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Naming may be one of the most difficult tasks in branding. From my perspective, it is about as difficult as successfully positioning a brand in an overcrowded market or developing the brand architecture for a brand that has grown through multiple mergers and acquisitions over the years.
Why is naming so difficult? Read on.
Everyone seems to have an opinion on the name and many people are likely to be strongly attached to their opinions on this
It has become very difficult to find an available .com or .org URL for any given name
Names need to work with taglines, which adds another layer of complexity
Related to this, it generally seems redundant if the name and the tagline include one or more of the same words
Parent brand names should be developed with sub-brand, endorsed brand and product/service names in mind
Different words mean different things to different people
If the brand is global, one must consider the meaning of the name in every language and culture in which it will be used (For instance, Nova (no va) means “it doesn’t go” in Spanish)
Sometimes a name’s acronym spells out something undesirable (For instance, Aspiring Minority Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs = AMBLE)
Sometimes the words in a name result in an unintended phrase when strung together in a URL (For instance, AIDS Care becomes www.aidscare.com)
In many industries, the most meaningful or powerful words and phrases are already used in competitors’ names (such as “senior” or “living” for eldercare communities)
This is an area for which “less is more,” however it is very difficult to communicate complex or nuanced concepts in a compelling way in an economy of words
Sometimes a name that is highly appealing to the primary target audience may be unappealing to secondary and tertiary target audiences (For instance, Jewish Recreation Center may have high appeal to Jewish people, but is likely to be far less appealing to people of other religious traditions)
Names have to pass trademark searches
Often, we will generate well over 200 names in several rounds of iteration until we arrive at a name that could actually work.
So what helps an organization develop an effective name?
Agree and stick to the process that will be used to generate and choose the name
Achieve decision maker consensus on the naming evaluation criteria at the beginning of the naming project
Develop the brand positioning and at least the first draft of the brand architecture before you commence the naming project
Involve both client and marketing agency people in the naming ideation sessions
Buy URLs on the spot as strong naming options are generated
To minimize legal expenses and wasted time, conduct simple trademark searches on the naming finalists before a full search is conducted for the chosen name
Choose the most brand identity savvy and persuasive person to present recommendations to the key decision makers
Have the key decision makers evaluate each name against appropriate evaluation criteria – we do this through an online survey of top naming options
Remind people of and align naming decision making to the brand strategy throughout the process
I wish you great success with your naming project.
Brad VanAuken is president and founder of BrandForward, Inc., a full-service brand management consultancy with clients throughout the world. Previously, Brad was the vice president of marketing for Element K, a leading e-learning company and director of brand management and marketing for Hallmark Cards, Inc. During his tenure as Hallmark’s chief brand advocate, Hallmark received the Brand Management of the Year award. Recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on brand management and marketing, Brad is a much sought after speaker and writer. He wrote the books The Brand Management Checklist and Brand Aid. His free online brand management and marketing newsletter is read by thousands of marketers throughout the world. Brad has a BS degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Email:
vanauken@brandforward.com
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BrandForward, Inc.
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