You Think It’s Hard to Name a Church? Try Naming Drugs
Names matter in today's digital world....
While millions and millions have received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccinations against COVID, I seriously doubt many of those people know that the actual names are Comirnaty (Pfizer) and Spikevax (Moderna). The AMA Journal says this about drug names:
In naming drugs, the most important considerations are avoiding drug names that are too similar to existing names—and therefore might compromise patient safety—and making sure the drug name communicates accurate information about the action or use of the substance. Over time, the USAN and INN nomenclature scheme has developed into a system for classifying new pharmaceuticals.
In other words, with medication, making a naming mistake can cost lives, so the pressure is on to find the right name for the next big drug.
You’ve no doubt seen all the wacky TV commercials promoting various drugs with strange names like Cisplatin (chemotherapy), Xeljanz (rheumatoid arthritis therapy), Moxifloxacin (antibiotic), Orgovyx (prostate cancer treatment) and Pancuronium (a muscle relaxer).
That’s because in an effort to be more easily remembered by the public, every brand-name drug has a second name. A good example is Prozac who’s name is actually fluoxetine. Tylenol’s actual chemical name is N-acetyl-p-aminophenol (if you look closely you can you spot the tyl and -ol in that painfully long name.)
So the next time you change your church, ministry, or nonprofit’s name, just remember that pharmaceutical companies have an even bigger challenge. Sure there’s a million church names like Elevation, Destiny, Hope, Transformation, Epic, Potential – and don’t forget all the “point” variations like NorthPoint, CrossPoint, or the fancy versions like LifePointe or GracePointe.
Our team at Cooke Media Group has a proven process to help organizations find the right name that expresses who they are and what they stand for. But even with our years of experience, it’s getting more and more difficult to find a uniquely original name for a church, ministry, or nonprofit.
But no matter how great the challenge, if you’re “Third Presbyterian Church,” it may be time to make a change.
Photo by Obi Onyeador on Unsplash
Phil Cooke, PhD. has been called “one of the most innovative communicators of our generation.” As a media producer, writer, speaker, and consultant, his client list includes major film studios and TV networks as well as major Christian organizations like Voice of the Martyrs, The Museum of the Bible, The Salvation Army, and others. He’s also coached and consulted with many of the most influential churches and nonprofit organizations in the world, helping them use media to tell their story. You can hear his podcast here.
