The “R” Effect
When naming a company or brand, people like to be clever. In many ways… this can be fun and cool for the public. However, we all know that if people continuously copy a trend, eventually that trend loses its power.
The “R” Effect…
Today I discovered a new startup company while reading posts on LinkedIn that put an “ER” at the end of their name and then dropped the “E” (sorry, not naming the company). Even though I think the company is on to something with what they are doing, I feel somewhat nauseous that they are simply using a name that ends in “R”.
Right now we have several companies and sites that jumped on the “R” bandwagon… Tumblr, Flickr, Sprinklr are a few, for example. All great companies that I admire.
Dropping the “E” was fun…and switching up letters can be really unique when naming a brand. But to me, the “R” Effect is now so overused, that it has become rather boring. When developing a brand we do not want to use an idea that is becoming overplayed.
Any new company or brand using this concept of naming is simply showing that they are not creative, that they are not unique, that they are not special and that they like to copy the ideas of others. Sometimes trends have to end…and I believe the “R” Effect is one trend that needs to be DROPPED (pun intended).
CHALLENGE…
If you are building a new startup, launching a brand, or building a new platform…I challenge you to be a little more imaginative in the naming. There are many ways that you can be inventive when creating a name.
Example…make the name personal. I did this when branding my new portfolio. I wanted to have a logo that was unique to who I am. Thus, I came up with Düssel York City. I am a New Yorker living in Düsseldorf. The creation of the logo itself was actually designed to show that I am skilled in various creative areas. Essentially what I created was a brand for myself that showcases that I am an international creative. And guess what?! I did not have to copy anyone and the “R” Effect did not even come into play.
As I stated…there are other ways to be more innovative when naming something. Showing a little imagination will make you stand out from the crowd. Do not jump on an old bandwagon…do not become a clone…be INNOVATIVE! Do your research and come up with a name with a little MOXIE!
About the author: Kenneth Shinabery
This article was first published by Kenneth Shinabery
