April 18, 2008
CSD: What’s In a Name?
By Shawn Foucher
Through a special arrangement, presented here for discussion
is an excerpt of a current article from Convenience Store Decisions magazine.
A partner at Pennsylvania-based LMA Architects, Jim Dodrill had been approached
by Consumers Petroleum to help create a corporate brand for the company’s dozen
or more convenience stores in Connecticut. Consumers Petroleum had acquired
a handful of existing convenience stores in the state, but preserved the original
brands from each of the stores since it never developed a collective identity
to use for the entire portfolio.
“The owner of the company, his last name is
Wiehl,” Mr. Dodrill said. “He jokingly
changed the (chain’s) name to ‘Wheels.’
“They were sort of concerned it might be too literal,” Mr. Dodrill added. A number of “image” words were tossed around, but Wheels was agreed upon. “Initially it was almost like an inside joke, but when we met with them, we said it’s actually not a bad name.”
LMA Architects’ past work involved industry leaders
like Wawa, the operator of more than 570 Mid-Atlantic convenience stores. Mr.
Dodrill’s team designed the sleek, signature canopies shielding Wawa’s refueling
areas, and beyond that had branded and rebranded other convenience store chains
such as Anglers Mini-Marts in South Carolina, which were redesigned to reflect
its early beginnings as a bait-and-tackle shop.
“We liked this whole concept
of branding,” said Mr. Dodrill. “This is a great
arena to do that in. Convenience stores are all becoming a little more upscale
and unique in their looks.”
For Consumers Petroleum, Mr. Dodrill wanted to
create a brand that not only capitalized on the Wheels name, but also imbued
the c-store’s image with the notion of quick-and-easy products and services,
that staple convenience store offering. For its part, Consumers Petroleum wanted
a look that was uniquely upscale.
Because the company’s stores had been acquired
as already-operating properties, Mr. Dodrill was somewhat limited in changing
the building’s exteriors, other than emblazoning signage in key areas.
“We
had total control over the interior,” Mr. Dodrill said. Ultimately, the
Wheels brand came to life by using the name to steer design and imagery, everything
from texture to colors to lighting.
“It’s more like creating an environment,” Mr.
Dodrill said. “That’s where it
gets into these warm materials, textures and colors.”
Discussion Questions:
What makes a good retail store name? Secondly, what type of branding support
do store names need at retail that might be different than the past?
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As always, what happens in the store, and at all customer touchpoints, will make the difference and either bring the brand name alive, or appear to be a disconnect. A cool name and advertising is not enough, even though many retailers try to buy the business with those two attributes alone.
Also, the Convenience Store business is a lot harder than it may seem to the start-up. The BP concept was brilliant, but customers stayed away. Why? Was it too clean, hip, looked too expensive? I read in this week’s NRF Newsbrief that many stores are introducing self-service kiosks to sell products in their shops. This is a complete reversal from the shops within shop approach for food vendors in Convenience Stores.
While there are most certainly bad names (e.g. when Sav-On became Osco, which means repugnant or vomitous in Spanish, that was bad). However, outside of blatantly bad choices that conjure up negative imagery, a name is about the branding work that supports it and the imagery that is created to endow that name with positive attributes. Names like Haagen Dazs, Nike and others are not necessarily the easiest or most accessible names, but they have been endowed with brand qualities that make them household words.
The related issue, touched upon in the story, is when (after a merger or acquisition) do you retain an EXISTING name, and–say, isn’t that an 800lb silverback over there…wearing an Alfani pullover?–we all know the ongoing experiment that suggests it’s when you have a strong regional name vs. a (relatively) faceless “national” one.
A good name may not be critical if all other factors are hitting on all cylinders but it sure helps. Having multiple locations with the same name reinforces your brand identity and also helps if you do any advertising.
“Wheels” sounds like a tire shop. It will take a strong branding message to add pieces to the name. Not knowing the assortment focus, I would consider adding a solid jingle of great convenience, great products (Meals), great price (Deals),and great, fast, friendly service. For mobile customers, they might consider a loyalty program.
Sounds like it would be a coincidence more than good thought but “Wheels” is a very good name. So many creative things can be done with a name like that for a C-store chain.
Overall, what goes into a name has a lot to do with the store’s channel of trade, its size and reach, its history or lack of history, etc. For a small local chain, I like using the owner’s name (if it is easy to say and remember) because the personalization gives the small business an edge in perception that the owner is running the business and cares, and provides a personal touch.
However, for a large national chain, I prefer using a name that defines the business and its goals. For example, Whole Foods.
If the convenience store is a bore like 130,000 others, the name doesn’t matter, just the location. And the canopy colors don’t matter, either. Is the coffee awful? Is there a new staff every month? Is the bathroom disgusting? C-store shopping is a habit. It doesn’t matter if a customer comes in once. It’s whether the customer returns 2,000 times.
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As always, what happens in the store, and at all customer touchpoints, will make the difference and either bring the brand name alive, or appear to be a disconnect. A cool name and advertising is not enough, even though many retailers try to buy the business with those two attributes alone.
Also, the Convenience Store business is a lot harder than it may seem to the start-up. The BP concept was brilliant, but customers stayed away. Why? Was it too clean, hip, looked too expensive? I read in this week’s NRF Newsbrief that many stores are introducing self-service kiosks to sell products in their shops. This is a complete reversal from the shops within shop approach for food vendors in Convenience Stores.
While there are most certainly bad names (e.g. when Sav-On became Osco, which means repugnant or vomitous in Spanish, that was bad). However, outside of blatantly bad choices that conjure up negative imagery, a name is about the branding work that supports it and the imagery that is created to endow that name with positive attributes. Names like Haagen Dazs, Nike and others are not necessarily the easiest or most accessible names, but they have been endowed with brand qualities that make them household words.
The related issue, touched upon in the story, is when (after a merger or acquisition) do you retain an EXISTING name, and–say, isn’t that an 800lb silverback over there…wearing an Alfani pullover?–we all know the ongoing experiment that suggests it’s when you have a strong regional name vs. a (relatively) faceless “national” one.
A good name may not be critical if all other factors are hitting on all cylinders but it sure helps. Having multiple locations with the same name reinforces your brand identity and also helps if you do any advertising.
“Wheels” sounds like a tire shop. It will take a strong branding message to add pieces to the name. Not knowing the assortment focus, I would consider adding a solid jingle of great convenience, great products (Meals), great price (Deals),and great, fast, friendly service. For mobile customers, they might consider a loyalty program.
Sounds like it would be a coincidence more than good thought but “Wheels” is a very good name. So many creative things can be done with a name like that for a C-store chain.
Overall, what goes into a name has a lot to do with the store’s channel of trade, its size and reach, its history or lack of history, etc. For a small local chain, I like using the owner’s name (if it is easy to say and remember) because the personalization gives the small business an edge in perception that the owner is running the business and cares, and provides a personal touch.
However, for a large national chain, I prefer using a name that defines the business and its goals. For example, Whole Foods.
If the convenience store is a bore like 130,000 others, the name doesn’t matter, just the location. And the canopy colors don’t matter, either. Is the coffee awful? Is there a new staff every month? Is the bathroom disgusting? C-store shopping is a habit. It doesn’t matter if a customer comes in once. It’s whether the customer returns 2,000 times.