In this #tellthetruths video Rebeca explores the difference between names that describe functional benefits and those that speak to image or emotional benefits. Either approach can lead to awesome names, and we share some fun examples.
Should Your Name Be Sizzle Or Steak?
It’s a good thing to think about in evaluating names, and different strategic and competitive contexts might make one or the other be your best bet.
This video originally appeared in LinkedIn
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TRANSCRIPT:
Hey, guys, it’s Rebeca with BrandTrue, and what I want to talk to you about today is whether your name should be sizzle or steak. And what I mean is, should your name be, you know, meat and potatoes, descriptive, informative, talking about what it is, a “steak” name, or should it be more “sizzle,” more, you know, the appeal, the frosting on the cake, another food metaphor. And what is more important for standing out in your category, or even just maybe you need to generate names that are both, but when you’re evaluating which name you like best, think about this is steak, this is sizzle. So some great examples, a steak name can still be creative and clever and wonderful, like, I can’t believe I forgot.
[Cha] Smart Asset.
Right, there you go. Smart Asset is a financial services company. It’s steak, right? It’s clear, Smart Asset, asset. You totally get it, but it’s clever, it’s fun. Another example is The Boring Company which is a boring, a digging company. We won’t talk about who owns it. That’s a steak name, but it’s cute and clever, and I’m forgetting the third one.
[Cha] Less Annoying.
Thank you. There’s a CRM company called Less Annoying CRM. Like, that is not sizzle, that is steak, but it’s still cute and clever, right? On the other hand, there are some categories, fashion, things that are more image conscious, where names sort of have to be sizzle. Alcohol is one of them. I mean, you know, Everclear is about the only functional, “steak” alcohol name I can think of, and that’s nothing that most brands would want to emulate. White Claw, the hard seltzer, that’s definitely a sizzle name. So are some names like Zoom and GoPro, like they’re just sort of getting at the feelings. They’re sizzle. So one kind of name isn’t better than the other, but it’s just really, really interesting to think about what kind of name you’re dealing with when you’re evaluating them, and maybe even going in strategically. Do you want to lean into one more than the other in your exploration? Is one more appropriate to your strategy? So that’s what I think. Let me know what you think. Bye!
