Why Spork? What Is It?

We get some questions about why “spork” is our company name and logo. This post tells the story.

The main reason we like the name Spork is that it’s brandable. It’s a fun, strange word that’s memorable.

It’s also the name of a tool that symbolizes efficiency and simplicity. Since our agency’s values are centered around efficiency and simplicity, a spork is a good mascot.

More About Sporks

The word “spork” is a combination of the words “fork” and “spoon.” No one knows who officially invented the spork, though many have claimed it by registering for trademarks and patents both in the United States and in other countries since the late 1800s.

The first official reference to the word “Spork” appeared in the 1909 Century Dictionary. It was defined as “a long, slender spoon having at the end of the bowl projections resembling the tines of a fork.”

Today, most of us know about the spork from visiting fast food establishments. But sporks are incredibly popular with campers and backpackers. REI offers more than a dozen different types of sporks specifically designed for outdoor enthusiasts, and popular overlanding magazine Expedition Portal recently published a detailed Spork comparison.

ExpeditionPortal.com when all out and compared more than a dozen sporks using various “testing protocols.” Check it out.

Sporks are serious business, no doubt.

Bringing it Back to Marketing – Branding and Naming

When choosing a business name – and a domain name – it’s a good idea to think about branding. Not to toot our own horn, but our company name is memorable. People often recognize and immediately recall our company name, two key measures of “branding.”

Of course, there are some problems with our company name:

1. It’s not immediately obvious that we’re in the auto parts and accessories industry
2. Sporks have some negative connotations…a lot of people think of cheap plastic when they think “spork”
3. While a Spork is a clever tool, it’s not a particularly great spoon or a particularly great fork – what does that say about us?

Of all of these concerns, the only one that troubles us is the first one…but we’re going on 10 years in business now, and it’s probably too late to change things.

In summary, we’re named “Spork Marketing” because we like the funny, memorable word “Spork.” We choose this word intentionally – we wanted people to remember our business name. We wish our name was more obviously associated with auto parts, but not enough to change it.

Some (Hopefully) Interesting Spork Links

• Spork.Org – Lots of interesting Spork trivia
• Wikipedia’s entry about sporks
• An interesting article about sporks in the NY Times
• Finally, our favorite brand of Sporks from Snowpeak.com