Firms to stick with what islanders know – Sarnia
NOW THAT it has been established that Lisia was the Roman name for Guernsey and Sarnia should have been attributed to Sark, will islanders be following in the footsteps of Education?
The Guernsey Press wanted to know if locals would be adopting the 11 to 18 school name Lisia as a replacement for Sarnia in the business world and beyond.
Over 20 businesses in Guernsey have Sarnia in their name. Would they now be making the switch? Perhaps not surprisingly the answer is a resounding ‘no’.
Sarnia Flags were very aware of the need to keep its name.
‘See people know Sarnia Flags, my customers know Sarnia Flags, they recognise the name. I won’t be changing it to Lisia.’
When asked Sarnia Refrigeration said: ‘No absolutely not, it [the business] is all in the name.’
Sarnia Electrical Supplies was equally disapproving of the suggestion. ‘It is a categoric no from us. Can you think imagine the hassle of changing all of the branding.
‘No, no.’
Nobody wanted to follow Education's example and reject Sarnia in favour of the new name.
However, the good humour and incredulity with which a suggestion of a change to a new name was met and the lack of a good word for Lisia could be taken as indication that many islanders do not and may never take to the name that will adorn the letterheads of the new superschool.
Research compiled in the early 2000s identified Sarnia as the Latin name for Sark.
However, Sarnia remained the island’s traditional name and it looks set to continue to remain that way, at least outside of Education.
In a small island like Guernsey it is essential, arguably more so than elsewhere in the world, to local businesses that they grow their brand and doing so requires a name that people recognise.
