I recently read an article about David Placek, founder of Lexicon Branding, the agency responsible for some of the world’s most recognizable brand names. His success stories include BlackBerry, Swiffer, Azure, Dasani, and Pentium, just to name a few.

What struck me wasn’t only the impressive list of brands, but Placek’s philosophy on naming. He argues that the best brand names don’t simply describe what a company does. They create an emotional connection long before someone experiences the product or service itself.

In his words, a great name should do three things:

  • Inspire imagination and trust.
  • Communicate an idea rather than describe a product.
  • Be accessible.

Reading that immediately made me think of our own company name: Polaris Direct. It isn’t simply a name, but the essence of who we are.

A Guiding Light
Polaris is the North Star. For millennia, travelers, explorers and sailors have looked to it as a dependable point of reference, helping guide their way through the unknown. As the night sky shifts around it, Polaris remains a constant, trusted presence, pointing the way forward.

That’s exactly the philosophy we wanted to capture when launching our business.

We knew then, as now, that marketing has never lacked options. New channels emerge, technologies evolve, and consumer behaviors change. Every year seems to introduce another platform, algorithm or trend promising to transform how we successfully market to today’s customer.

Amid all that change, businesses don’t just need another vendor. They need a guiding light.

Our job has never simply been to print or execute direct mail campaigns. Our job is to help clients navigate an increasingly complex marketing landscape with confidence, clarity and measurable results.

What’s in a Name?
While it’s easy to think of branding as logos, colors or typography (and trust me, those elements certainly matter) a company’s name is often its most valuable brand asset because it shapes every conversation that follows.

One of Lexicon’s core beliefs is that descriptive names have limitations. Names like “Quality Printing” or “Direct Mail Solutions” may explain what a company does, but leave little room for a broader story.

“Polaris,” on the other hand, isn’t just about printing, mail, or even marketing, but direction.
It represents guidance, dependability, and forward movement. These are all qualities that remain relevant whether we’re developing a personalized direct mail campaign, integrating digital channels through PostaLink, managing complex data, or helping clients respond to changing postal requirements.

Consistency Builds Trust
Another point Placek makes is that the strongest brands create familiarity over time. The more consistently a company delivers on the promise behind its name, the more meaningful that name becomes.

I’d like to think that’s especially true for Polaris Direct.

For more than two decades, our clients have trusted us to help them make informed marketing decisions. In that time we’ve continued to invest in the latest technology, data security, industry certifications, and strategic expertise.

A great name may open the door, but it’s consistent, meaningful marketing that builds lasting brand equity.

We’ve chosen the night sky’s most trusted navigation tool as our name—Polaris. Like the star, we intend to be a guiding light for marketers in search of real solutions for their integrated direct marketing campaigns.

 

About Polaris Direct
Polaris Direct is a nationally acclaimed direct marketing services and printing company specializing in high-volume 1:1 marketing campaigns for Fortune 500 companies and marketing agencies. As a full-service supplier, Polaris Direct is equipped to meet all of our clients’ direct marketing needs, including strategic marketing, pre-production planning, mail piece and creative design, data analytics, data processing, laser and inkjet personalization, lettershop/bindery production, match mailing, card affixing, MICR encoding, commingling, forms, commercial and large format printing, as well as 4-color variable data inkjet printing.

Polaris Direct has been a certified member of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) since 2004 and was named the 2013 Business Star for WBENC. Polaris Direct is recognized by DiversityBusiness.com as one of the top women-owned companies in the nation, has an A+ ranking from the BBB and is the winner of the 2014 BBB Torch Award for business ethics.