[Try your hand at guessing company brand names based on how the=
y were created. A clue or two should be enough to help you get started. NO =
google please, though it is mentioned in the list.]
1. Pierre founded an auction =
site (simply named AuctionWeb) but wanted a short, catchy name. He wanted &=
#8216;Echo’, but the name was taken, so he shortened it.
2, On the other ha=
nd, Rob Kalin wanted to build a sales brand from scratch. He chose foreign =
words he thought meant “oh yes” and it stuck.=
3. Larry called his pr=
ogram “BackRub” to analyze the web’s links to determine h=
ow important a website was. A better name was stumbled on by a simply =
spelling error.
=
4. Bronx entrepreneur Reuben needed a Danish-sounding name for hi=
s product because he thought it represented old-world traditions and crafts=
manship. Produced a new word that meant nothing at all.
5. The Hassenfeld boys st=
arted a textile company making sheets and tablecloths. Sales slumped during=
World War II, so thought there’d be more money in marketing toys.
6. Imagi=
ne a company named for its founder, his farm, and hometown.
7. Mike and Kevin lau=
nched a check-in app for computers called “Burbn” that included=
messages and pictures.
8. Carpenter Ole opened a shop that made ladders, stools,=
and ironing boards. But after personal tragedies and financial disasters, =
he needed cash fast, so focused on making inexpensive toys. He hoped the ch=
ildren would play well with them.
 =
;
9, Blue Ribbon Sports was the U.S. distributor =
for Onitsuka Tiger (later known as Asics). But when Phil decided to manufac=
ture his own shoes, he needed a new name. He liked “Dimension SixR=
21;, "Peregrine", and “Bengal", but they needed a real=
winner.
10. Founders of advanced tech ideas Jensen, Chris, and Curtis couldn’t t=
hink of a name, so just labeled their idea files as "next version.&quo=
t; At least they knew every other company would be jealous of their innovat=
ive ideas.
11. Irwin, a professor turned entrepreneur, helped lead a startup-mind=
ed group of colleagues from “Linkabit” to form a company with s=
uperior messaging.
12. Joe and Jeff Foster inherited the family shoe company t=
hat needed a re-brand. They wanted to convey light and fast footwear a=
nd settled on either Mercury or Cougar to represent agility. Found both wer=
e already registered names. They looked in a South African dictionary for a=
good name, altered the spelling, and a new brand took off running.
~~
Dr Bob Griffin
[email protected] www.grif.net
"Jesus Knows Me, This I Love!"=
=2Eavast.com