Know-How Exchange : Taglines/Names

I think it's very important to include the "goat" in your name. It's precisely what people will remember (it's a great visual mnemonic), and it is central to what makes your product different from, and better than, "ordinary" soap.

Of course, you also want to include some reference to the benefit (e.g., super-moisturizing) in either the name or the tagline.

If you do this right, people will remember both the "goat" and the "benefit," and they'll link the two just the way you want them to.

You might give some thought to how big you really want to grow. The kinds of things you'll do will be different depending on the answer to that question, and the required investment (time and money) will be major factors in your decision.

If you don't have a business plan, you might want to start there. It might sound like overkill for your business as it is today, but if you're considering a growth strategy it will be extremely important.

Just FWIW, I would NOT include your name in the name of the company. It's just one more thing to remember and it doesn't contribute anything to the strategic message you're trying to communicate. It does make you sound like a "real person" instead of a company, but I'm not sure that's as important as communicating a clear and compelling message.

Also, the company name doesn't have to be the same as the brand name of your soap. The company name could be ABC Company, Inc. Nobody (except you and your lawyer/accountant) really cares. What you're selling is super-moisturizing soap made from an unusual ingredient.

When you decide to make other products, you can name them appropriately ... based on their own target audiences and the benefits they promise.

And I would NOT include other ingredients (in addition to goat's milk) in either the name or tagline. Don't confuse people. Just get your message down pat and repeat it consistently: "Super-moisturizing because it's made with goat's milk." Over and out.

Unfortunately, GoatsMilkSoap.com is not available.

You might consider: TheLavenderGoat.com (which is available, but doesn't describe what you sell), but with a tagline such as: "Naturally Great Moisturizing Products".

I certainly don't want to contradict mgoodman, but I don't see a problem with having your name in the company name. To me, having your name in the company name could accomplish a couple of things:
1. it creates a distinct brand. it wouldn't be a generic name like goats milk soap; it's Gwen's Goat Milk Bath and Beauty Products.
2. yes, like mgoodman says, it will give a "real person" feel. a personal touch. which may be important to some. It's like a home remedy. Something old that's worked for centuries. It's Gwen's.

I'm thinking of Burt's Bees. This brand is big and growing! The beautiful thing about your name is that it is alliterative with Goat. G G. Gwen's Goat. Burt's Bees.
Alliteration is good!!!

And I like your idea for imagery. "a peppy looking goat". Gwendolyn the Goat. She's the bee's knees. (heh heh, mixing metaphors....)

I'll tell you this too, you're good at selling because your explaination of the benefits of the goat's milk makes me want some of your soap!

I tend to be a purist when it comes to naming, so my instinct is always to focus on clear and singleminded expressions of the product and benefit. That doesn't mean it's a big problem to add your name at the beginning, only that it's potentially a distraction from the main message you are trying to communicate.

I also understood that the business would be primarily, if not exclusively, through friends, local shops, eBay, maybe Etsy, and local craft fairs. None of these requires a domain name ... so I'm not sure domain name availability is really a requirement. That's why I asked in an earlier post how big you want to grow the business.

I realize that I probably wasn't explicit enough in my prior message. I'm also not primarily a copywriter, but a positioning, branding and strategy consultant, so use the example below for direction and as an explanation -- not necessarily as a specific brand name (or company name) recommendation.

Using your name "Gwen's" at the beginning of your brand name or company name has some advantages, but it also diverts attention from what you're really trying to communicate -- the goat. What people are going to remember about you is the goat, not your own name. ("Was that Glenda or Gail ... or was it Gloria?") That's because they can visualize a goat ... and you're going to help them with a graphic. They don't know what a Gwen looks like. (Or they may associate it with their domineering Aunt Gwen ...)

But you WANT them to remember that goat. It's unusual and it's relevant to your story, and to the benefit they should expect when they buy your product. It's an integral part of your product and brand story.

So my suggestion would be to "punctuate" the goat with a word that ... well, that punctuates how remarkable it is. Something like: "The Remarkable Goat."

You could name the company "The Remarkable Goat, LLC," and the soap product could be "Remarkable Goat Soap," with a generic description (in lieu of a tagline) like "Super-Moisturizing Cleansing Formula."

That makes the goat the hero and punctuates it by reminding people how "remarkable" it is. Then it tells what the product/benefit is.

Surprise bonus: remarkablegoat.com and theremarkablegoat.com are both available as domain names, as is remarkablegoatsoap.com.

I hope this is clear. If not -- or if you need more -- feel free to contact me offline using contact information in my profile.


P.S. This takes me back to my roots in the Bar Soap department at Procter & Gamble, where I started my marketing career. I guess I just can't escape the branded soap business!