I've been hearing this phrase a lot lately - especially in press releases.  And it scares the crap out of me.

Why?

Because it shows that the naming industry is inept.  Evidently there are people in our industry giving clients talking points that can destroy a naming project in a matter of seconds.  The phrase "the name evokes" is a back room conversation that you might overhear during a strategy session, not something you place in a press release.  It is jargon... and it is jargon that takes away from the effectiveness of the brand once it is discussed openly.

Here are a sampling examples I've come across through press releases and marketing materials in the past few weeks...  Apologies, but I can't help but comment.

The new name evokes two important aspects of the band. The philharmonic aspect alludes to lovers of harmony and quintet alludes to the band’s five members.

Interesting.  Previously I thought that quintet was the description of a group with five members.  Now I learn that it also evokes this quality...

"The new name evokes a sense of balance essential for long-term success in the financial services business,"

One wonders how well this evoked balance serves them as the financial markets topple...

"The new name evokes our unique ability to empower, or powerize, businesspeople to get the information they need, when they need it, no matter where it is, to make the best decisions they possibly can."

I'm sorry... did a CEO just use the word (or ... word...like... thing) "powerize"?  Neat!   

Biamo is a southern and warm name, a name that evokes quality, Like Chevagne, it is associative, and it consists of clear musical sounds.

...or would if we could figure out how to pronounce it.  Actually, I'm not sure how it evokes quality at all, and have no idea how it could be considered similar to Chevagne.  Of particular interest is that this marketing document is headlined with the phrase "we love the new bio-taste!" (Yummmm!)

The name evokes the idea of a creamy, soft (thanks to the pleasant and soft sound of the word) and fresh cheese that is appreciated by the whole family.

What if some members of the family don't like soft cheese?  And where the heck did "the whole family" come from?  Is there some rule that says if there's a creamy, soft, and fresh cheese that we all have to appreciate it as a familial unit?

The Pitango name comes from a semi-wild cherry that grows amid dense foliage, posing a challenge to find it. The name evokes the challenge of identifying the "hidden fruit" of high-potential start-up companies.

Great, so when you explain it (forcing the executives to use the word "foliage", mind you) we can understand what the name means.  But without that context we're left in the dark.  (I checked their logo, thinking it'd help tell the story.  Nope.)

And last...

the name evokes visions of middle-aged men basking in a communal shower of smoke and bonding over one of the most basic, yet complex, leisure items known to man – the cigar.
...middle-aged men basking in a communal shower...  THAT is an image that sells.

The good folks over at a A Hundred Monkeys have an interesting post that comes to a similar conclusion as I'm about to, but they say it thusly:

Good work stands on its own merits.  <--The linked post is well worth a read.

Here's the deal.  The client should never have to use words like "evoke" or "indicate" or "associate" to justify their name to their audience.

When we developed "webmeadow" for a solar powered programming firm we didn't load the executives up with tips on how to explain what their name meant.  We helped them to understand the ways they could show what their brand was about and how their voice, image, and message could be made more compelling.  We helped to design programs that take advantage of the stuff webmeadow evokes - we did NOT develop talking points that have the company execs stripping apart the name to say things about how strong the connection between the company and the name may be. 

A Hundred Monkeys is (are?) right.  The moment you have to explain why you chose a name - versus, say, showing people through your marketing and programs and actions - you've shown that you're not confident that the identity can stand on its own. It indicates very clearly that the name doesn't stand on its own merits.

The same can be said of logos, brochures, and marketing campaigns - the moment you have to explain them you strip them of their power. 

All of this has made me go back to our own processes to see if we ever use the sort of language that might inadvertently lead to an executive trumpeting about how our name evokes some sort of connection.  And it was there.  It's part of our evaluation process - we check to see how many different things a name might evoke and how many of those are relevant to the brand. 

Damn.

Thankfully we take the time to show the connections rather than list them out as "being evoked."  But still...

Damn.

I'm off to try to fix it.