Many small companies in Hong Kong are hasty when choosing their company names, especially the translation of the name in English. What of a restaurant called “Eat Well Restaurant” or “Lucky Restaurant”. Below, I just wanted to highlight an example that I find particularly funny.
An interior design company called “Plan B Design Lab”… “Plan B”!!?? Does that mean that you need to have tried another design company first and then you can ask for their services if the first designer failed and messed up your apartment?
Plan B, with all that it implies, is not a name limited to markets where English is a second language. We shared office space in California with a rather successful firm that was, strangely-to-us, named Plan B. They somehow managed to turn the negative association into a positive, or else their work was just good enough that the name didn’t need to stand up to conceptual scrutiny.
I would not have thought that a company in the US could have chosen such a name. And they were successful…
I guess a bad name can be overcome. Still, I can’t help but thinking that it is harder to go by with a bad name. I don’t actually know of any studies… but it was shown that a name on a CV triggers perceptions (race, social background) and may have some impact. So, it could be the same with a company name when you receive a sales call or browse the Web for suppliers.
On the other hand, I guess strange name are easier to remember. That could be a good thing…