Question

Topic: Taglines/Names

Brand Name Dilemma

Posted by Anonymous on 9/5/2008 at 1:56 PM ET 250 Points
I have two potential brand names : Zume & LaserVision.

THis is for a new product in a new market for our company for a new application, therefore greenfield all the way.

This is an industrial inspection system used in tube and pipe manufacturing processes. It incorporates a laser light source, optics and imaging sensors. This is also a "first" of its kind for the industry.

Our buyers will be Quality Department / Production / Operations with of course the financial buyer.

As an industry first, my goal is to create a brand name from which we could build a brand identity with a goal of owning the category.

We have other markets into which we can bring the base technology, however it is my expectation that the brand name will stay in tube and pipe industry only.

to the brand names:

ZUME: more abstract as to what the product actually does but it can be built to be synonymous with the product purpose

LASERVISION: More direct as to what the product is, still needs support to explain what the product does.

dilemma:

Will technical industrial buyers be more tuned towards a more direct brand name, HP Inkjet comes to mind?

Laservision has been used before, outside of tube and pipe and a few other companies use the same name for industrial purposes, some for imaging. Therefore I am concerned with brand confusion.

ZUme is unique in nature, but will require more work to build it up as a brand family.

My initial plan was to use LASERVISION as the software platform which would be a brand subset of a super set. This could span the entire application area and act as an anchor to our technology solutions, much like Windows.

Zume's sole purpose in life is for tube and pipe only.

My partner came to me today and asked why we don't use Laservision as the brand name. It's clear, gets to the point.

I then thought maybe he is right. While I mull the pros/cons over in my head, I thought I would seek some advice here as well.



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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 9/5/2008 at 2:07 PM Accepted
    LaserVision is close, but why not leverage the benefit in the name as well: LaserInspect?

    Zume sounds a lot like Microsoft's Zune music player.
  • Posted on 9/5/2008 at 9:26 PM Accepted
    Just responding to the brand name issue (without consideration of the legal implications), LaserVision would be my pick (of the two finalists you mention). I'm with your partner when it comes to clear and gets-to-the-point.

    The alternative in my mind would be to use the name to communicate an important end benefit to the customer/user -- more cost-effective quality assurance, fewer defects, guaranteed fail-safe pipes, etc.

    In fact, in similar situations we've built a guarantee into the offering, then named the product to include the performance assurance. (Yes, we then purchased product liability insurance ... just to be extra safe ourselves.)

    BTW, I really like Jay's upgrade to get the word and concept of "inspect" into the brand name. "Vision" has a few different meanings and is therefore not as strong as "inspect."

    Good luck! Sounds like you're pretty far along with the name. Are you also thinking about taglines and logos?

  • Posted on 9/6/2008 at 11:04 AM Moderator
    You CAN have two brand names, but there is a cost (in time, effort, money) attached to making those brand names mean something. If you can focus your resources on just one brand name you'll probably do a better job of making it mean something and have a real asset value ... as compared with having multiple names that nobody understands or remembers.

    Go with a simple, straightforward brand name that doesn't require a lot of explanation. Make sure it communicates a benefit to your target audience. Then direct your energies (and your marketing investment) to creating awareness and understanding of the brand.

    Much easier (and less expensive) to do this when you have just one name and positioning, not two. In a few years, when you have been successful, you can revisit the need for another brand name.
  • Posted by Frank Hurtte on 9/6/2008 at 12:16 PM Accepted
    Pierre,
    Given the choices presented here. I would prefer Zume. Zume would give you maximum flexibility in positioning your product.

    Further, it has been my experience that vision carries some preexisting bagage of its own. In my mind, the marketplace has "pegged" vision systems with expensive, hard to maintain, and other similar descriptors. Even the largest vision technology company has started calling their products sensor...
  • Posted by Mikee on 9/8/2008 at 11:55 AM Member
    If I have to pick from the two I vote for LaserVision as it is more related to your product. I did like Jay's suggestion of LaserInspect to differentiate it more from the LASIK people which like to use words like Laser Vision.

    Mike
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