We have a pug named Sweet Pea, and she’s very much a part of our family and our storytelling. For example, I tell people that she’s got more rolls than a bakery (it’s a pug problem).
Animals have a profound impact on people. Perhaps it can be traced back to our childhood. Disney introduced us to many animal characters – Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Donald Duck. Warner Brothers gave us Bugs Bunny, Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. Children’s books featured Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the Cat in the Hat and the Tale of Peter Rabbit.
Animals have a way of being memorable, from our first pet to our school moniker. It’s one reason companies like to use animals in their brand story because stories are memorable. “As one of the oldest forms of symbolism, animals can imbue brands with meaning and enable them to harness animal attributes to build their business image,” according to the Novanym.com.
It’s not surprising that there’s a menagerie of companies named after animals in the United States – from Aardvark to Zebra. And it’s not slowing down.
Keith DeBoer, a domain investor and contributing writer at DNgeek & NamePros says the most common animal names in the startup industry (in no particular order) are: Bunny, Chimp, Fox, Gator, Monkey and Rabbit.
Tomorrow is March 1 and animals will again be part of the story – in like a lamb, out like a lion or vice versa. In two short months we’ve experienced the Year of the Pig and a prognosticating rodent from Punxsutawney. (This is important for those of us suffering in the upper Midwest).
So even if your company is not named for an animal, it may be aligned with a spirit animal.
What is your company’s spirit animal and can it be a part of your story?