Question

Topic: Taglines/Names

Creative Re-name For Pr And Marketing

Posted by Anonymous on 2/6/2011 at 5:17 PM ET 125 Points
Hi all, would love your brain juice here.
My PR company needs a change of name. Bear with me while I give you some background:- the existing name represents 2 people (not surnames or any part of names) but the company started as a partnership which then ended. I kept the original name for nearly 6 years now and have had staff changes Because of the name which implied 2 ppl a senior member of staff who since went out on their own was seen and considered publicly as a partner (which she wasn't).
To make a long sorry story short I need to rid the name and with it its past history and any future problems that may occur because of it and start afresh.

Looking for some cool ideas of what to call the new company.
- Not keen on any part of my name , although it would be great to have the idea that the name is synonymous with the person or persons ideals behind the brand.
- Not a verb.
- Although it would be good to incorporate some of the old name to try to help with the rebranding process (the original name is well known). I can't see it being possible so a clean restart is necessary. I am open to advise though.
- I will also be including new services so that will help give a reason for the rebrand. We were previously mainly a PR company and now would like to very much incorporate the marketing strands more prominently.
- New name must be able to have a theme that can be tagged to an ethos i.e.names I like but are taken or not viable are Jam PR and Marketing (using the theme that jam used to be a luxury but now a basic) or Zebra (I can see the logo now - Not everything is Black and White or Adding Colour To Your Marketing) etc you get the picture. Maybe Juice PR and Marketing..? a good theme but maybe a bit weak?

Its very very important so I would really appreciate your thoughts.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted on 2/6/2011 at 6:20 PM Author
    Thanks Phil, you gave your thoughts but no suggestions ?
    I;m all for finding holes in ideas but please follow it up with some offering of solutions.

    generic names or blasé company names don't do it for me i.e. Kelly&Co or Revelate PR etc . And although yes of course the name has to be engaging for clients. it also must show creativity and be catchy, something that I get excited about.
  • Posted on 2/6/2011 at 6:49 PM Moderator
    Some possibilities:

    A location or landmark reference in the name -- local nickname or river or monument of some kind. A mythical character, famous author/poet/artist, etc., who might be relevant. (Examples: Pandora, Chimera, etc.) Or something about the Pied Piper?

    I am kind of with Phil: Solid names that communicate or suggest a benefit are better than nonsense names or names that need to be explained. Let the creativity show in the logo design or tagline if you must demonstrate your creativity that way.

    Where are your clients? What might catch their attention and communicate a relevant message to them?
  • Posted by Dorothea on 2/6/2011 at 8:36 PM Member
    To tag on the moderator response:

    Can you give me/us an idea of what your firm specializes in, or do you just do generic PR/Marketing? Naming your company should not be taken lightly, you're right, but while we have the background on personnel, we don't know who your audience is. I understand that you are rebranding and that your audience may expand, but if you can give us a little information on who your clients are, or who you'd like them to be, it would help us with names for you.

    This kind of information will help keep you from getting names that are too "out there" for your current and anticipated future clients.
  • Posted on 2/7/2011 at 8:04 AM Author
    Thanks all for your comments.
    For the last 6 years we have offered PR services to a vast array of clients from B2B and B2C. The most effective and long lasting clients are clients targeting general consumer, many in hospitality.fashion and other general consumer services. This is where I'd like to focus.
    We don't gnerally work wig state bodies or overly corporate organisations generally SMEs.
    The name needs to denote youth, edge and vibrancy. Our clients are nationwide so too too keen on a local landmark as we need to be seen as being nationwide and non location specific.

    Any other questions or additional background info needed please ask.
  • Posted on 2/7/2011 at 8:10 AM Author
    Sorry, I should have told you a little about the competition. String points of nearest competitor is high profile person behind the brand and the brand is their personal name. They are also mistakenly seen as a previous partner in my company so would be using the goodwill our brand had build over the years. Weakest point is the lack of experience, they would not have the same length of experience in the market nor would have the business sense or acumen.

    A core detail I left out is, and this may contradict my previously ill thought out name suggestions, is that I abhor 'fluffy' PR. My own background would be a business background and I often find clients appreciate business advice coupled with the overall marketing and PR strategies. That might give a better insight to what Im looking
    for.
    Thanks again
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 2/7/2011 at 9:39 AM Member
    Targeted PR (or Marketing)
    Bullseye PR (or Marketing)
    Lion's Roar PR (or Marketing)
    No BS PR (or Marketing)
  • Posted on 2/7/2011 at 11:39 AM Author
    Thanks Jay, 'Target PR & Marketing' is good .
  • Posted by NovaHammer on 2/7/2011 at 11:42 AM Member
    UltraViolet ....
    Rampant ....
    BoldType ...
    HighProfile ...

  • Posted on 2/7/2011 at 3:28 PM Author
    Following on from your response Dorethea just curious,how would you see public story being told as to why the change to a personal name, at this stage in the business it would be seen as down sizing rather then the reason being that there are new services added?

    May I also add that when I came up with the name of the company 6 years ago, whilst in a partnership, it was a bit 'out there' , many people said it wouldnt work, others loved it and found it quirky. Because the name stood out from the rest it made it memorable and I cannot count the number of times every month even still people say what a great company name and how everyone remembers it. Without a doubt it was been one of the best marketing tools, gets ppl talking and is memorable. If that is somehting that clients are looking for from a name then I wouldnt be suggesting a general surname for a business name.

    I will take into consideration a mix of first or surname and something else which might be more appropriate.
  • Posted on 2/7/2011 at 3:33 PM Author
    That post should have been directed at W.M.M.A rather then Dorethea, sorry.
  • Posted on 2/8/2011 at 5:43 AM Author
    Thanks Randall, you've given me loads to think about, inlcuding your pending invoice :)
    The partnershio disbanded 4 years ago but I kept the name going. Since then I've had staff that ppl believed to be the other 'girl'. It was just time for a change. Its very hard to consider a name change without worrying about damaging or weakening a brand built over the years. I do need to clarify the extra service offerings before jumping the gun to the remaning process.

    Thanks for all your responses. This is my first time posting to this forum. I dont think I have the name I'm after but I do think all your advice has helped focus my thoughts and given me plenty to mull over.
    I might be back looking for your thoughts on the rebranding strategy. As a one man band its great to get advice from peers as yourselves, even if it can be harsh at times :) thanks again. will divide up points accordingly.
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