What’s in a Name? The types of company names and what makes some stand out.
©2010 SAGEFROG MARKETING GROUP, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Founder A company that takes on the name of its founder.
Founded in Austin, Texas, in 1984 by Michael Dell, the company today reaches customers in 166 languages and 34 countries around the world.
Acronym A company name derived from the first letters of each word in a longer name to create a more succinct version.
Initially incorporated in 1911 as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (C-T-R), the company changed its name in 1924 to International Business Machines Corporation, or IBM, to better reect its expanded oerings.
Fabricated A made-up or extremely obscure name.
The name Kodak was devised by the company’s founder, George Eastman, who had a fondness for the letter “K.” He sought a name that was short, easy to pronounce, and would not resemble or be associated with any other name in the industry.
Descriptive A name that describes what the business does or sells.
Originally named "Micro-soft" in 1976 by co-founder Bill Gates to represent its dedication to microcomputer software, the company dropped the hyphen from its name in 1987 when it introduced a new corporate identity and logo.
Metaphoric A name that evokes one or more of the qualities of the business.
Apple was named for the favorite fruit of co-founder Steve Jobs. The name and logo were meant to evoke simplicity, distancing the company from the cold, complicated imagery of other computer companies of the day.
Combination A name that combines two or more name types.“Sagefrog” is a compound fabricated company name that is also descriptive and metaphoric.
The name “Sagefrog” was conceived to communicate that our company possesses both the strategic wisdom of a sage and the adaptability of a frog. For more information about our company name, visit www.sagefrog.com/about/what-is-a-sagefrog.
What’s in a name? The right business name will make you stand out from your competition, help brand your company, and steer potential clients toward hiring you. Here are several qualities that help make a great business name: • The name is meaningful and says something about who you are and what you do. • It’s future-oriented to permit growth and change. • A great company name is easy to say and spell. • A great company name is visual — it looks good when presented graphically. • It’s memorable — not only catchy and evocative, but also easy to remember. • A great company name is unique. It can be trademarked and owned.
Need a great name? Sagefrog Marketing Group is a full-service marketing, interactive, and public relations agency. We specialize in health, technology, and business services marketing for companies based in the greater Philadelphia and New Jersey area. For more information about how we can help move your company forward, please contact us: (215) 230.9024 » info@sagefrog.com » www.sagefrog.com
©2010 SAGEFROG MARKETING GROUP, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.