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Do Stupid Names Hurt Startups?
The search for a unique corporate name and identity may be backfiring in the Silicon Valley.
Wakoopa, Frengo, Squidoo or Meebo all might be acceptable if they were exceptions to the rule.
But when every startup in the Valley begins opting for whimsy (and a non-stop barrage of vowels) for their handles instead of, well, making sense, the results can be less than desirable.
“Naming a company is like naming a celebrity,” serial entrepreneur Jared Kopf told the L.A. Times, adding that “made-up words don’t come with psychological baggage.”
While that may be true, naming experts say we’re fast approaching the tipping point for goofy naming schemes as more and more companies opt for names that sound more like the utterances of constipated toddlers than legitimate businesses.
“Now it’s almost like fashion styles, all these vowels and unpronounceable made-up names,” said Steve Manning, managing director of Igor, a naming company in San Francisco.
“You cannot possibly remember one from another.” Trying to be unique is one thing, but if we’re at a point where potential multimillion-dollar investors can confuse Imeem with Imbee, that certainly spells trouble.
Photo by Wakoopa, Frengo, Squidoo.
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Dan West on March 29th, 2010 9:11 am
There’s a company called TWAT (TW Allison Training) they didn’t think through that name! ha ha
Bobbi on April 12th, 2010 9:21 am
@Dan, I checked out TWATs – twallison training and they are in China. Probably unfamiliar with the slang meaning of twat! I was imagining the receptionist saying, “Good morning TWAT. How can I help you?” “WHAT YOU CALL ME?!”
That must piss customers off no end.
Graeme Read on May 7th, 2010 9:12 am
This is the second time I have heard about this company this week. Are they the same company that was involved in the IPR lawsuit?
ronnie hua on June 26th, 2010 1:56 am
there are so many english schools in china. some have really weird name, but twat is the worst I have heard.
titan67 on July 20th, 2010 9:25 am
I know this company they are from GuangZhou. TWAllison Training is their name and owner is teh forenger. Why did they call teh company twat? Isnt this a rude word in English???!!
iownu on September 29th, 2010 7:02 am
TW Allison Corporate Training should be TWCT
billy qiu on December 24th, 2010 8:05 am
I know this company TW Allison but I didnot know that they called them selves TWATS. I know that is a bad word in English.
Michael Allison on March 22nd, 2011 8:27 pm
Some of the posts here are absolutely hilarious. First off, our company’s name is TW Allison Corporate Training. For all of you acronym officiandos, that would be TWACT. Perhaps some of you are unable to spell or may just be blind, or as is quite obvious regarding some of your posts, you are still like pre-teens on the playground who somehow find it amusing to make jokes about female bodyparts. I feel for those of you in this latter category.
Secondly, we are not an English school, we are a corporate training provider and we work with some of the largest MNCs who have operations in China.
Third, @ Graeme Read, we have never been involved in a IPR lawsuit and never will be. That was a rumour being spread by none other than Morry Morgan, the former GM of ClarkMorgan Corporate Training, who I used to be employed with. The only company involved in ripping off others IPR is his company, and if you’d like proof, feel free to contact me and I’ll send it to you.
Some of you guys really do need to get out more and grow up!
grekkos88 on April 21st, 2011 5:16 pm
Michael,
You might be talking too soon about ‘never’ getting sued. Your comment is libelous since you are naming an individual and accusing him/her of committing an offense while presumably there has been no court ruling on the matter. Therefore I recommend that you remove your comments to mitigate your actions and hope the named individual doesn’t find out. You also might want to change your company name to something more appropriate. I don’t recommend ‘TWA’ since that is a bankrupt airline and ‘TWAT’, as you state is ‘pre-teens’.
best regards,
SG
Graeme Read on July 4th, 2011 8:41 am
Michael,
I assume you are the ‘Allison’ of TW Allison Training. My suggestion is not to get so emotional on this issue, since your comments only fuel this post, and therefore promote the link between your company and the aforementioned acronym (yes, it is immature).
Best stay calm, and ride it out and by doing so, avoid, as SG says, any slander in the process.
titan67 on January 11th, 2012 6:06 pm
@Graeme- Tw Allison teaches emotional intelligence!!!
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