Question

Topic: Taglines/Names

New Company Needs A Name

Posted by e.christiansen84 on 9/30/2012 at 11:26 PM ET 250 Points
I am starting up a new commercial furniture company, mainly focusing on steel storage cabinets (cupboards, pedestals, planter boxes) and workstations (i.e. desks), and the name I wanted is gone, so I am back to square one. The products will be modeled off European design trends, but manufactured in Asia, so something which highlights the product(s) style yet affordability without sounding cheap would be good. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
To continue reading this question and the solution, sign up ... it's free!
SUBSCRIBE
Or, SIGN IN

RESPONSES

  • Posted by SteveByrneMarketing on 10/1/2012 at 2:03 AM Accepted
    Why are you starting a new commercial furniture company? Is the marketplace you are targeting unsatisfied with the existing furniture companies? What was the name your wanted to secure? Why did you want it? Why is "European designed" furniture an attractive market segment of office furniture? What is the demand for "Asian designed" furniture? Will your customers have some objection to Asian manufacturing? As you are starting a new company, have to started by creating a written business plan with a well developed marketing plan based on marketing principles? Do you have a creative brief to guide the development of a new brand name? Do you have a positioning statement that clearly states your marketing positioning/benefit advantage relative to your target customers perceptions of the existing providers?

    I understand that this sounds like a lot of questions when you came to this site just for some suggestions. However, these are the question most of us here would be asking ourselves before embarking on such a new venture.
  • Posted on 10/1/2012 at 11:42 AM Accepted
    Where? Who is in your intended target audience? Where are they buying this stuff now? What benefit are you offering that might make them switch and buy from you?

    If this is a serious naming project, you probably ought to hire a professional who does this sort of thing. There are several on this forum. Just post a project in the "Hire an Expert" section of this website (link in the column at the right), or peruse the profiles of leading experts to see if you think there's anyone who might fit the bill for you, and then contact them directly.
  • Posted by e.christiansen84 on 10/4/2012 at 6:54 PM Author
    Thanks for all the responses.

    We have written a business plan, outlining our USP, SWOT analysis, competitors, industry demographics & trends, milestones, goals, financials, etc, etc.

    There are plenty of current suppliers of commercial furniture in our market, however, the main problem customers are facing is that they either have to pay a premium to have locally made product by one of the 3 companies who are known to manufacture good quality product, with reliable service; or they go with a cheaper imported product supplier, and the ones that currently exist in the market hold very little stock so they have long lead times, and are unable to meet the demands of the re-seller and project markets. Our point of difference is that we will not only have a higher standard of pre, during & post sale service, but we will also keep stock levels at such a quantity that we are able to turn around orders within the week as opposed to 12 weeks (which is the current lead time through our competitors). This decision to hold higher levels of capital is that of the business owners. This is certainly not a "sudden urge to start a business", the owners have identified a gap in the market through the feedback from who will be our target customers, whom they currently deal with in their other two successful related businesses. Basically they have been told, if you were to be able to offer us X, Y & Z (where our current suppliers are letting us down), then we would be receptive to getting on board with a purchasing/supply agreement.

    The reason we are taking the product design aspect from Europe is because of market perceptions. Basically, customers (more specifically the Architects & Designers who specify project works), have a perception that Asian imports are inferior to locally made product, and they are also all about the latest design trends, which our research has suggested the latest furniture trends come out of Europe, that is also where these A&D people look to for ideas on the full fitout design. However, the builders who actually have to procure the products for the project are predominantly price driven, and don't really focus as much on where the product is manufactured, if it can save them $$ on the overall project cost, and the product is comparable to the locally made more expensive options, then we will be given the opportunity. If we can also prove to be more efficient at meeting tight deadlines, and offer a higher standard of service with regard to delivery & placement etc then we will be able to secure repeat opportunities. I should mention that I have worked in the industry we are starting this business in, so a lot of our target customers have been my customers in the past, so this has been the source of a lot of information as to where our competitors might be lacking, and whether there is a solid opportunity for this new offering.

    Whew, that was an essay. Hope I have covered the queries from the experts.

    I have taken some advice from you and started talking to branding & marketing companies, there is a dramatic range of costs out there, anywhere from $900-$17,000.
  • Posted by SteveByrneMarketing on 10/5/2012 at 12:07 AM Member
    How about "Euro-Specified Office Furniture".

    Could be a name or a tagline.
BACK TO TOP

Post a Comment

Related Discussions

Community Info

Top 25 Experts
(Taglines/Names)