You have a nanosecond to communicate your brand name and what it means. Make sure that the name communicates your essence and is easily understood by your marketplace. Unless you are in the brand strategy business, your audience would not embark on the journey we took in order to understand the Virginia Dare brand.
We learned that Virginia Dare was the first English child born in the Virginia Colony (present day Roanoke, North Carolina). She was born to British colonizers on August 18th, 1567. The only reason her existence was documented is that her grandfather, the governor of the Colony, left for Great Britain to bring back supplies. When he returned three years later, the whole colony had disappeared. No one knew what happened.
Photo in Public Domain/Bureau of Engraving and Printing
To explain the disappearance of the colony, all kinds of theories were offered, from magical deer spiriting her away, to Indians capturing the colony. She became part of American folklore. She was featured as a character in books, songs and films. Towns, counties and streets were named after her in North Carolina. In marketing, her image appeared on a tobacco label, flavoring extracts, a stamp, and Virginia Dare Winery Company (recently acquired by the Family Coppola).
What was the Coppola family thinking? What does Virginia Dare mean as a wine brand? What we have here is a "failure to communicate"!
In naming your business or your company, be sure that what you choose for a name can be understood in a nanosecond and attracts your intended target market.
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