How did we hit up on this distinctive name?

At Advantage-India, we knew that the publishing business would be run the unconventional way. We therefore decided to extend this distinction to every facet of the business, starting with the company name.

Our initial parameters...

1. the name had to be memorable. Our focus audience / readership is global. Therefore, a word from the English language would be most appropriate.

2. The company name had to communicate its character- serious matter, simplicity of presentation, instant applicability, reader friendliness- a blend of tough / concrete strategic decisions and actions, and ease of understanding and application.

3. It had to be free from the stereotypical association with the dull, the drab, the voluminous.

4. The name had to be inviting to the senses- conjuring-up mental imagery, familiarity of sound, soothing.

5. It had to provoke unanimity and uniformity of response, across geography, gender, age-groups, cultures.

6. Its aim is to revive the love for reading. Therefore, everything about the company and its products had to possess attraction, rather than repulsiveness.

7. The core – “Strategy” - had to be established, beyond doubt.

8. If Neologism must be, then, it had to be without the effort, on the part of the reader / audience.  We did not want "I can't recall the blessed name of this publishing-house..."

Every word from the English language that we checked, had been taken-up in the world wide web. Scrolling-down the dictionary, we reached 'Strawberry'…

Eureka!  With the substitution of 'T' for 'W' in “Strawberry”, we could achieve all our set parameters-

1. The word, Strawberry, is a household name, across the globe.

2. Strong association with the word “Strawberry”, lends strong memorability. It was found to be quite soothing to the mind's eye; and “StratBerry” did convey the seriousness of Strategy, without losing on the softness of the Berry.

Paramters 3., 4., 5., 6., 7 - The name triggers a universally uniform visual: that of the bunch of the fruit. The physical attributes of the fruit are inviting to the senses, in every way. The pleasantry attached to the fruit will, we hope, be carried forth to the reading of the books.

8. There was a danger of being recalled as 'Strawberry' – but this danger comes with the inherent advantage of the name not being missed, under any circumstance.

 We couldn't ask for more; we made 'StratBerry' ours.