Naming In The News

What's In A Name?

Perhaps a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but when it comes to meat products, names can be pretty important. William Lozito, president of Minneapolis-based brand naming consultancy Strategic Name Development, works with clients worldwide to find the perfect product names. His company, for example, created Wendy's Baconator name.

Lozito says in general, however, meat products have not demonstrated much innovation in terms of names. "They tend to be descriptive, and people tend to copy each other," he notes.

For processors who want to buck that trend of homogeneity, Lozito offers the followign product-naming suggestions:

• Name from the outside in, viewing your product as if you were a consumer in the supermarket.
• Make sure you choose a true brand name, rather than a generic category descriptor. Lozito mentions several deli meat products that have fallen into this trap.
• Food is an intimate product. The name of your meat product probably should not be too humorous or cute.
• Avoid overused terms, which include "creations," "sensations," "select" and "smart," among others.
• A name can't do everything. Maintain realisitc expectations for the power of your product's name.