When you have a passionate vision, it’s easy to forget that your new brand isn’t actually for you. So, before you get that name you love so much etched in stone, you might want to ask the opinion of those who matter most. Consumers.

We view consumer testing as a powerful tool, even as early on as choosing a brand name. As an example, here’s a consumer tested name that might be familiar. Apple.

Apple was an unusual name for a computer company; breaking the traditional practice of choosing a brand name that relates to your offering. Even starting out as ‘Apple Computer’, it was the Apple that carried the power, dropping ‘Computer’ in 2007. But why?

Well, Apple HQ used to have a picture of Alan Turing on the wall, the famous British genius who invented the ‘computer’ that cracked the Nazi Enigma Code during WW2. Tragically, following persecution and criminal conviction for homosexuality, Turing reportedly killed himself by biting into a poisoned apple.

Was the Apple name, and even the ‘bitten’ logo, a tribute to the mind and work of this brilliant man? Sadly not. When asked, Steve Jobs simply replied “God, we wish it were.” In truth, the story of the Apple name was far simpler.

Jobs was on a “fruitarian diet” and visited an apple farm. He thought the name was “fun, spirited and not intimidating”, but he did not rely on his own opinion alone. Apple tested strongly with consumers too, being seen as “friendly”. This was crucial, as computers were viewed by many as unfamiliar, futuristic, and even scary machines.

By conducting market research, this new company was guided towards a name that would allow every person to welcome these “scary” machines into their home as innocently as a piece of fruit. The rest is history.

To discover how Denvir can help you enter new markets with confidence, using strategic insight and research-inspired creativity to build your brand, check out our latest case studies: https://bit.ly/2NX4bPA