Know-How Exchange : Taglines/Names

Target audience is local Virginia Beach to start - anyone/everyone, the average consumer. After I am more establish and can afford to invest more than I will target consumers that want things shipped. For example I made a basket for a man that loves Green Bay Packers so I put everything in a soft sided Green Bay Packers cooler instead of a basket. I want people to have the freedom of more choices not just baskets that what makes it different. I hope this helps explain what I am thinking. Thanks for all your input.

I think there's one thing you have backward: When you have a very limited budget, you want to do a great job with a very narrow audience. Then as your budget increases, you can selectively broaden that audience.

The goal should be to define an audience sufficiently narrow that you can afford to reach all of them and capture a 100% share of that audience. This will cost you much less than trying to get a 0.00001% share of "anyone/everyone."

Among the many problems with targeting "anyone/everyone" is that the same message is not likely to appeal equally to "anyone/everyone," so you'll either have the wrong message for most of the audience, or so many different messages that you won't be able to keep up with your marketing program.

One question you didn't answer that is really important is how your target audience will learn you exist. This is not a case of "If you build it they will come." You will have to create awareness somehow. Have you thought about how you'll do that?

I recognize that this does not address your name issue, but if you aren't going to be able to create awareness somehow, the name is kind of irrelevant, isn't it?

mgoodman I appreciate your opinion and you made some very valid points. I guess I need to target a group that has been overlooked or under marketed, any suggestions?

As far as marketing thus far it has been by word of mouth to friends and family. I had selected a comapny name and was about to get my business license when I discovered someone already had a very similiar name. Once I get the name/business license I plan on passing out flyers and creating a Facebook page (family and friends have agreed to include it on their page) and create a website. I have parties scheduled where I can take orders or cash and carry samples I have made.

Rob, I am very surprised at your answer because I actually thought of BasketCase - crazy about baskets and even had a picture of Yogi Bear with a picnic basket. However that concerned me in 2 ways - One- I don't want to infringe on Hanna Barbara for Yogi rights and secondly I was afraid people might think I am a nutjob or plain crazy. Although, your response is even better because it says gifts versus baskets. :) Thank you!

You definitely don't want to infringe copyrights/trademarks and use characters like yogi bear.
To me crazy doesn't always mean nutjob it can mean passionate, knowledgable, excited about the service that you're trying to provide.
You wouldn't want to market yourself as a crazy person like those old second hand car commercials, come on down to crazy eddie's for a bargain car - not the way to go.
More: we can create a gift experience that astonishes you because we 're crazy about gift baskets, and we'll come up with something that you probably haven't seen before or done in a new and exciting way.
You're trying to make people understand that you being passionate about gifts helps them to make their gift giving special, in a fun way.