What's In A Name? By Roger Dooley

At some point in everyone’s lives, they get the opportunity to name something. Whether it is a toy, a dog, or a kid, people usually put in a grand amount of effort in making this decision. The reason for this is people acknowledge that names can influence us on how others interpret or act towards someone or something. We also just try to pick the right name to describe the object. In the article, “What’s in a Name?” by Roger Dooley, he talks all about the importance of naming in the world of advertising and in our general lives. Roger Dooley starts by talking about the importance of names. He quotes Dale Carnegie, who says,” Remember that a man’s name is to him the sweetest and most important sound in any language” (Dooley 39). This quote in other words reminds us that hearing your own name can be a

What he means by this, is there are words that people would rather hear compared to other words, because they may feel one meaning is better, nicer, or more valuable. Yet sometimes the positive word people prefer to have the same meaning as a negative one. This a tactic used by advertisers to help with selling their products. Dooley notes that, “What you call a product affects its appeal and sales” (Dooley 361). This quote adds on to the idea that names are important in selling an item. Sometimes, though advertisers take advantage of this tactic, making their product sound bigger, smaller, healthier, classier, etc. These names have tricked the public by creating what we are looking for. Dooley explains by stating, “In a study that was in the journal of Consumer Research shows that individuals that are dieting or trying to eat healthy foods have learner to avoid some food names” (Roger 361). What Dooley means by adding this is since advertisers know dieters will avoid names that may signify it being unhealthy or too large of a serving, advertisers will do just that to their products