Brand Naming

A great name is like extra octane in a brand. A bad, boring, or sound-alike name won't necessarily kill a brands chances for success. In most cases however, it dramatically dilutes the brand equity and potency.

Do you have a name that basically sucks?
If so, shame on you. If you acquired it, I send my sympathy.

Should you change it? Yes. It will cost some bucks, but it's also a great opportunity to get a lot of great attention and renewed momentum. Weigh it out, look at the cost versus the benefit and remember that change can be scary, but a lame brand can be scarier!

Birthing a brand name
The task of developing that killer name has become quite complex. For years, business owners and management named their offspring. Then creative service firms and ad agencies jumped in, often with a sprinkling of college talent. Finally, the general public added their wisdom in naming contests. I'm sure all have produced their share of brilliant names as well as some very scary ones. Now this field of art, science, skill, and luck has gone professional. Naming brands is big business and can come with a big price tag. Hire a professional naming company and expect a bill of $10,000-$100,000 or more before the graphic execution or production.

So what is a great name worth?
The answer: A lot. If your brand is properly nourished, it grows and has a long shelf life or history -- do the math.

Not all great brand names cost a lot
Nike is one of the best examples. Nike is Greek for victory and is also the Greek goddess of victory. The name came in a dream to Jeff Johnson, Nike's first "real" employee and replaced the original name of Blue Ribbon Sports. It beat out Phil Knight's own name change idea of "Dimension 6." However, the company did pay Carolyn Davidson, a graphic design student at Portland State University, $35 in 1971 to design the trademark "swoosh."

When faced with the challenge of naming, start with your ideas and those of your staff. No matter what, even if the names you come up with stink, it's a good creative exercise about defining your brand essence. If you have the budget, outside input and other naming solutions can also be a valid investment. Remember that the life and benefit of your brand name may last for years.

It will be plastered on lots of things including your market's mind. Whatever you spend, divide it by the projected years of use and value. This same formula applies for investments in corporate identities and tagline. They are as valuable as a great employee or, piece of manufacturing equipment.

Whether you decide to outsource or to create on your own name, I suggest walking through the following preliminary exercise.

Ask yourself the following:
Who will ultimately decide the name? One person or a team? Whoever that is should be involved in the criteria-building process. What kind of brand are you naming? Company, consumer product, business service, or event? What is the expected life of the brand name? Does the name fit into a larger family of names? Will it be used only in the U.S. or will it go global? Remember that today "global" can mean the Internet too. Who is your primary audience for the brand names? Are you creating a new category or joining an existing one? If joining a category, what are your competitors' names? What are the primary strategies for building your brand?

Once you've completed your basic criteria or framework, you can proceed with the grueling task of a name dump of endless possibilities.

Should a name be literal and descriptive or obscure and emotional?
My tendency tilts toward obscure and certainly emotional, primarily because I'm a strong proponent of distinctive brands. However, I also believe each case is unique and sometimes brand names get passed down and changing them would take an act of Congress.

An obscure or unfamiliar word can be a brand home run
Consider Apple, Nike, Google, Fubu, and Yahoo. They all have visibility and frequency, brand storytelling communication, and brand performance. They are all hugely successful brands but started as small companies.

Although not my favorite, literal and descriptive words can work in some brand naming situations. Generally, though proceed with caution because they can be more easily copied or imitated, leading to buyer confusion. Such confusion usually defeats the purpose of a sound brand.

If you have a big branding budget, you can salvage or sustain a boring, generic, or literal brand name with some other compelling messaging. Take, for example, Southwest Airlines. Their consistently creative and "on brand" advertising has transformed a somewhat unexciting name into a great brand name. However, most companies don't have the luxury of Southwest's media budget or have not engaged a great ad agency like GSDM in Austin, Texas.