hands being meddlesome?

You can have fun looking at trends in advertising. Like, some years ago you had a swirl cropping up in a lot of logos. And then, numbers. Like:

@One

We're first in toilet managment. Or something.

[PS: That's (C) Reg Addking.]

Reg Addking

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  Name: SCentral
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SCentral : Growing Business
6th February 2012 9:28 PM

Originally Posted by sjr4x4

“What is it they say, all publicity is good publicity?”

I doubt Gerald Rattner would agree with that.

SCentral

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sjr4x4 : Administrator
9th February 2012 1:08 PM

“could anyone brief i cant understand??

”

what does "can anyone brief" mean?

Steve Richardson
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jean2012
7th March 2012 10:17 AM

hmm, name a company is a hard thing, but i don't think it is the hardest thing!
the hardest thing is how to make much much money after u start this company!