The Power of Naming

Image via foodfashionista.com

Ever heard of the Cold Stone Creamery? Their concept is simple yet neat. It goes like this: they have a very cold stone behind the counter on which they mix the ice cream you choose with mixings you choose—think M&M’s, fresh fruits, etc.

Their main competition is the Marble Slab. In short, this is the same concept except they use a very marble slab instead of a very cold stone. While on the surface these businesses seem very similar, the Cold Stone Creamery is actually years ahead of the Marble Slab in one important aspect of the business. I’m talking about naming. Here are some of the Cold Stone Flavour names: Banana Split Decision™; Breathless Boston Cream Pie™; Cookie Mintster™.

But guess what, the Cold Stone Creamery didn’t stop there—they also named the sizes. At a Cold Stone Creamery shop you don’t ask for a medium or a large cone; their three sizes are “Like It,” “Love It,” and “Gotta Have It.”

My 2¢:
Give people something to talk about.
Why do names work so well to differentiate and make your services/products memorable?
Because, when done right, naming things makes the interaction fun. And, by extension, memorable.

P.S.
Marble Slab vs. Cold Stone: Who Was First?
As Andrew Oliver notes, “Despite Cold Stone Creamery’s recent explosive growth, Marble Slab Creamery was founded first (as per Marble Slab Creamery’s ‘About us‘ page) and could have been the inspiration for Cold Stone (their timeline suggest that the company was founded in 1988). This is yet another example that getting there first is not what it’s all about.
Jan 17, 2013