What’s in a name?
By Dennis Rutzou

Launching a new name is an important step in the history of any company.

There are some typical stages that a company must go through to develop a new name and logo, from brainstorming ideas to finalising the name itself, to managing the graphic design of the new logo and corporate image.

But implementing a new name goes much further than that, and there are two very important elements to consider:

1. What many companies care about is the meaning behind the company name and corporate logo. In almost every case, it is virtually impossible to give meaning to a name through the words themselves, or the artwork of the logo.

Companies covey meaning about their name through repetition and brand building, and by linking the experiences of their customers, clients and other publics, to the brand itself – it’s a long term process. All the great brands of the world have been built through this process, by turning a couple of words or meaningless symbols into household names.

2. Launching a new name must therefore occur in conjunction with a host of other communication activities. The launch of the Lencrow Group incorporated activities such as targeted media coverage, advertising, the launch of an inaugural newsletter, an official launch and road show, as well as formal and informal internal communication with staff and suppliers.

It also goes further than that – the website needs to be updated, corporate material such as profiles, business cards and signage need to be changed to reflect the new name, and new email addresses need to be phased in. With all of these things, strategy and timing is everything!

November 2004

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