Stimulating the Mind

Back in April, one of the recommendations I made to a client was to name its product "Cubit". A cubit is a unit of measurement equal to 45.72 centimeters. But the primary reason for choosing the name was that very few people have ever heard or seen the word. We brainstormed over a hundred names and rated them on predetermined criteria. Then we took the top 25 rated names and came to a grudging consensus on the name "Cubit".

Since then, almost every time one of us tells someone the name of the product, they ask, "Why did you name it 'Cubit' "? At first, this reaction disturbed my client. Six months later, my client recognizes that this reaction may actually be a positive sign.

Indeed, I've referred to scientific studies showing consumers react positively to imaginative names. You want to pique the consumer's curiousity. You're in a battle for his mind, and you won't win if you fail to engage it.

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