Naming Things
- We name things according to "OUR" logic and terminology. Customers hate this
- Acronyms only work for people who know them already (and even then they trip them up)
- Customers want names "that make sense to them"
- Customers like names "That say what they do" but in Customer Language/Terminology
- People prefer Verbs over Nouns
- Verbs are viewed as Active and Doing
- When naming things we need to remember that companies must think in terms of "What's in this for me"
- Names are the start of a Scent Trail Ensure that you are thinking about this when naming things
Scottish Enterprise
We have previously asked customers about alternative names for the SE Website Thes have included:
- Scottish Enterprise
- Enterprise Scotland
- Enterprising Scotland
- Economy Scotland
- Economic Development Scotland
Results
- Keeping the current name was heavily supported
- There is a large amount of Brand Awareness around the name Scottish Enterprise
BUT - People are not very sure what we do.
- People prefer "DOING" words such as "Enterprising"
- "Scotland" was also viewed as positive
This follows common patterns of people preferring Verbs over Nouns, and also Plain English phrases that "say what they do"
Sub Brands
We investigated awareness and feedback on:
- Talent Scotland
- Invest Scotland
- Export Scotland
- Innovation Scotland
Results
- There was a very mixed response to this group
- The names were confusing to some with a variety of understandings.
- “Export Scotland” was clearly understood and received well
- “Innovation Scotland” came second but was misunderstood by some
- “Invest Scotland” was third but some people viewed it as “Scotland Investing in Scotland.”
- “Talent Scotland” was last as it confused people and there were some unkind comments about singing competitions.
SDI (Scottish Development International)
- Within Scotland there is a lower awareness of the SDI brand.
This is to be expected. - International* respondents often thought it was about "Exporting"
- "Development" is often misunderstood and not associated with "Trade" or "Investment"
- Panel from Netherlands, France, Germany, UK and USA
Scotland vs Scottish
People make a distinction between “Scottish” & “Scotland”
- “Scottish” was to do with “Being Scottish” and what that meant“
- "Scotland” was about the country and being “ for the good of the country”
Find Business Support
We tested a lot of different names and the overwhelming response was:
- Pick a name that "Says what it does"
- Find Business Support was by far the most popular name suggested.
Quotes
Quote
Internationalisation". That's not even a word. Is it?
Quote
What are these Buzzwords that people are using
Quote
It's a communication issue. They speak a different language
Quote
Don't use the term Product. It is alien to us
Quote
Seems great but, what does it mean?
Quote
Not sure what that means
Quote
It has to be in plain language
Quote
Non-native English speakers might not use these words?
Quote
"Trade" is confusing.
"Supply chain I can tap into" makes more sense
Quote
“If it isn’t broke then don’t fix it”
Quote
"Invest in Scotland" is more of a call to action, rather than a neutral name, ....punchy... an invitation