What's in a Name? The Naming Process

Naming a company or product? You need to look at the same factors that guide the development of a brand. The name can be the single most important expression of a brand, building awareness and loyalty if it communicates!

General Naming Methodology

The process described below will help you pick a winner:

Information and analysis at this step should include competition review, analysis of market/audience, business/marketing strategies and goals. Meet with appropriate staff and stakeholders to determine strategic direction and gather information on marketing strategy, key communications and branding goals, company/product attributes and their resonance in the market.

This is important — developing a branding/marketing/communications strategy is the foundation for a successful naming process. The criteria should be reviewed and approved by all concerned to insure that everyone's on the same page.

Put on your brainstorming helmet — free-associate, write down everything you think, don't judge yourself at this stage — it's more important to keep the creative juices flowing. Think of colors, emotions, other ways of describing the attributes of your brand.

Other name-generation strategies include:

• Fill in the blanks in this sentence: If (my company or product) were a (category of object, ie "animal"), it would be _________.
• Try suffix/prefix combinations with other root words (Digex)
• Explore other languages: (diCarta)
• Try expressive words (LoudCloud)
• Develop a "Thing" List (Black Rocket)
• Develop an "Action" list (Abilify)

(Note: any trademarks in this article are the sole property of their owners and are mentioned simply to illustrate the concepts described)

Present with reference to the naming strategy, recommend particular choices. Do preliminary checks for domain name usage, trademark usage.

Refine particular directions based on choices from first round, assess for final choice.

Consult with your legal department or perform additional research to determine if the name is available. A thorough web search is a good indicator of whether someone is actively using the name, but it's not definitive. Even a legal opinion may not be the final word. If the US Patent and Trademark Office lists the name as a registered mark, you're out of luck, but a name can also fall into a gray area of being somewhat similar to a company's existing trademark. Will they care? Only their lawyers know for sure…

Criteria

The name should accomplish several things when it reaches your audience:

• Act as a unique identifier — differentiate! There should be no confusion as to which company or product this is.
• Convey meaningful attributes. These can be very specific and literal, or more abstract, but still evocative of positive attributes or benefits of the brand.
• Support/express overall brand positioning and strategy. As mentioned, the naming process starts with strategy development. The name should work in concert with other customer touchpoints to build a consistent and powerful perception of your brand.

In addition, the right name should probably fit the following performance parameters:

• The sound should feel right — easy to say, good sequence of vowels and consonants.
• Have a sense of longevity — appropriate even 10-20 years in future.
• Work in the global market — how will the name be received in geographic markets around the globe, in different cultures, languages?
• Work as a URL — either by itself or in combination with words that convey consistent meaning.

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