What inspired some of New Zealand's most successful business names?

Thursday, 22 November 2018

A business is nothing without a memorable name.

University of Auckland commercial law associate professor Alex Sims said while some owners lend their names to their business, and others had names that were obviously linked to what they sold, unique names were the most memorable.

A good, catchy name is a great start, but in today's e-commerce world, a domain name was more important than a shop name.

'The first thing you should do is check if the domain name is free. I know of many companies that have had to spend a lot of money and time because the domain name was the last thing they thought about,' she said.

If you've chosen a unique name, chances are that you might be able to nab that domain name you want.

Here are the stories behind some of New Zealand's most successful business names, and how the names have influenced marketing and branding, and become a key part of their business success.

What inspired some of New Zealand’s best brand names?

Blunt founder Greig Brebner says after mulling over a number of different fonts and style, the company settled on keeping it simple.

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Deadly Ponies

Renowned handbag company Deadly Ponies is the brainchild of New Zealand designer Liam Bowden.

But the brand's unique name was not one Bowden thought of himself.

Deadly Ponies originated from a friend at university.

You've come up with a great idea, but check the domain name's available before spending any money, says Associate Professor Alexandra Jane Sims.

'I wore these slippers which people thought were made of pony as they had a long hair, but were really made from a goat hide,' Bowden said.

The nickname Deadly Ponies stuck and flowed into the brand name.

Deadly goats doesn't quite have the same ring to it.

Allbirds

Deadly Ponies designer Liam Bowden says a mate at university came up with the name.

Former All White turned entrepreneur Tim Brown launched innovative footwear company Allbirds back in 2014.

Brown said the name was an ode to New Zealand.

'When people first settled in New Zealand, there were no other mammals on the island, just birds. It's also a reference to our sustainable mission – birds are a great predictor of environmental health and well-being, so when the birds are thriving, it's a good sign that an ecosystem is doing well,' Brown said.

'As a brand that uses sustainable materials and draws inspiration from New Zealand's incredible natural environment and birdlife, it was important for us to choose a name that communicates that to our customers.'

Allbirds founder Tim Brown says the name was inspired from New Zealand's history.

Twenty-Seven Names

The designer Kiwi clothing company Twenty-Seven Names started as Love Lies Bleeding in 2006, but after discovering the name was copyrighted by a US company, they renamed themselves in an homage to the 27 people who have supported their business along the way.

Designer and co-founder of Twenty-Seven Names Anjali Stewart said the name change bought a lot of media attention.

'We didn't have the capacity to get into a international legal battle and decided to re-name our brand. It was difficult to get attached to something new. During a session when we were spit balling other name ideas…we wrote a list of people who helped get the label off the ground there were 27 names on that list,' Stewart said.

Designer and co-founder of Twenty-Seven Names Anjali Stewart says when the brand changed its name the company received a lot of public attention.

'It's the first way most people engage with the brand and as story tellers, and being able to pay homage to through our brand name means a lot.'

Blunt

Blunt founder Greig Brebner said after mulling over a number of different fonts and style, the company settled on keeping it simple.

'We wanted a name that was a descriptor but also memorable. Five letter names are quite powerful and the way Blunt sounded because of the plosives was really powerful.'

'Peeling it back and keeping it really simple has really worked well for us and I'm glad we got it right the first time.

Wellington's Caffe L'affare owner Paul Cockburn put six Blunt umbrellas outside his cafes for people to take and return when done - or not, as the case may be as a 'social experiment'.

Brebner said it was a name that stuck because it also suited the product that has blunt edges.

Triumph & Disaster

Former international cricketer Dion Nash's upmarket male-grooming company Triumph & Disaster got its name from a very special personal story.

Nash wanted the name of his company to reflected its values and he recalled a Rudyard Kipling poem his father gave him when he was 13.

Dion Nash named his company Triumph & Disaster after a line in a poem his father introduced him to as a teenager.

The poem, advice from a father to a son on how to be a man, includes the line, 'If you can meet with Triumph & Disaster and treat those two imposters just the same'.

'Actually we had another name originally, but after a few months of jamming we finally arrived on Triumph & Disaster, just felt right and it had a personal story behind it which made it more powerful and meaningful,' Nash said.

Moustache Milk & Cookie Bar owner Deanna Yang chose the name because it was quirky, memorable and playful but also a subtle link to milk and cookies.

Nash said the naming process took a long nine months.

Moustache Milk and Cookie Bar

While it's not hard to guess how Moustache Milk and Cookie Bar founder and manager Deanna Yang came up with the name for her business, the branding and logo of the black moustache could make one second guess.

The name, which refers to a milk moustache, was chosen because it was quirky, memorable and playful with a subtle link to milk and cookies, Yang said.

'[Business names] are your first chance to grab someone's attention. It definitely piques people's curiosity to find out who we are and what we do,' Yang said.

'Don't be afraid to choose something a little cheeky or weirdly catchy and make it your own.'

Yang said having a unique and memorable logo was crucial to how the brand was perceived.

'Our famous Moustache logo is now recognised in the most random of places.'

American pop singer Alessia Cara plugged the brand in a radio interview and said the Moustache milkshake she had became the highlight of her visit to New Zealand.

The singer first struggled to remember the name but remembered the moustache logo.