When naming a brand, make sure it’s pronounceable!

Savse: how would you pronounce this? ‘Sav-say’ or ‘sav-see’ or ‘saves’? This nutritious and tasty drinks brand has spent quite a lot of money to clarify exactly this. Not only is it a waste of their time, money and effort when they should be focusing on promoting the brand, it also creates confusion. On this billboard, the pronunciation guide ‘sav-say’ is actually larger than the brand name Savse! If a retailer calls their supplier to place an order for Savse or a customer asks a shop assistant for a bottle of Savse, but isn’t sure how to pronounce the name, or even remember it, it’s already falling at the first hurdle.

Simplicity is key when naming a brand: if it’s pronounceable and easily spelled, it stands a much better chance of being memorable. I am a perfect example of falling victim to Savse’s name confusion; I recently had a really tasty health drink and wanted to buy a few more, but for the life of me I could not remember its name. By chance, three months later, I came across it again and realised it’s called Savse! Apparently that means ‘crammed’ in Georgian. Now I just need to remember how to pronounce it.

Coincidentally also seen in Marylebone Station a few weeks later is a poster for Treatwell. Have you heard of it? How about Wahanda? The same beauty appointment booking platform that spent what we are guessing to be hundreds of thousands of pounds on naming, identity, website and advertising on Wahanda has now become Treatwell. In January this year, Wahanda acquired a German rival and took on their name. In this case the name and identity of Wahanda was a victim of its own company growth. While I personally find Wahanda more interesting and appealing, it can be argued that because Treatwell is a descriptive rather than an ‘out-of-the-box’ name, it’s easier to remember.

A Savse billboard

Treatwell poster. Campaign illustration by Thomas Danthony.

Remember Wahanda? Campaign illustrations by Malike Favre, image credit @handsome_frank