Short Grunts for Brand Names
We had a mentor who admonished us to name our brand whatever we want, but to “put it in short grunts.” It’s only human nature to reduce names to the smallest number of syllables, or as he used to say, “grunts.” It was his way of telling us this shortcutting tendency had been going on since caveman times.
Nicknaming Your Brand
Let’s face it, we are an impatient society. We shorten every name we hear to one, two, or three syllables. If it doesn’t already have a 3 or less syllable nickname, it will soon get one. General Electric (6 grunts) became GE (2 grunts), Chevrolet (3 grunts) became Chevy (2 grunts). Coca-Cola (4 grunts) became Coke (1 grunt), Caterpillar (4 grunts) became Cat (1 grunt). And then there’s the Federal National Mortgage Association (13 grunts), which became simply Fannie Mae (3 grunts).
If your brand name has 4 or more grunts, it will most certainly get condensed. It’s best, that you plan for this when naming your company. Figure out what the market will naturally do with your brand name to get it down to 1, 2, or 3 syllables. “Short grunts” wins the test of time, the remembrance of the market, and the endearment of its namers.
Also give some thought to what your competition will do with your brand name. You want to think long and hard about how it will be truncated and what that reduction will imply. If it’s not a positive connotation, then consider going with a different brand name altogether. It’s best to choose a brand name that already has 3 or less syllables and choose a brand name that has a logical and positive reduced moniker. From iPad to YouTube, from Android to PC, and from Virgin to Tesla, many of today’s successful brands have 2 grunts.
Short & Sweet Catchphrases
Once you have your brand name down to short grunts, then take on your catchphrase. It too must be short and sweet, ideally under 10 syllables total, and the shorter the better. The market doesn’t have time for lists of features and benefits. It wants to know simply why it should buy your brand. Rhyme and meter can enhance the delivery and recollection of your message, but phrases over 10 syllables are less likely to be remembered at all.
Short slogans and jingles have replaced lists of benefits. We are bombarded with clever abbreviations, acronyms and contractions in every form of media. We seem to want everything fast. Even elections have been swayed by slogans, often rhyming. We want to boil everything down to its essence, its bottom line, and its shortest and simplest sound bite. Therefore, your catchphrase must maximize your message in a minimum length.
For Barefoot Wines, we chose “Get Barefoot and Have a Great Time.” It has a double meaning, is under 10 syllables, and put the reader in a fun mental image. It wasn’t our only catchphrase but it’s the one we were known for, and it satisfied several of our messaging goals.
When it comes to brand names and catchphrases, make them memorable and keep them down to short grunts!
