In his latest quarterly newsletter, naming expert (and my former colleague) Steve Rivkin interviews Marshal Cohen, author of Buy Me!.
"It seems the vast majority of (DRTV) names ... are either highly descriptive (Swivel Sweeper, Shoes Under, One Second Needle); or benefit-driven (Hercules Hook, Windshield Wonder, Smooth Away)," Rivkin asks. "Are there specific pros or cons to either approach?"
Cohen replies:
When you can sell with the name it is a good name. In today’s competitive world of products as well as information overload, it takes a lot of advertising to make a name easy to remember. Or a name that tells it like it is.
Shake Weight, whether it works or not, it sure is easy to remember. Just the name alone lets you figure out how simple the product is to use and to get your arms toned like an Olympic weightlifter. If you can tell the consumer, in a believable way what your product does, just in its name, it is a meaningful name. By general rule of thumb, a strong name is a name that helps market the product.
The complete interview is here.
