Joe's Hotdogs video segment 7 of 9

Click on the title to watch the video on YouTube.

Something else that is important is that the Joe’s Hotdogs sign says “Joe’s Hotdogs.” The sign does not say, “Joe’s Hotdogs, with the best selling french-fries since 1976.” Nor does it say, “Joe's Hotdogs. Get your favourite coffee!” It does not say, “Joe’s Hotdogs. Come here for pop.” It does not say, “Joe’s Hotdogs. Come here for home-grown, homemade relish.” It just says, "Joe’s Hotdogs."

One of the lessons that come from that is that Joe’s Hotdogs’ reputation, through its name at least, is a simple one. The Joe’s Hotdogs name carries with it the cultural assumption that there are probably beverages. There are probably onion rings and french-fries. There might even be such things as homemade relish.

How does the name Joe’s Hotdogs imply that there might be homemade relish? Well, it doesn’t say McDonald's. People know that McDonald's does not offer homemade relish.

The name Joe suggests something that might not be true about Joe's: There is an individual named Joe, Joanne, Joseph, Josephine. Who’s to say who it is? Often a name carries enough implications that no one has to say “Joe’s Hotdogs with homemade relish” or “Joe’s Hotdogs: we have great french-fries”. The name Joe’s Hotdogs not only implies Joe's menu, but also, it implies the possibility of homemade relish more than the name Holiday Inn might, or more than the name U-Haul might.

So, a company name is important in ways that are subtle.

Now, sometimes people bank on or have strong expectations for their name. For example, "Why doesn’t the whole world read my mind? Don’t they realize that I have the best homemade relish?" These are unwise assumptions.

However, it is also unwise to name your company Low-Budget Rental and assume that people will buy lots of french-fries from you. Cultural awareness, especially including the implications of a name, is important in marketing products.

Just don’t get witty with your wording. The greater the number of people who encounter your concept, the lower the common denominator of their savvy.