As a spa consultant, one of the most difficult tasks that I have is to effectively evaluate an existing or proposed name and logo for a new day spa.

The primary reason for this difficulty is that when it comes to selecting a name and logo, everyone is an expert: the spa owner, the spa owner's spouse, the spa owner's mother and father, the spa owner's best friend, the spa owner's attorney, accountant and banker, everyone who works in the spa, even the spa owner's pet cat.

Another (and equally important) reason is that everyone seems to take the name and logo selection process personally and the spa consultant has to be careful not to criticize a spa owner's proposed name and logo that was selected by their grandmother or which they have been working on for 5 years or which came to them in a dream after eating a plate of turnip greens.

A final reason for the difficulties involved with name and logo selection is that this is one area of the business where everyone (and I do mean everyone) has an " emotional" opinion.

In an interesting and informative article on this subject that appears in DAYSPA (August 2000), David M. Weime, a principal at Wave Public Relations, Washington, D.C., made the following observation:

"No offense to Mr. Shakespeare, but sometimes a rose by any other name doesn't smell as sweet. In the salon/spa industry, the name you choose for your day spa can mean the difference between success and failure."

Important as selecting a name and logo might be, it is generally an area where emotion overrides practicality and the wrong name and log are usually chosen for all the wrong reasons.

The reality of marketing in the day spa industry is that the only things that we have to sell are our name, logo, services and retail products - these are the things that we present to the general public to create a niche in the market place and to generate and increase sales of retail products - all four of these elements should convey the image or aura of your day spa.

In selecting a name and logo, the following should be considered:

• The name of your day spa should be simple, relatively short, look good in print, easy to read, and sound good on TV or radio; when someone sees your name on a billboard, they will have just a short time to digest the name and message and decide what action to take.
• The overall color scheme used for the name and logo should be the same as the image of your services and the color scheme used by your primary product offering (if you restrict you retail products to a single line that uses green packaging, don't use a blue logo).
• Avoid difficult, hard to spell, strange sounding, foreign language or symbolic names that only you can understand; is that "0" in the name an "Oh" or a "Zero?"
• Make your name different from the names used by your competitors; you want to create as much separation in the marketplace as you can; you are you and they are them and never shall the twain meet.
• Do not use a name that will restrict you in the future; e.g., don't try to use a retail product's brand name in your spa name because if you change products, you will have to change your name (which should only be done under the most dire of circumstances); also just because you specialize in a certain service, don't use that service as a part of the name unless you never intend to be flexible enough to change or eliminate the service in the future (if we are not willing to evaluate new products and service offerings in the day spa industry, we will not succeed).
• Use a name that describes what you are and what you are offering to the general public; a name like LA EXPERIENCE is useless unless you add DAY SPA; and many names don't go far enough in telling their story; a name like LA EXPERIENCE might be good if the words "New York's Greatest Day Spa" were included under it.
• Don't be cute with your name; while a cute, faddish or trendy name might be profitable for the short-term, the name will probably fizzle long-term.
• Never, never, never allow your spouse, friends, or relatives to get involved in your naming process until you have gone through these steps: 1) select one or two names, 2) put them in a drawer for a couple of days, and 3Z) then pull the names out and look at them again; once you have made your final decision, show the name to others and take their reaction with a grain of salt.
• Finally, you should always protect your name and logo by registering them with the appropriate state office usually for a small fee; if you intend to use the name in a regional or national market, you should consult a trademark attorney and have your name registered nationally. Checking out your proposed name using an internet search engine such as GOOGLE or YAHOO could save you a lot of time, money and effort.

Naming you day spa and coming up with a good logo can be fun or frustrating but if you follow these few simple rules, you will have a greater chance of success. In the long haul, remember, you will be known more by the quality of your services and retail products than by the quality of your name. And while choosing the wrong name may not be the end of the world, it may seem like it!

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