“Movit, Samona, what do they really mean?” Alinaitwe Rwabujungu innocently asked. Then followed Derick Nokrach, Danny Lwanga, Henry Mugerwa, Jonathan Lunyulula and Angasi Mugumya. The name Mukama Nayamba intrigues them. It is not only the quintet that keeps wondering how the drink ended up with this name. Many of us do.
That was not the healthy drink’s first name though, according to Samuel Byaruhanga, the director Mukama Nayamba Health Products.
The Anglican turned born again ran a bar business alongside his herbal clinic in the past. Once he closed his alcohol depot, the last of his businesses at the time given his new found faith, he started producing a drink he called Akasaari healthy drink. He promoted it but the market rejected it.
Not even prayers changed the fortunes of the young man. Three months later, in his words, God inspired him creatively and he renamed the drink Mukama Nayamba, loosely translated as “God helps, a sum up of what God has done in his life.”
“I only supply 10 per cent of all the customers I have. When someone hears or sees the name, they will want to buy it because of the name and it has really worked out well,” Byaruhanga says. The 32-year old has gone ahead and picked two other unusual names for two new drinks, Headmaster and Doctor.
“The best consumers of healthy drinks are older persons aged 50 and above. You have to look for a name that they will say without fail. Most old people know the word headmaster and if I say it three times on the radio, they will not forget it,” he explains.
Nada Andersen, director Star Leo describes product naming as a science. But are local businesses picking the best names? In her advertising experience, she uses the words, many brands go astray because the name failed to ‘catch’.
She notes there is a habit of naming companies with abbreviations, acronyms and so on, which a common person takes long to decipher. This is in addition to throwing in words like gold, crane, divine, great lakes, and so on. To her, they sound aspirational but in essence do not add value.
Her observation doesn’t come without advice for entrepreneurs. Andersen says there are many methods but the best is to pretest the name with people representing the potential consumer. The name should state what the product does, but in a fresh and short way. The longer the name, the easier to forget it. Short, snappy names last for generations.
“Given a number of name options, potential consumer focus group will make choice based on emotion. How does the name sound in the person’s mind and what emotions does it evoke? Best examples I can give are unfortunately not from Uganda but we all know them: Gilette, Lilly, Nike, Puma, Africell, Safaricom – all these names come with emotional power attached to them,” she explains.
Andersen makes reference to bottled water Rwenzori and describes the name as truly Ugandan and yet, when we think of the mountain we cannot ignore the snow-caped peaks which is a direct association with a cold, refreshing bottle of water.
Ronald Mukasa, a financial literacy coach and business development professional, says naming is important yet entrepreneurs simply focus on the product.
He reveals beyond a great product, the name needs to communicate to the customer and in a particular way. Consider a soft drink, the choice of product name should ideally conjure up a desire to drink in the mind of a potential customer.
“This explains why words like Cheers, Splash, Cola are synonymous with soft drinks around the world. It is almost as though they create the thirst that you must then go ahead to quench,” Mukasa explains.
Naming, for instance, natural hair products or cooking oil, will follow a different chain of thought and it is unlikely that you will find hair products associated with the word ‘splash.’
To give it a deeper meaning, Mukasa quotes, “Name for your customer, not your product” by Apple Computers’ icon Steve Jobs.
Jobs once explained it as an inspiring but often, a daunting task. The process of figuring out a product name often involves bouncing ideas off small focus groups like family, friends, workmates, all in a bid to settle for one that hopefully will connect with your target customer.
Professionals agree that no entrepreneur wants to get the name wrong. However, what Jobs is saying is that this exercise is not about you the entrepreneur, neither should the focus be on the product but rather the customer.
Managing Director Finding XY and SEED Uganda Representative Edirisa Sembatya says a good name gives identity. It is the first thing that draws the customer to you; a name will call, attract or offend the customer that will determine who will be your customer.
He further explains that a name speaks to who you are and what you represent. It helps customers to determine who they are dealing with, tells the quality of the product and segments who will use the product or service.
Getting it right: Tips
Mukasa says there are several points to consider while lining up the names. He wants you to put meaning to the name, a meaning that can be weaved into the brand as it grows. It should tell a story even as the product grows and evolves. He wants you to make it memorable so that it grabs attention and sticks to mind. For this, simplicity is often helpful.
“And it is helpful that it is one that is catchy and can easily roll off the tongue, stand out. Let your name tell that you are different and bring something unique to market,” he says.
“However, don’t be paralysed as it may also not be one you fall in love with immediately but has the potential to carry a great brand and needs to be given the time.”
Blackberry has been given as an example of a product name that caught on only later.
Sembatya says whichever name one is going to give a product or service, it depends on the quality of service. But also, characteristics of the goods or services matter.
“For instance, something like a chair which is comfortable, durable, light and attractive to young people will be given a name that attracts the young people.”
Capacity building trainer, Ronald Mayanja would define the product or service he needs to offer. Depending on the product or service, the name would follow.
He recommends a name that rhymes with the local dialect to avoid using abusive and vulgar words for a product name. It is important at this stage to avoid using innuendos or words that have two meanings or more (a positive and a negative one).
Like Andersen, he talks testing the product especially with the advent of social media groups which ease the feedback process. If one is operating a joint venture, it is wise to seek other people’s opinion in the joint venture or company limited by shares to avoid acting and coming off selfishly before others.
There is one point Mayanja will not finish without mentioning though. He speaks with emphasis on novelty pointing to the use of initials of a proprietor or each of the shareholder in the business venture to create one common name.
“One common name is JOMAYI for Joseph Magandazi Yiga. Another example is Kazire from Edward Kazire, the proprietor’s name. A product name should be original, short, simple, easy to remember and meaningful.”
Some names become household names and at some point in time, fade into oblivion. Andersen believes such brand names easily reinvent themselves because the name is already embedded in people’s minds.
“A name like Kodak means nothing, it is just a word that reads the same front to back and in reverse, but it became a household name in photography and film. Technology had removed the need for film and Kodak reinvented itself in packaging, software, digital cameras, phones, tablets and printing industries,” Andersen says.
