Know-How Exchange : Taglines/Names

First, Zendle.com is a Yoga site. If this is your site, then changing it to a rent-a-book site is confusing without considering the Amazon Kindle question. And if Zendle.com is not your site, then Zendle probably isn't a good name for your rent-a-book site because it will be confused with the yoga site.

As for the Zendle/Kindle question, the answer is "it depends." Ask your "consultant" to be more quantitative with his/her advice versus just quantitative with his/her fee. What does it cost in "confusion" to have this name and what will it cost (logo change, letterhead change, business card change, new domain registration, loss of present customers they can't find your site any more, etc.)? Additionally, this "consultant" should back up his claim with some quantitative data concerning customers being confusing Zendle with Kindle. You may consider a survey as follows:

1. Do you read ebooks?


2. How often? 1 or less per year, 2-5 per year, 6-12 per year, more than one a month


3. When you hear the name "Zendle," what do you think?


4. If you think of ebooks, what name comes to mind?


5. What companies do you know who rent ebooks?


6. When you hear "Kindle" - what do you think?


7. If you wanted to rent an ebook on line, which companies would you go to - rate them 1 to 10, 1 being most likely, 10 being least likely? Amazon, Borders, Barns and Noble, Zendle, Blockbuster, Rosetta Stone, Netflix, Peachtree, Kindle, Microsoft

Note that I know not all the names mentioned have ebooks or ebook rentals. Still, my guess would be that they would pick one of the book stores and possibly Microsoft before Kindle and Zendle. And I bet they wouldn't know Kindle is part of Amazon. Your "confusion" factor is that the market is not well defined and neither Zendle or Kindle are a household name compared to the other companies who rent things, sell books, or are into everything under the sun. Personally, I don't think Kindle and Zendle are easily confused. I heard of neither before this post. And even after, I wouldn't be confused. I am confused by how I can rent an ebook from a yoga site. Unless it's an ebook on yoga, perhaps. But, possibly I'm not a good subject because I don't buy/read ebooks.

I hope this helps.

Wayde

Wayde is right, as usual. Since you don't own the domain zendle.com, there's no reason to stick with a name that is likely to cause confusion, if not a cease and desist order. It's too bad you spent the time and money developing that name, but it's too late now. No need crying over spilt milk.

Move on ... and pick a name this time that communicates the key benefit you provide, so it will work for you every time someone hears or reads it.

Good luck.