“What does it matter what name – it’s just a word anyway. Any name will do for the first time. I’ll launch my business, I’ll promote myself, and then I’ll think how to name my business”.
Careless attitude to the choice of the name of the company or project is one of the most common mistakes of novice entrepreneurs. As a result, they come up with non-unique and inappropriate names that become a target for wit and a headache for the owners.
It is certainly possible to change the name. But the problem is that the business will be already promoted, it will be known under a certain name, and rebranding requires a significant investment of time and money. You’ll have to put a lot of effort to make the casual person associate the new name with the old owner. That is why it is right to start a business with naming, that is, with the creation of the name of the brand. And not just any name, but the best one – bright, creative, memorable.
What gives a brand name? Goals, objectives, functions of the name
A good name is a necessary component of a successful start. A bright, creative and memorable brand name simultaneously solves several tasks. It distinguishes the company against the background of competitors, performs an identifying function, forms a positive image of the brand. And this is not a complete list of solved tasks!
A well chosen brand name is easy to remember and thus:
– helps to promote the company or its product on the market;
– saves advertising budget of the company;
– emphasizes the competitive advantages of the product;
– attracts the attention of potential customers against the background of unremarkable competitors.
To create a brand name that can become an important intangible asset of the company, you need to know not only the rules of word selection, but also the criteria that corresponds to a really good name.
Basic requirements for a brand name
All former schoolchildren understand why the teacher called you to the blackboard not by your first name, but by your last name. It’s sad to be the seventh John in the class… How to understand who exactly is being called at the moment?
In the case of a brand, there is nothing good in the fact that its name will be similar to a dozen others. Imagine a local TV station is advertising a grocery store named “Goods”. By ear you heard about the great discounts, but did not have time to write down the address. How to look for the right shop? That’s right, you can’t ! Now imagine the same situation with a single addition – the store is called “Three Little Pigs”. It is not difficult to find it, just by typing the name in Google Maps. Imagine how much money the owner of a store with a banal name will have to drain in vain, if it is not even possible to find it!
Thus, one of the most important requirements for a brand name is uniqueness.
Sometimes it happens that in an attempt to create a cool and creative brand name, the developers “overdo it”. Especially “creative” performers try to play with words based on profanity, obscene words. Naming on the edge of the foul edge leads to the appearance of unsound names that repel the target audience, cause undesirable associations, and are difficult to remember.
In 2016, an attempt was made in Russia to register a trademark for a sushi bar called “YobiDoyobi” (ЁбиДоёби). Marketing experts justified the name by saying that the name translates from Japanese as “The day of the week is Saturday”. But in Russian it sounds absolutely vulgar – at the level of inscriptions on the walls in public toilets. Strangely enough, the name was registered, and even those who had never heard of this institution remembered the name. But whether such a name has created a positive image is hard to say. The establishment often faces lawsuits, and how the story will end is still unknown.
Equally important is the fact that they cannot be registered as a trademark. Hence the second requirement: a good brand name is easy to pronounce, does not carry a negative connotation and can be officially registered.
The inconsistency of the name with the company’s sphere of activity can also become a serious problem. Such dissonance confuses potential consumers and causes them irritation. For example, the sign “Hippocrates” unambiguously hints that the building is a medical center or pharmacy. No one forbids the use of such a name for the bar. But get ready to fight off customers suffering from headaches and blood pressure. And the mismatch between the name and the scale of the brand is sure to cause a healthy irony. Shabby sign “Empire of millionaires” with a sign “entrance from the yard” – what is not a reason for humor?
On this basis, we can formulate the third criterion of successful naming: the invented name should not conflict with the direction of activity, scale and other characteristics of the company.
How to choose a name for a company, product or project?
The level of competition in today’s market is very high, so creating a brand and naming may seem a difficult and even insoluble task. In fact, it is not. There are several techniques that allow you to come up with a unique, non-banal and memorable name for a company or product.
1. Naming it after the owner’s last name. Try to involve the last name and/or first name. This, although common, is still quite a workable method of brand naming. However, there is one nuance – the name should not repeat the nyms that already exist on the market. This is a mandatory requirement, failure to fulfill which threatens sanctions for unfair competition. In addition, it is very desirable that the name of the brand was not absurd and sounded decent.
Examples of successful naming by last name: Chanel, Pierre Cardin, Johnson&Johnson, Ford, Levi’s.
2. Pseudo-surname naming. Real last name doesn’t fit the brand name? No worries, you can make up a surname! And one that will reflect the key advantage of the product or company. There are many variants! For example, kitchen products “Jan Niezbędny”, confectionery “Pierogów”, frozen semi-finished products “Mr. Froze”, etc. Pseudo-naming can be used to develop names for any brand, regardless of the field of activity.
3. Consonance and repetition. In literature, this technique is called alliteration. It implies the repetition of the same or similar sounds. The main argument in favor of this technique is the simplicity of memorability. The name, which repeats consonant consonants, is easy to pronounce and just as easy to remember. The minus of this method is that it is not suitable for all areas of activity. As a rule, alliteration is not used in the naming of banks, consulting firms and other companies working in “serious” industries.
