Hundreds of phone calls. Same problem every time.
“Hi, this is Adrian from Ads and Ventures.”
“Oh, Adventures? Like travel?”
“No, Ventures. Three words. Ads. And. Ventures.”
I had this conversation hundreds of times. Literally hundreds.
Every phone call became a spelling lesson. Every introduction required correction. I thought I was being clever with a name that described exactly what I do.
I was wrong.
When Logic Costs You Money
Here’s what I learned the hard way: your brand name should be easy to remember, not logically perfect.
Ads and Ventures made complete sense to me. We do ads for business ventures. Simple, right?
But if someone meets you and can’t remember your business name an hour later, you don’t have a brand. You have a problem.
The breakthrough came from my mate Miko. He started calling me “Ads Daddy” as a joke because I’m always behind the ads, always talking about advertising.
That stupid nickname solved my million-dollar branding problem.
The Meme Test
Here’s the thing about “Ads Daddy” that most people miss.
It sounds unprofessional. It’s edgy. It’s almost ridiculous.
That’s exactly why it works.
The internet runs on memes. People’s feeds are dominated by content that’s memorable, shareable, thumb-stopping.
My ads work the same way. They dominate newsfeeds like memes do. They capture attention and make people click.
So why shouldn’t my brand name work the same way?
“Ads Daddy” is simple and stupid enough that it burns into your brain. You can’t forget it even if you try.
The Strategic Split
But here’s where it gets interesting. I didn’t kill Ads and Ventures.
I created a strategic split instead.
Ads Daddy handles the high-demand, simple stuff. Meta ads, Google ads, quick campaigns. Most businesses just want ads that work.
Ads and Ventures handles the complex partnerships. Full marketing department deployments, equity deals, venture partnerships.
The psychology is brilliant: “If you need ads, call Ads Daddy. If you’re building something bigger, talk to Ads and Ventures.”
Clear. Simple. No confusion about what each brand does.
People Follow People, Not Logos
The biggest shift was making myself the face of Ads Daddy instead of hiding behind a faceless company.
Look at any successful business founder. Richard Branson has 10x more followers than Virgin. Elon Musk dwarfs Tesla’s social following. Bill Gates is bigger than Microsoft.
People want to follow interesting humans, not corporate entities.
It’s easier to create content about yourself than an abstract company. It’s easier to build relationships when people know who they’re actually talking to.
When I positioned myself as “The Ads Daddy,” everything became simpler. No more explaining what the company does. No more corporate speak.
Just me, talking about ads, helping businesses grow.
The Street Test
I knew the new brand worked when people started recognizing me in bars.
“Hey, you’re Ads Daddy!”
This happened multiple times. At the gym, restaurants, and random places around the city.
Nobody ever recognized me as “the Ads and Ventures guy.”
That’s when I realized I’d created something that actually sticks. Something so simple and stupid that people can’t forget it.
The Introduction and Test Method
Want to know if your brand name is costing you money?
Try this: Introduce yourself to someone with your business name. Wait a day or even an hour. Then ask if they remember it.
If they can’t instantly recall your brand name, you’ve got a problem.
Your brand name should be the first thing that pops into their mind, not something they have to think about.
If people are struggling to remember it, they’re definitely struggling to refer you. And referrals are how most service businesses actually grow.
Don’t make your customers work to remember you. Make it impossible for them to forget.
Sometimes the stupidest solution is the smartest strategy.
