The process of building awareness and rememberability (I know, it’s not really a word but you know what I mean.) for a company or person begins with the name. Choosing a name which will be easily recalled, spelled, written, talked about, associated with something – all of those need to be considered in the process. Coolness or trendiness are the very last reasons to choose a name.

Think back to the “Artist Formerly Known As Prince” and the symbol he used to represent himself. While it might have seemed cool, it was way too awkward and he had to go back to Prince. Such is the case of  Technology Recycling Group and  National Technology Resource Group changing their name to 2trg. This name isn’t easy to write, spell, remember nor does it lead to any association with something. Are you supposed to say it “two turg”,  “two trig”, “two T R G” or perhaps some completely different way?

I don’t claim to be an expert in naming but I have read a few articles on the subject and all of them seem to agree. And, rather than just rely on expertise, I conducted a non-scientific poll around our office and didn’t have one single duplication in the attempt to pronounce it or associate it with anything. As a marketing person with almost 20 years of experience, I find very little “marketing reasoning” behind the choice of the name, which generally proves to be a hindrance to the brandability of the company.

I’m always skeptical about the long-term viability of a new recycled-content plastics manufacturer. Either the costs (both monetary and environmental) don’t justify the means or it’s heavily subsidized by the government. If we had a truly workable solution, you would see it spreading quickly across the country and even around the globe. So, I wasn’t too excited when I read the headlines ” <!– @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } –>Plastics Recycling Plant Ready to Open.”

After reading this article, I am mildly hopeful. If they save the energy they say they do and if it isn’t subsidized by the government, this could be a really good step for all of us. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.