How the Big Ooga Got Its Name – Instincts in Business
I couldn’t get the word Ooga out of my head. It sounded so Google, so Yahoo, but with a honk. Instead of foolishly following my instinct, I conducted market research and asked professional women, business women’s groups, businessmen, entrepreneurs, friends and everyone I knew what they thought of the name Big Ooga. Here were my findings.
90% of people had a strong reaction to the name. Their responses ranged from “are you kidding?” to “it sounds big and hairy.”
10% Thought it was hilarious. Among them were marketing directors of large companies.
.01 % thought it was perfect (that would be me)
0% of the entire virtual universe wanted the name Big Ooga.
These findings led me to disregard these findings and use them as reverse indicators. Sometimes you really do have to follow your gut. Period. End of story and in retrospect.
As you name your new company or small business – keep in mind these targets: The name should be memorable, likable and original. It should stand for something and have a life of its own. Some would also argue your company name should say what it does. But if you reflect on Nike, Ugg, Zappos and Spanx – they are the sounds of very savvy marketing. Ooga on!
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Hi Lennie, I’ve always thought you were gifted at branding, and Big Ooga is a perfect example of your brilliance at work. Gut instinct really does have a lot to do with it. You can pull off a Big Ooga because it fits your personality. Someone else … maybe not so much. So the brand needs to be a harmony between the entrepreneur (or company culture) and the name itself. Otherwise, customers will sense the disconnect and the brand will fail. That’s my theory, anyway.
Hi Brad and thanks for stopping by!
I absolutely agree with you that a brand must be in harmony with the company culture and entrepreneur that drives it. If we look at the flip side like House of Pain or Hard Tail – their company names express either the experience of using the product or the best result you can get from wearing the product. I’d love to know how Google got its name. We sure don’t have to guess where 1-800-Got-Junk came from!