If you have never been faced with trying to come up with one yourself, you’ve probably never given much thought to brand names. When you do stop and think about it, though, it becomes clear that the name of a product can be more important than the product itself.

A few years ago, a southeast asian airline company opened its doors. It was going to be the first regional airliner to travel between cities in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. There was and is a need for such a service. Unfortunately, they decided to call it PMT Air. The letters stood for something important in the minds of those who came up with the name, but they stood for something entirely different in the minds of the foreign tourists. An airline called ‘Pre Menstrual Tension’ just didn’t work and the company folded.

That was a pretty drastic mistake, but companies have been ruined or crippled by less drastic errors. Sometimes problems crop up long after a brand has passed its initial stage of success or when bad publicity sullies its name.

What does the name ‘Homelite chainsaw‘ suggest to you? To the uninformed, it has to be a light duty chainsaw made for using exclusively around the home. However, the company also makes heavy duty chainsaws.

Then there are Husqvarna chainsaws. These chainsaws immediately make you think of heavy duty chainsaws built exclusively for serious wood cutters. You can even go into a store and ask for a ‘husky’ and the proprietor will know what you’re talking about. You’d never guess that you could buy a light duty one of these.

When America started demanding low fat fast foods, Kentucky Fried Chicken had to scramble to rebrand itself as KFC. While they founders of the brand couldn’t have forseen the change, they did have to meet the challenge or risk losing their customer base.

Think of any brand name and it will create certain images and emotions in you. These feelings will influence your decision to buy or not buy that brand.

Now, just for fun, make up a brand name of your own. Pretend you have a unique quilt set that you want to market to men. What would you call it? Would you call it the ‘Woodsman’s Quilt’ or the ‘Playboy Quilt?’ In either case, you would be attracting one type of customer and repelling another.

Market research companies make billions of dollars every year trying to find out exactly what appeals to people the most and what brand name, slogan or even product design will maximize sales. It’s a hit or miss game. Who would have guessed that something like ‘Google’ would ever be a winner as a brand name?