Naming on the Edge of Nothingness: the Case for No Name
I generally like people who go against the grain. The rebels — with or without a cause. In this case, I am thinking about people and businesses who have defied convention and chosen deliberately not to name themselves.
Or more precisely they have decided to give themselves a name which claims it is not a name. Because No Name is their name. If they were having an approach-avoidance conflict, they resolved it by leaving the room.
Welcome to No Name Land — a kind of No Man’s Land for names — where a simple, pedestrian name like Fred’s is just, well, too specific. And don’t call it Shirley. Because that might make somebody smile. We’re dealing with the power of negative thinking.
There are quite a few instances of places and people using No Name to opt out of the name game. A lot of them are bars and restaurants scattered randomly around the country — including one in the next town over — the No Name Bar. Each one, depending on your point of view, is an act of dereliction or an invitation to engage a local in conversation — mostly to ask for directions.
Standing out because people have a hard time finding you could be a brilliant marketing idea, but I’d have to say it’s probably not a winning idea in the hands of the uninitiated.
Attempted naming can be interminable. You can almost sense the immense relief: “We made a decision — we’re calling it ‘No Name’ ”
While you can make the case that it’s a minimalist approach to branding, it might be more accurate to characterize it as a cheap trick. One that catches on because it’s possible to get away with being the only No Name in the area.
There is a lot of power in the word No. But these No Names aren’t driven by a Buddhist sense of non-attachment or a Spartan kind of driving things down to the essential. It feels more like they reflect a moment of crisis where someone had to come up with a name, but the time ran out — with punting being the least painful option. And then someone says, “Very clever. We’re done. Let’s get a beer.”
When you get this generic, is No Name a brand or an escape from a brand? One test I applied was to see if anyone was able to use the name as the anchor for any sub-branding. The only items that showed up were “No Name Wings” on the menu of the No Name in Boston. Not exactly a stopper.
Where can you go from a branding standpoint when your name is No Name? It’s funny for a moment and it’s a little quirky. But it doesn’t present a lot of levels of meaning. It doesn’t stimulate a strong reaction. It doesn’t take you anywhere.
What does seem to work is a kind of modesty and unpretentiousness. Maybe No Name is even a little impish. But in the end you are hanging your hat on a peg with no hook. You could be taking a stand against names. Or you could just be unwilling to put in the time. The sky’s the limit when you’re an under achiever.
