The name game
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“It’s a difficult conundrum for many businesses, and a great example of why you need to pay good attention to your brand name early on in your business,” said Darryl Ohrt, founder of Plaid Design and Branding in Danbury. “What sounds cute, local and ”˜you”™ may not reflect well as styles change, your business grows, or you move.”
According to Ohrt, there are good examples of companies who have made these types of moves successfully.
“You have essentially two options; embrace the location as a part of your name, or ignore it and build your brand independently, said Ohrt. “Cannondale bikes is a great example of the latter. Most cyclists across the globe have no concept of a Cannondale, Connecticut. Their branding is strong, and they’ve made the name work to the point of evolving it into a unique and individual brand.”
Ohrt says other examples include companies like Vermont Teddy Bears.
“It really doesn’t matter where they’re based, but there are bears in Vermont, right?” said Ohrt. “The perception is that there are good, honest, friendly people waiting to help you in Vermont. They’ve built a strong brand and embraced the name.”
Alison Statler, founder and president of Contact Public Relations, said that she has considered the possibility of this dilemma in the past for her business. According to Statler, if she were to move her Greenwich-based business to Stamford she would want to keep a Greenwich presence, though she says she would think differently if she were a financial firm or in some other industry.
“It matters what you want to say,” said Statler. “Greenwich carries something with its name for me, but Stamford may say something else.”
According to Steve Gaynes, president of Steven Gaynes Communications, companies making a move should be wary of public relations professionals who approach the issue matter-of-factly.
“You can’t make relocation a cookie cutter project,” he said.
According to Chris Usher, director of the Greenwich Workshop Gallery in Fairfield, the decision to keep the name when his company moved was directly dependent on keeping things clear for customers and maintaining that following.
“We had created this high-end art reproduction line and we wanted keep the following we had,” said Usher. “If we had started in Danbury, it would have been the Danbury Workshop Gallery in Fairfield.”
According to Ohrt, the question can be boiled down to perception.
Ohrt pointed to the clothing brand Hollister as an example.
“Who knew they were invented in Ohio by Abercrombie & Fitch?” said Ohrt. “There is a Hollister, California, and they”™ve built such a strong brand image that most consumers actually believe it”™s a legitimate California-based surf company.”
According to Robert Steven Williams, president and founder of Against the Grain Productions, when moving into a new territory where folks may not be as familiar or confused, it”™s all about how the facets of the business integrate.
 “It”™s all about the customer, and the value of the brand,” said Williams. “What does the name bring to the table in the new location? If customers in the new location know the brand and/or your existing customers will continue to be customers, then the brand has value and it is worth continued investment. At the end of the day, the brand or name represents the company; it stands for who and what you are.”
According to Williams, small businesses that are unsure of the market especially should reconsider things like logo, window displays and employees when making this kind of move.
“It all must evoke and enhance the value proposition that your brand stands for,” said Williams.
According to Williams, the decisions made upon moving should also be contingent on the name of the original location.
“The name of the town when being relocated must also drive home this proposition,” said Williams. “If you were AAA Downtrodden City Window Cleaners, and you moved to Wealthyville, a name change might be in order.”