What is in the name?

There are two world famous companies which get their name from a famous writer and a scientist. The founders of Google were searching name for their search engine and they got inspired by a Russian writer Nicolai Gogol. He might not be as famous as Pushkin, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky but he made substantial contribution to Russian literature. The name Google comes from his name.

The second company which owes its name to a famous scientist is Tesla. Nicola Tesla was an inventor and engineer who is well known for his contributions to the design of the modern Alternating Current (AC) in electricity supply system. He had several patents and inventions in his time and was considered to be a brilliant scientist who was not given much prominence in his time . Tesla’s founder Elon Musk has been inspired by Nicola Tesla's grit and brilliance . He named his electric car and battery manufacturing company as Tesla.

Family Businesses across the world have put family surname as the name of company. Marriot, Oberoi, Tata, Gucci, Armani, Ambani, Ford, Honda, Suzuki, Mittal- Arcelor, Hewlett- Packard get their name from the family surname of founders. In a way it is reassuring that family name ,reputation and legacy are at stake when family members do business and make decisions. Tata boldly writes the Tata values which each of the Tata Company has to stand for. By putting family surname, family businesses become far more personal in an impersonal and big market.

In international marketing, the brand name should communicate the right meaning in the local language. Ford launched a Car called Nova in Spain. It was a good car but could not pick up sale. Later the company found out that in Spanish Nova means it does not go. You cant have name of a car which in local language means it does not go.

A denim trouser company had to name the company and its brand as Diesel because that it is that only name which has got no negative meaning in any language.

Sometime, the company has to use acronym in order to avoid nationality when it is projected as global firm . HSBC and BP are two examples of that. HSBC stands for Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. When it became a global bank, it had to rename itself to avoid name of Hong Kong and Shanghai. BP stands for British Petroleum. To be global company, shedding British is wise decision.

Company's name,brand and logo and colors affect consumer perception and behavior. The name of the company tells you interesting stories of company's evolution,personality and values.

The prominent names have built over the period of time and as markets are getting crowded with products and brands, customers remember some prominent brands and company’s name. This acts as a huge advantage.