How long is the name of a
brand remembered? Why do some brands fade from our memories, while others stick
with us for a lifetime? In marketing, it is of utmost importance that consumers
remember our brand names. How do we get them to stick for the long term?

Let’s do a little trivia
game. I have a list of famous men who have a birthday today. I have listed what
made them famous. Match them up and see how you do (answers at the bottom of
the page. No peeking at online searches.)

1.
Ken
Gorelick.   A. Politician
2.
Joe
Clark         B. Lawman
3.
Jack
Chesbro  C. Baseball Player
4.
Pat
Garrett       D. Jazz Musician
5.
Art
Donavan     E. Astronaut

Each of these men were very
famous in their day. Their names were once household words. Anyone would have
recognized them. Do you recognize them now? You could say they had their own
personal brand in their day. The problem is, it doesn’t take long for the known
to become unknown when it is not trending news. In marketing, if we don’t keep
our brand in front of our target market, we too can be forgotten. How many
times do you hear of a problem and know you’ve heard of a brand that can fix
the problem, but you cannot remember the name? A good marketing strategy will
keep your brand in front of the consumers in your target market. Repetition is
key to this being a success.

However, there are names we
do remember for a very long time. Let me give you a separate list of men whose
names we still remember being connected with the same things that made the list
of the first men famous, but in this second list, their names live on. My
assumption is you will have no problem matching the name with their profession.

1.
Duke
Ellington     A. Politician
2.
Richard
Nixon      B. Lawman
3.
Babe
Ruth           C. Baseball Player
4.
Wyatt
Earp           D.
Jazz Musician
5.
Peyton
Manning   E. Astronaut

What makes one name more
memorable than another? Here are a few ways to make that happen.

Storytelling

If you can tell a concise
story that is compelling and tied to your brand, people will have a tendency to
remember you. For instance, I have listed Wyatt Earp on the second list. He was
the Tombstone, Arizona lawman made famous by the Old West lore of the shootout
at the OK Corral. You might have seen the movie Tombstone. It has all the makings of a good story – good guys
confronting bad guys in the streets, suspense, danger. Telling a compelling
story about your brand will help people remember it. This needs to be
uncomplicated. How did you fix a problem with your brand? A good example of
this is Dawn dishwashing soap. After the shipwreck of the oil tanker Exxon
Valdez in Alaska in 1989, Dawn was used by animal rescuers to clean wild
animals. The soap was gentle on the animals, but cut through the oil. That
story made Dawn a household name. To this day, they have a duckling on their
label. That’s good branding because it reminds consumers of the story with a
simple image.

Make it easy to remember your name

You will notice that my
second list has a couple of uncommon names that have been branded with the
person. Duke and Babe are not the real names of Edward Kennedy Ellington and
George Herman Ruth. However, those nicknames made them stand out from others. How
so? They were unusual, that is true. But they are also short – both are one
syllable – and catchy. The same is true for your brand. Keeping names short
helps people remember them. But the more unique and charming a name is, the
more people will remember it. Much like a popular nickname, a brand that people
shorten to something a bit more fascinating than your run-of-the-mill corporate
name. For instance, Harley-Davidson motorcycles are called Hogs. There are a
lot of theories about how that name came about, but it has caught on with
consumers.

Be the first

Consumers like winners. There
is nothing like being the first person to do something. Neil Armstrong was the
first person to walk on the moon. Babe Ruth set homerun records. Anytime you
can tie your brand to being in first place, do so. It helps people remember
you. Even the bad things are remembered. Richard Nixon, infamously, was the
first president to resign. Make sure
your brand is being remembered for the good, not the bad.

Be present all the time

It seems like everywhere I turn,
Peyton Manning is there. He is the spokesman for numerous brands, he does a
podcast, makes public appearances, has several short series on TV, shows up as
a guest on talk shows, etc. Here is a key in marketing: if people are going to
remember your brand, your brand has to show up where people are looking. They
will remember you longer if you show yourself to them. If you want to keep your brand alive in
the minds of consumers, study where your target market is looking and go there.

Answers:
1D – AKA Kenny G
2A – Joe Clark was the
Prime Minister of Canada
3C – Like Babe Ruth, Jack
Chesbro was an early member of the NY Yankees (when they were called the
Highlanders) and a member of the Hall of Fame.
4B – Pat Garrett is the
sheriff who is credited with killing Billy the Kid
5F – Like Peyton Manning, Art
Donovan played for the Colts and was elected to the NFL Hall of Fame
6E – Richard Searfoss was a Space
Shuttle astronaut