Question

Topic: Taglines/Names

Dog Bite Prevention - For Kids!

Posted by Anonymous on 4/20/2010 at 11:53 PM ET 125 Points
I'm trying to name a course to offer to the kindergarten/elementary schools around my city.

I'm offering to k-5 students, in both the public and catholic systems. The SPCA charges too much, and with the cut backs in the area, it's often the case that teachers cut back on spending and pick out the necessities. I am thinking of offering my course as a volunteer program, until such time it becomes affordable (for both teachers and I) to run it at a cost.

I plan to provide kid friendly (i.e. large font, pictorials) hand outs, as well as a program plan and evaluation to the teachers, as well as come into the class with my own socialized trained dog (as per the teachers request) to provide a hands on understanding of the techniques I am talking about.

My problem is I get hung up on names for programs.
My company is called The Academy (Plain, simple), we offer Kindergarten, Middle School, and High School (basic, intermediate, and advanced obedience) courses for dogs, as well as Gym Class (tracking, agility, and herding). I would like this sort of class to follow a name structure both simple, yet descriptive in nature. I'm not looking to rename ALL my courses, just the Dog Bite Prevention course, in order to make it (essentially) user friendly.

Help, please?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted on 4/21/2010 at 7:02 AM Moderator
    Considering that there is nothing in your name ("The Academy") or the name of your other program ("Gym Class") that indicates this is about dogs, I don't understand how the name structure is "descriptive in nature."

    Further, I think the subject of dog-bite prevention is a scary one because it's about preventing something people don't want -- eliminating a negative -- rather than delivering something they do want.

    And I'm not sure that dog bites are still a big problem (if they ever were) that would strike teachers as worthy of including in their lesson plans -- in an era where there is high pressure to teach the basics and get kids ready for standard testing, etc.

    You might want to go back to your original marketing and business plans and see what your target audience had to say about the concept for this course. If they really loved it, pick up on some of the words they used. How did they describe the benefit? WHY did they like it?

    If you didn't do this kind of research first, you might consider doing it now. It will give you a sanity check on the concept AND it will provide you (and us) with some sense of what name might resonate with your target audience.
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 4/21/2010 at 9:12 AM Accepted
    See Spot. Run!
    Kids & Dogs Play Nice.
  • Posted on 4/21/2010 at 9:52 AM Author
    My company name, and tagline, is "The Academy" - Changing lives, one dog at a time. On my card, which I promote at dog daycares, vet clinics and grooming shops, I have a dog paw print as well as two images of dogs on the card.

    As for the problem of dog bites. 4.5 million people a year get bit (in varying degrees), by dogs, and one in 5 bites requires medical attention. The largest number of bites occurs to children between the ages of 5 - 9.

    Like I said in my first post, I've talked to some teachers, who can't afford the program put on by the SPCA (which is regularly a charged admission course).

    In my town, there is no American anything (considering we're in Canada), and in the heart of a small town.

    There are no programs like this, except for the SPCA program (again, at a cost to the teachers).

    And yes, I agree. Dog bites are scary. But knowing what to do before one happens (which is the total overall goal of removing the entire situation of a possible dog bite) can help the kids.
    The number one reason dogs get put down each year is behaviour problems (half of those being "bit a child").

    As for the sanity check, I'm completely fine.
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