Examples of successful naming based on consonances: Kit Kat, Kitekat, M&M’s, “Chupa-Chups”, “Naf-Naf”.
4. Use of abbreviations. How to come up with a unique brand name, if all the suitable words for the name are already occupied? It’s simple! Describe the company in three or four words and make an abbreviation from the first letters. As famous acronyms you can cite the name of the musical group “ABBA”, formed from the first letters of the names of its members: Agnetha, Björn, Benny, Anni-Frid.
Typical examples of such names are JVC (Japan Victor Company), BBC, CNN, KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken), VTB (Foreign Trade Bank), BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke).
5. English and other foreign words for brand name. You can use both foreign words in foreign spelling and their transliteration. Before using a foreign word as a name, you should make sure that it does not have a negative connotation and does not conflict with the sphere of activity of the company.
6. Combining words. Using parts of several words, you can create various neologisms. The most common way is to compose a brand name from the names of the founders. The main advantage of such naming is the ability to create a truly unique name. But there is also a disadvantage – when combining parts of words are often born strange neologisms that are difficult to pronounce or have an undesirable connotation. That is why all names should be checked and analyzed.
Examples of brand names formed through the creation of neologisms: Adidas, Coca-Cola, Intel, Microsoft.
7. Appeal to literature, movies, cartoons. Naming and branding are inextricably linked with creativity. So why not use the names of the heroes of your favorite works? And not only heroes. The names of fictional settlements, geographical objects, any objects, etc. are suitable as a nym. An important point! Some literary works, as well as movies and cartoons are protected by copyright law.
8. Use of geographical names. The name of a city or region can be used both by itself and in combination with other words. Especially often this technique is used in the development of local brands, as well as in cases where it is necessary to emphasize where the production is located. One example is the name of a leading printing press manufacturer, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, which for 150 years has had production and headquarters in the city of Heidelberg, allowing it to use the city’s name in its brand.
And here is another example from the same city. The advantage of this type of naming is that it allows you to uniqueize initially non-unique names. For example, a brand cannot be named with the word “Cement”, but you can use the phrase “HeidelbergCement” and the name of a famous company appears.
9. Use of words not related to the sphere of activity of the company. If for some reason it is impossible to find a name that carries a semantic load, you can use any other word. The main thing is that it was euphonious. This technique is often used in the beauty industry – beauty salon “Butterfly”, hairdresser’s shop “Effect”, nail studio “Vis-a-vis”. But in other spheres of activity such naming is quite acceptable.
The most famous example of a successful brand named using this type of naming is Apple.
10. Appeal to mythology or nature. A suitable company name is often found in ancient Roman, ancient Greek, Slavic and other myths. This topic is already very much hackneyed and today is not particularly popular, but still it is used from time to time.
For example, the name of the automobile concern “Mazda” was given in honor of the Zoroastrian god of life named Ahura-Mazda, and the idea of the name of the drink “Sprite” was born in 40 years of XX century. At that time in the advertising campaigns of “Coca-Cola” was especially popular little Sprite – an elf with silver hair and a wide smile, who wore instead of a hat cork from the drink. A little later his name became the name of a new carbonated drink – “Sprite”.
Important point! Before registering a name, make sure that it does not contradict the main activity of the company. Clinic “Persephone” or cab service “Haron” – the result of unsuccessful naming and an example of a name that causes laughter or bewilderment (Persephone is the goddess of the kingdom of the dead, and Haron – the carrier of souls in the kingdom of the dead).
An example of successful use of mythological characters in naming was demonstrated by the company Nike, the name of which comes from the name of the ancient Greek goddess of victory Niki.
The above techniques and methods of naming are used both separately and in combination with each other. With their help you can pick a name that combines originality, relevance, memorability.
And what to do if you do not like any idea for the name of the brand?
Naming a product, a company, an official account in social networks is an interesting but complicated process. If you doubt your own abilities, it is worth entrusting the development of a brand name to nymers (this is the name of the profession of the person who comes up with nyms).
The specialist will conduct a set of preliminary studies (brand, product, market, target audience, etc.) and will choose the most suitable solution for your case;
Knowledge of the laws of naming, branding, marketing, allows you to create effective names that attract consumers in your region.
In addition, if you plan to register the name, the specialist will check the name on the databases of the relevant countries, and eliminate names that can not be registered as a trademark.
Our service allows you to significantly reduce the cost of services, due to the automation of a significant part of works.
– Financial availability of services. Automation of a significant part of the preparatory work allowed to reduce prices for naming.
– Convenience for all clients. Brand name development is carried out remotely. Thanks to this naming became available to customers from any city.
– Comprehensive approach. If you are planning to start a business, trust our company to handle your case from the very beginning. You will not have to explain to different performers what they should do.
