Question

Topic: Taglines/Names

Need A New Name For Existing Computer Company

Posted by Anonymous on 4/6/2005 at 3:05 PM ET 250 Points
We are looking to change the name of our computer company. We offer repairs, networking, training, web design, and technincal support. Most importantly, we come to you! People love that. We are looking for a name that says it all so to speak. I thought of "The Computer Guys" which I really like but it is already taken. The name should be very friendly so that the average person can relate and want to call us based on the name alone. Your help will be much appreciated
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Deremiah *CPE on 4/6/2005 at 9:51 PM Accepted
    Paulmonroe,

    THE RIGHT INFORMATION MAKES A DIFFERENCE...
    even in basic name creation or "idea generation" establishing a starting point often requires establishing purpose. The following information will begin that process for you.

    Deremiah says...
    A business name should be the out growth of the market you are trying to reach. All names including "A new business name for an existing business" must have some part or a lot of the following comments also made by my three expert friends who participate in our forum below.

    williamarruda says…
    "Your tag line should be 'catchy' and it should speak directly to your target audience and differentiation. A good place to start is to make a list of all the things that differentiate your offerings from your competitors. Then think about which of those differentiators is compelling to your target audience."

    mgoodman provides these great suggestions...
    "Who is the target audience? That's the most important input we need in order to help you with the name. Once we understand who the target audience is, the next question will be "What is the most important benefit they will realize if they use your service?" What makes you different from and better than your competitors?"

    JBtron offers a great deal of insight on this...
    "To really be successful with this query in KHE, your query demands answers to a number of questions regarding your product that will help guide the naming process:

    -What ARE your USPs? Why would someone go to you v. any of the companies directly for certs?
    Price? Your brand had better be as well known as Microsoft or Cisco, or you’d better be spending enough money on marketing make it LOOK like you’re as popular as MS or Cisco.

    -Where are you located?

    -What are the short- and long-term business goals for the company, and how are you going to market this new brand in a very large arena with few real players?

    -What are your company’s Core Proposition and Brand Personality?
    Core Prop: What makes you different? Tagline. USPs in a phrase.
    Example: Bounty: The quicker picker-upper.
    Brand Personality: Describe the product as a person. What is this person’s personality? Outgoing? Vivacious? Mysterious? Is this person an over-achiever? Friendly?

    All these will lead to a series of statements, attributes and directions that are called a Creative Brief. With the properly developed Created Brief, virtually anyone can come up with a name that works."

    I hope this helps get us started. By answering some of these questions it would make it much easier to provide you with a name that provokes your clientele to seek your business out over the others. Is there anything else I can do for you?

    Your Servant, Deremiah, *CPE (Customer Passion Evangelist)
  • Posted by mgoodman on 4/6/2005 at 10:50 PM Member
    Deremiah took my thunder and asked the very questions I was about to ask: Who is your primary target audience? What do they need, want, value, believe, like/dislike, etc. How do they make decisions in this category? What makes your company different from and better than competition?

    Once you have your positioning well defined, naming will be relatively easy. Until then, how will you know when the right name shows up? What criteria will you use to select a name? If we knew the selection criteria we could probably come up with some winners, but when you're playing a game and don't know the rules, it's just luck if you score a goal.
  • Posted by mgoodman on 4/8/2005 at 8:31 AM Member
    You didn't say where you are located, but since you are a local business, why not incorporate the name of the city/region into your name? That suggests a neighborly feeling, especially if the city has a "friendly" nickname. (examples: Queen City, Elm City, Mile High City, Metroplex, Windy City, etc.)

    I'd focus on your uniqueness -- "Your Personal Tech" or "A Tech in the Family," for example -- and let the tagline say "Gopher City's Friendliest Onsite Computer Help" or something like that. (The word "neighbor" also comes to mind.)

    You also didn't say why you want to change your name. If you have built up some equity in the old name (even if it's "Joe's Computer Service"), you stand to lose that equity if/when you change the name. Don't fall in love with the idea of changing your name/tagline to the point where keeping the current one ceases to be an option.

    When large companies think about selecting brand names, they ALWAYS look for ways to keep some reminder of the heritage -- in the form of another successful brand or the company name itself. If you have a name that people know, don't be too eager to throw it away. (An example: Procter & Gamble has had several brands of liquid detergent, and they selected Ivory Liquid for one of them. And there is a brand called Ivory Flakes too. All to keep the Ivory heritage and extend it to other, related categories.)

    Hope this helps.
  • Posted by Deremiah *CPE on 4/8/2005 at 1:25 PM Member
    Paulmonroe,

    "We come to you" has a nice little pull. As mgoodman says what is really driving you to change that name and how many years have you had that name up till now? They say it takes your customer at least nine separate times of viewing your name ( in print via advertisements ) before they even get comfortable with considering to purchase from you. If you have used this name to create a prescence in the mind of your customers why would you want to take a chance on loosing all of that time equity in their head?

    Deremiah, *CPE (Customer Passion Evangelist)
  • Posted by Deremiah *CPE on 4/8/2005 at 4:21 PM Member
    Thanks Paulmonroe.

    This helps open up our understanding of where the company is and why moving forward to develop a new name is extremely important. I will give it some thought and get back with you.

    Your Servant, Deremiah, *CPE
  • Posted by bobhogg on 4/11/2005 at 5:46 AM Member
    If your current name is The Computer Tutor, why not keep it simple and use "The Computer Fixer" or something similar - I know it doesn't have the rhyming aspect of "Computer Tutor", but it at least retains the "style" of your current name and enables customers to relate the two names while you make the change!

    Good luck,
    Bob
  • Posted by Deremiah *CPE on 4/18/2005 at 4:49 PM Member
    Paulmunroe,

    Here is what I've put together. If you don't like any of them at all that's perfectly okay but if you do like any of these that's perfectly okay too. You might want to swap names and taglines to mix and match. You might like a name more than a tagline or a tagline more than a name. You just might use what I've compiled here as motivation in your own brainstorming or just come up with something far greater than what I have imagined. Again this is what I have for you right now.

    LA Rent-A-Tech...We make house calls for your computer needs

    Los Angeles Computer Tech Services...One call & we're there.

    LA Computer Tech Services...One call & we're there.

    LA Computer Tech Services...The Ambulance of the computer industry.

    LA Computer Tech Services...The computer emergency room on wheels.

    LA Computer Tech Services...The computer ER on Wheels

    Traveling Computer ER...Where you get on site repairs for your sick computer.


    Thanks for your time...Is there anything else I can do for you?

    Your Servant, Deremiah, *CPE (Customer Passion Evangelist)
  • Posted by Deremiah *CPE on 4/18/2005 at 4:54 PM Member
    Paulmonroe,

    I think taking advantage of the city's great name is a way to leverage more opportunity. So which ever is more popular LA or Los Angeles will be your choice to use. If you want to add questions or comments please feel free to do so and just remember this is not a perfect science. If I knew more about what your customer really likes that motivates them to do business with you (especially repeat customers) the name may even change more to take advantage of the extra added value your customers appreciate. Thanks again so much. Your involvement has been helpful.

    Your Servant,

    Deremiah
  • Posted on 2/11/2009 at 9:06 AM Member
    This is really a question...My classmates and I are creating businesses as a project for our business class and i would like some help creating my business name and a tagline. My business is computer tutoring for students in grades 5 and 6. This target market was chosen because they are moving on to secondary school where they would have to take computer classes and it is currently not apart of the primary school curriculum.

    Thanks in Advance
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