Page 88 - Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing - PDFDrive.com

Monogram Your Shirts, Not Your Company

ADP DMM ETI ADC APC ABC CBC BCW
Which “name” above did you remember?
None?
Don’t worry. Everyone flunks that memory test. It’s because people cannot

remember monograms. Monograms have no memorability. Just as bad,
monograms have no spirit, no attitude, no message, no promise, no warmth, and
no humanity.

So why do so many companies use monograms? Blame IBM. IBM convinced
executives that if they gave their company a fancy monogram like IBM, they
would succeed like IBM.

This is like thinking that Michael Jordan’s shoes will make you like Mike.
It’s also like thinking that dinner causes midnight, because midnight always
comes after dinner.
Dinners don’t cause midnight. And IBM’s name didn’t cause IBM’s success.
Give your service a name, not a monogram.

Don’t Make Me Laugh

It’s tempting to create a clever name.
Sometimes, this temptation becomes so strong that you give your service a

slightly funny name. Let’s say, Hair Apparent for a hair transplant clinic.
Here’s a test that will talk you out of this mistake. Look up one of those

wittily named services (chances are it’s a hair salon or a pizza place). Go there
and go in. You will notice two things:

You have never been there before.
And it’s almost empty.
Don’t get funny with your name.

To Stand Out, Stand Out

Kimberly-Clark spends millions of dollar a year keeping people from calling