Don’t be a Vongle
What is a VONGLE? I don’t even know.
What does that brand name/trademark sound like to you? I don’t know about you, but I HATE it.
What does it MEAN to you?
How does it make you feel? Does it conjure up any emotional feeling within you?
This term is a great example of a “brand name” that has no meaning. It doesn’t elicit any emotional reaction ~ at least not for me. Nothing positive, at least.
And it’s a GREAT example of why it’s important to create trademarks that conjure some type of emotional reaction in consumers. And it’s an even better example of the dangers of “coined” trademarks.
Coined marks can be really great from a legal perspective ~ generally, they are easy to register and they are “distinctive.”
But, keep in mind that coined marks pose challenges from the marketing perspective, because they are hard to remember and sometimes challenging to share via word-of-mouth marketing. Plus, as I mentioned before, coined marks tend to fail to conjure emotional reactions in consumers. And emotional reactions ~ especially positive ones ~ are key.
Fortunately, I’ve never had to work on a Vongle. My clients select some pretty rad trademarks.
But, how are YOU creating YOUR brand names (ahem, trademarks)? I have a lot of prospective clients reach out to me about possible trademarks, who seem to solely guide their trademark selection process by what domain names are available or not available!
Please, do not do this!
You are doing yourself, your company, and your customers a huge disservice if you write off a totally rad trademark just because you cannot obtain the pure domain name.
To me, “VONGLE” sounds like someone was able to grab a pure domain name, and that’s about it. There’s no connotation, and someone is gonna have to work really hard to educate consumers about what the hell your Vongle is. (Your trademark attorney, however, will have an easier job getting the mark registered for you….)
Consumers are educated enough to realize at this point that a lot of “pure” domain names might not be available. It’s no big deal. There are ways to work around this!
Do NOT be a vongle and don’t create vongle-like marks for your products or services.
If you need help creating a totally rad brand name for your private label products, I can help you. And, the cool thing is, I approach the task from both the marketing AND the legal side.
Garlic presses rust away. Brand names can last forever. Select a strong brand name that you are thrilled to share, and one that elicit smiles from your customers.
Do this at the outset. Do it when you selecting your products (or starting your business or service).
Don’t put it off as a sideshow and do not underestimate the value that a strong trademark can bring to your business ~ whether it’s a private label or service-based business.
Ready to get started? Good.