All in a name - readers poll

Mon, 15 June 2009, 08:19 pm

John Grim13 posts in thread

Three years ago when forming a theatre group, I considered numerous names before settling on, 'A lad in sane productions.' Reaction to the name was as I expected, rather mixed. Some loved it! Some loathed it! During the past 3 years, the name has come in for much comment. Several people have raised concerns re our use of the word 'insane.' This despite our using 2 words. No matter, people do read it as insane! Others believe the name suggests the material is 'out there!' I'm not going to argue on that one. Last year one charity organisation rejected our sponsorship due to the name, that did cause concern. The very brave ones tell me that their first thoughts upon vieiwing 'A lad in sane' is that it conjures up an image of young bohemian uni students , not some old guy with a big chin and no hair (What can I say to that, ha! The thoughts of some is that the name actually works against us. That is interesting. I asked our ten loyal followers what they thought, and they agreed the name was wonderful, however, the nurse suggested I should ask them the question before medication time. I'm now interested in hearing from you guys. Like it? Loathe it? Upon hearing the name, what image do you get? I look forward to your responses. cheers Johnny Grim A lad in sane productions

Okay, well I want to start

Tue, 16 June 2009, 12:23 pm

DazzaB

Okay, well I want to start by saying that personally I really like the name. Anything that can be read in a couple different ways makes me happy, cause as the reader I get to choose what I'm reading ;) More to the point, if I decide I don't like the way I have been reading it, I can change :)

I can see how some funding bodies would have concerns about the name though - for example Healthway source a lot of their funds from Mentally Healthy WA and the Act-Belong-Commit message and I know that Mentally Healthy WA would balk at funding anything associated with an organisation that mentions sanity (or potential insanity) in their name.

And then of course you have the issue of branding. "A lad in sane productions" has achieved some significant branding now - many people active in the Perth community theatre scene are aware of the company and will make judgements re: the shows they present based on the good reputation associated with that branding. Branding takes time to develop and it's always a big concern when thinking of re-naming as you will more then likely lose your branding and need to build that reputation again from scratch. Of course, if your company has developed a less than desirable rep then a name change is a quick way to side step a lot of that negative branding. That's not the case here though...

In the end, the question is: Is your branding strong enough to warrant possible ineligibility for certain funding opportunities?

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep." Scott Adams

Thread (13 posts)

Threaded Flat

All in a name - readers poll— John Grim15 June 2009

About time you wrote a— Walter Plinge15 June 2009
- Diamond Dog— John Grim17 June 2009
No problem— Lee Sheppard16 June 2009
A lad in sane— Kimberley16 June 2009
What's in a name?— jmuzz16 June 2009
I love your name Johnny— Logos16 June 2009
Okay, well I want to start— DazzaB16 June 2009
stick with it— Gordon the Optom16 June 2009
Exactly - stick with your first choice— Peter Clark16 June 2009
Never change Johnny boy.— jessmess17 June 2009
Bowie— mike raine18 June 2009
the decision— John Grim18 July 2009

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