Question

Topic: Taglines/Names

Consistent Use Of Company Name

Posted by Anonymous on 9/23/2011 at 12:33 PM ET 100 Points
I work for a market research company called XYZ Research (actually the name is slightly different but of the same format, with three letters followed by Research). I encourage my staff to always use the full company name "XYZ Research" in all communications, rather than simply "XYZ". Recently i've had some push back from people who prefer to use "XYZ", partly because they feel the "Research" part is a barrier when they are calling people, e.g. sounds like they are calling from a call centre, not a high-end market analysis firm. What are your thoughts on this? Am I being pedantic by insisting on the use fo the full company name or should I insist to ensure consistency in our branding. Will it really harm our branding by occassionally dropping the "Research" part during phone calls?

All comments welcome!

By the way, our URL is of the format www.xyzresearch.com.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by michael on 9/23/2011 at 12:51 PM Accepted
    Simon,
    I don't see it their way. We do telemarketing campaigns and write scripts. One of the keys is that you have less than 15 seconds to say who you are. Part of "who" is what your company does.

    So...."I'm Simon (last names are worthless) with xyzResearch we do market analysis for _____companies". There's no way to mix that up.

    Don't drop it.

    Michael
  • Posted on 9/23/2011 at 12:57 PM Accepted
    We have a similar situation with a two word company name where the second word is part of the name but a more descriptive term. We answer our phones with the full name, but during the call or in other verbal communications, people have the flexibility to drop the second where it feels more natural to just say the one name. For example, "Hi, this is name from XYZ Research. How can I help you" but then give them the freedom to say what's natural for the rest of the conversation rather than requiring it to be the full name each time -- "We have a wide range of services at XYZ that may be of benefit to you" or ", "Have you used XYZ services in the past?" or whatever the conversation is. I don't think it reduces the brand retention to drop the second word in verbal conversations, but it can feel unnatural if you are always forced to say the entire name in a conversation where you are trying to develop a personal connection.
  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 9/24/2011 at 8:58 AM Accepted
    Dear Simon,

    You are NOT being pedantic. The name of your company is important and your staffers need to realize and be made aware of this.

    Those individuals that prefer to use "XYZ" because they feel the "Research" part is a barrier when they are calling people need to wake the hell up to the simple fact that they only reason they have the ability to use the term XYZ is because they WORK for the company: the payer of the piper here (the name of the company) calls the tune. Employees can thus do one of two things: accept the fact that the name of the company is part of their daily routine and that will use it according to instructions, or they can leave so that you can hire other people that are more willing to buy in to the company philosophy.

    Simple really.

    Hope this helps.

    —Gary Bloomer, Princeton, NJ, USA
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