There is great advantage in a name that
tells a story. The name is usually prominently displayed. To justify the space
it occupies, it should aid the advertising. Some such names are almost complete
advertisements in themselves. May Breath is such a name. Cream of Wheat is
another. That name alone has been worth a fortune. Other examples are Dutch
Cleanser, Cuticura, Dynashine, Minute Tapioca, 3-in-one Oil, Holeproof, Alcorub,
etc.
Such names may be protected, yet the name itself describes the product, so it
makes a valuable display.
Other coined names are meaningless. Some examples are Kodak, Karo, Sapolio,
Vaseline, Kotex, Lux, Postum, etc. They can be protected, and long-continued
advertising may give them a meaning. When this is accomplished they become very
valuable.
But the great majority of them never attain status.
Such names do not aid the advertising. It is very doubtful that they justify
display. The service of the product, not the name, is the important thing in
advertising. A vast amount of space is wasted in displaying names and pictures
which tell no selling story. The tendency of modern advertising is to eliminate
waste.
Other coined names signify ingredients which anyone may use. Examples are
Syrup of Figs, Coconut Oil Shampoo, Tar Soap, Palmolive Soap, etc.
Such products may dominate a market if the price is reasonable, but they must
to a degree meet competition. They invite substitution. They are naturally
classified with other products which have like ingredients, so the price must
remain in that class.
Toasted Corn Flakes and Malted Milk are examples of unfortunate names. In
each of those cases one advertiser created a new demand. When the demand was
created, others shared it because they could use the name. The originators
depended only on a brand. It is interesting to speculate on how much more
profitable a coined name might have been.
On a patented product it must be remembered that the right to a name expires
with that patent. Names like Castoria, Aspirin, Shredded Wheat Biscuit, etc.,
have become common property.
This is a very serious point to consider. It often makes a patent an
undesirable protection.
Another serious fault in coined names is frivolity. In seeking uniqueness one
gets something trivial. And that is a fatal handicap in a serious product. It
almost prohibits respect.
When a product must be called by a common name, the best auxiliary name is a
mans name. It is much better than a coined name, for it shows that some man is
proud of his creation.
Thus the question of a name is of serious importance in laying the
foundations of a new undertaking. Some names have become the chief factors in
success. Some have lost for their originators four-fifths of the trade they
developed.
Table of Contents
Chapter Twenty One