If there is one question we receive more than any other, it is, “What does the name Ocho! mean?” Here’s the story:
Joe Hafner (founding partner) and his wife had a recurring problem in their marriage: She would tell him something important (pick the kids up at 3:00), which he would promptly forget. Worse, he would have no recollection of the conversation. He claimed it was due to information overload, she said he just wasn’t paying attention.
Enter the 2004 movie “Dodgeball” starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn. “Dodgeball” is your basic underdog story featuring the motley gang from Average Joe’s Gym challenging the well-funded über-athletes from Globo Gym in the ultimate, winner-take-all dodgeball tournament. At one point in the movie, a sports analyst announces coverage of the tournament on ESPN 8 “The Ocho”. The humorous implication is that dodgeball is such a niche (long tail) sport that it falls all the way down the ESPN programming ladder to ESPN 8.
Joe and his wife not only found this to be funny, but also a potential solution to their problem. They agreed to use the catch phrase “Ocho!” to preface important information. If information might get lost in a sea of noise, prefacing it with “Ocho!” serves to tune out distractions and strengthen the signal. Joe and his wife now Ocho! each other. They Ocho! their children. Ocho! has spread to their friends and neighbors. The Ocho! ethos has been adopted by business owners, sales people, and managers.
We named the company Ocho! to highlight the need for businesses to cut through the explosion of info-noise and reach their customers with a relevant, concise, memorable message. Build a relationship with your customers on the foundation of respect for their finite, valuable, and limited attention and you will never lack loyal fans.