How to choose the name of a chauffeur driven car hire company?

One of the most important aspects of opening a Chauffeur Hire business is the choice of name. The name of a brand reflects its identity and values, so knowing how to choose a name for a chauffeur car hire business is crucial to ensuring that your customers recognise and remember you.  

In the realm of advertising, the process of devising a name for a brand is commonly referred to as “naming”. There are no universal rules for truly effective naming. However, disciplines such as marketing and neuroscience can help us to create a name that is easy to remember and best represents your business idea.

Let’s take a look at how to choose a name for a chauffeur rental business and where to start to create a memorable name.

What is naming and why is it important for a Car Hire company?

Naming is the process of choosing and creating a name for a company, but also for a product or service. 

As you can imagine, the choice of name has an impact on a customer’s perception of your business: a good name differentiates you from your competitors and immediately gives an idea of your business and what makes you different.

The name is important because:

• It identifies your company. Next to the logo, the name is another distinguishing element of your chauffeur-driven car rental business. A name can help create a memorable brand and attract the attention of your potential customers;
• It helps you to promote yourself. Chauffeur marketing is essential to increase sales. A name is a tool you can use in your communications, and if it is effective, it can more easily stick in customers’ minds and increase the reach of your advertising campaigns;
• It differentiates you from your competitors. A good name differentiates you from any other company and can help you express values that are important to you. In the transport industry, these can be luxury, exclusivity and excellence.

What qualities should every company name have?

Although we have said that there are no universal rules to follow, there are principles from neuroscience that help in the construction of a good name.

To be effective, a name must be:

• Simple and easy to pronounce;
• Memorable, meaning it has the ability to stick in the customer’s mind so they can easily associate it with your service when they need it;
• Unique and able to stand out from the competition. This is also important from a legal point of view, as you will need to choose a name that does not violate the trademark rights of other companies;
• Relevant to the services you provide and able to represent your values;
• Available with a web domain, as you will probably need a website to promote yourself;
• Easy to write and translate for other markets, should you wish to operate your chauffeur driven car hire business abroad.

How do you develop a brand name for a car hire company?

Choosing a name for a chauffeur driven car company can be complex, as you can see there are several factors to consider. 

The most common techniques for developing a brand name include:

• Word combinations
• Acronyms
• Cultural references
• Personal names
• Sounds and environments

Here’s what each one consists of and some examples of names for your chauffeur driven car hire business.

Word combination

The word combination approach to brand naming is the process of combining two or more words that are relevant to your target market to create a distinctive name for your brand.

This technique is used to create unique names that blend concepts or elements that are important to your business. Some examples?

• Microsoft, which is a combination of “microcomputer” and “software” because the company is famous for its computer software;
• Groupon, which combines “group” and “coupon”, highlighting the idea of group deals and discounts;
• Facebook, which combines “face” and “book”, suggesting just such an online space for connecting and sharing with other people.

If you want to create a name that is a combination of words, here are a few examples related to the world of car rental:

• DriveLux, a name that combines the words “drive” and “luxury” to evoke a premium chauffeured rental service;
• RideEasy, to denote convenient and uncomplicated chauffeur rental.

Acronyms

An acronym is a word formed from the initials of a series of words or concepts. This is why acronyms are often used in company names to create short, memorable and unique names. 

There are so many companies that have become famous with an acronym: just think of IBM, which stands for International Business Machines.

Other famous examples include NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), UPS (United Parcel Service) and BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke).

In the world of chauffeur-driven car hire, you could create an acronym by using the initials of your company’s values or hallmarks, the place where it was born, or by mixing your initials with brand principles. An example could be GTC (Global Transport Chauffeurs).

Cultural references

The naming of a car rental company can also be based on cultural references. In this case, you can use cultural elements such as historical, mythological, artistic, literary or other cultural references to create a name for your company.

This technique can add depth and meaning to your name, while also telling a story related to the reference you have chosen. 

Here are some examples of companies that have chosen this type of name:

• Nike, whose name is inspired by the Greek goddess of victory, Nike;
• Pandora, the jewelry brand with a name inspired by the myth of Pandora, the first woman created by the gods in Greek mythology;
• Starbucks, whose name is inspired by Starbuck, a character in Herman Melville’s novel “Moby Dick”.

Again, there are several creative examples of choosing a name for a chauffeur-driven car rental company that is inspired by cultural references. One example could be Athena Transfers, in reference to the Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena, to suggest the values of reliability and excellence.

Personal names

Let us now turn to naming that involves a person’s name. Very often these are the names of the founders or key people within the company. 

There are many companies that have built their empires with a name that refers back to the founders or people close to them. 

Examples include Ford, the car company that is named after its founder Henry Ford; McDonald’s, named after brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald; and Hilton, the hotel chain named after its founder Conrad Hilton.

If you want to create the name of your car rental company by incorporating a person’s name, you can call it by the first or last name, by both, or by an acronym of several names if there are different founders.

Environments and sounds

Another technique for choosing a name for a chauffeur-driven car company is to be inspired by environments and sounds. 

Geographical or sounds-inspired names consist of using geographical locations, natural landscapes, sounds or environmental elements.

This technique is useful for creating an association with a particular place or atmosphere, which in some way evokes the values and principles of the company.

A famous example is Patagonia, the clothing brand named after the Patagonia region of South America, to suggest the idea of adventure and wilderness.

If you want to use this technique to create the name of your

chauffeur-driven car company, you can draw inspiration from places you know and have experienced, or from sounds that can evoke the world of transport.

Grow your business with LiMO

Choosing your company name is just a small part of everything you need to start your business in this industry. If you want to grow in the world of chauffeur-driven cars, join LiMO now.

LiMO is the largest chauffeur community in the world. In the Academy section you can improve your skills and learn all the secrets to developing your business. You can also use our software to better manage your business and your clients.

To find out more about LiMO, start here.