Yes, this means we are often pre-judged by the associations our names conjure up even before someone has met us. Companies are also pre-judged. Think back to the first moment you heard the name Verizon . You don t know what the company looks like. All you have to go on is the company name, those three syllables chosen for greatness out of 8,500 groupings of sounds.
Companies are inherently different from people in three crucial ways that impact the naming process.
Their names either capture their positions from early on, think IBM, or come to represent their positions, think Toyota. Companies, unlike the vast majority of people, usually have marketing budgets in order to cultivate their brand names and thus reinforce these positions. Think Coke and Ford. People know these companies and their products, yet the marketing continues. It is generally assumed that being able to hold on to this position, or deftly move to a new, more profitable one, will improve the company s long-term financial prospects.