Recently I read that a committee of seven medical professionals recommended changing the name of the ailment Chronic Fatigue Syndrome to ME/CFS, short for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. According to Natural Solutions magazine, \”Many patients and doctors felt the name Chronic Fatigue Syndrome belittled those that suffered from the disease and gave a false impression of laziness.\”

When I went looking for other examples of medical renaming and the reasons behind the changes, I realized that it\’s a common phenomenon. Consider these examples, the first few of which may be familiar to you:

Senility renamed to Alzheimer\’s
Swine Flu renamed to H1N1 Flu
Mental Retardation renamed to Down Syndrome
Leprosy renamed to Hansen\’s Disease
Multiple Personality Disorder renamed to Dissociative Identity Disorder
Placebo Effect renamed to Remembered Wellness
Shaken Baby Syndrome renamed to Abusive Head Trauma
Female Urinary Incontinence renamed to Light Bladder Leakage
Dandruff renamed to Seborrheic Dermatitis
Drug Abuse renamed to Diseases of Addiction

The most common reason behind such changes is that the previous name was misleading and prevented the public from understanding the seriousness of the condition. Closely following that reason is the argument that the old name unjustifiably stigmatized those having the condition. With freedom from the shame associated with the old name, suffering people are more likely to seek help and experience respect from others who know of their affliction.

A research study at McMaster University in Ontario found that a switch in terminology for a disease from ordinary language to \”medicalese\” could indeed result in the condition being perceived as more serious and more likely to be a disease.

Another argument often encountered in discussions of such renaming efforts is that the new name is more scientifically precise. For instance, those who believe that Multiple Personality Disorder can be cured want it taken out of the realm of \”personality disorders,\” which are viewed as incurable, pervasive, lifelong coping problems.

An unfortunate name can also influence people to behave inappropriately. U.S. officials began referring to Swine Flu as H1N1 Flu because sales of pork had dropped dramatically during an outbreak of the virus, even though they had repeatedly emphasized to the public that the virus could not be caught by eating pork or other pig products.

In the case of Shaken Baby Syndrome, pediatricians and child advocates wanted to forestall legal challenges to the idea that shaking a baby can cause severe brain damage or death. With an official diagnosis of Abusive Head Trauma, that legal maneuver becomes more difficult.

From the other direction, the chemical industry has been lobbying to get the condition known as Multiple Chemical Sensitivities renamed to Idiopathic Environmental Intolerances. Without the word \”chemical\” in the name of the syndrome, companies would have unlinked a description of the symptoms from their purported cause, making it easier for corporations to argue they are not responsible for someone\’s ill health.

What lessons can we draw from these examples for business naming?

1) Clearly, names affect perception. Product names can trigger associations that make people more or less likely to seek help, to admit that they have a problem, to make certain
purchases and to be willing to speak to others about having purchased a product or service.

2) Names may also have legal implications. Hopefully you won\’t ever end up in court, but in naming your company, product, service or event, you may have unwittingly undermined your standing in court.

3) Names may influence people\’s willingness to spend money. Told you have \”seborrheic dermatitis,\” wouldn\’t you expect to spend more money on curing it than for treating \”dandruff\”?

4) By affecting the way we sort phenomena into mental categories, names can also influence eligibility for government or corporate reimbusement. Just as \”drug abuse\” seems like a lifestyle choice whereas \”disease of addiction\” sounds like a medical condition, a certain seminar title may not appear like business education as much as an alternative one.

5) Names can attract the condemnation of groups that otherwise would take no notice of your business. You normally don\’t want the kind of controversy that erupted when the pork industry and both Jewish and Muslim religious authorities got involved in the discussion of renaming \”swine flu.\”

Yes, naming matters!

Author Bio: Marcia Yudkin is Head Stork of Named At Last, a company that brainstorms catchy tag lines, company names and product names according to the client’s criteria. Download a free copy of \”19 Steps to the Perfect Company Name, Product Name or Tag Line\” at http://www.namedatlast.com/19steps.htm

Category: Marketing
Keywords: names,company names,business names,product names,choosing,naming,new,renaming,generating