As Romeo and Juliet well knew, there’s plenty in a name. That’s why Golden Stream Quality Foods changed its moniker to Harmony Foods—a move that was voted “best switch to a friendlier corporate name” by the 393 branding and marketing professionals who responded to a survey by New York-based branding agency TippingSprung.
“Harmony Foods” is part of what TippingSprung identifies as a trend toward “real word” names and away from the “nonsense combo” names that were especially popular during the dot-com boom. Similarly, acronym-based names have become less popular, “and many respondents seem to be tired of the prevalence of I and E in iPod-like names,” according to the TippingSprung report.
Speakeasy was voted “best name for a voice-over IP service” because “a) it is a real word; and b) it is the only name that communicates a clear customer benefit.” Packet8, on the other hand, scored lowest in the category because the name “focuses on the technology rather than consumer benefits.”
Among nutrition/performance beverages, High Voltage, another benefit-oriented, “real” name, scored higher than more-abstract, coined names such as Krunk and VIPA. “A great example of the backlash against coined names comes from the U.K.: After Royal Mail tried to change its name to Consignia, public outcry led to the resignation of the chief executive. One of the new official’s first decisions was to abandon Consignia in favor of the tried-and-true Royal Mail.”
Although trademark issues can make it difficult for a company to register a new “real word” name, as opposed to an ersatz, abstract name, TippingSprung suggests trying to avoid the latter if possible, due to “consumers’ desire (and need?) to connect with brands that communicate authenticity and simplicity. With this in mind, many companies are avoiding the introduction of new names and are looking at leveraging the verbal assets they already own.”
Those are lessons that the minds behind the “least appealing food names” should bear in mind. ImiTaters, a faux-mashed potato product, was deemed the third least appealing food moniker, and Lamb’s Supreme AltraMashed (“We do all the work that goes into preparing fresh, ‘made from scratch’ mashed potatoes”) the second. The least appetizing food name belonged to “the newest and easiest way to add Cajun flavor to your meats”: Cajun Stuff-It Capsules.
