Our Proven Naming Process
Brands are living entities. They interact, they communicate, they inspire… just like people, pets, and other things we name. That means that the products, services, and companies represented by brands deserve a name with as much thought and meaning as we’d put into other living beings.
Our process recognizes the organic development of naming and matches it with solid research, thinking, and strategy to create names that matter. When done well, names will make you think, smile, connect with other ideas, and create a sense of belonging that you, your team, and your clients can all relate to.
Great names don’t always reveal themselves right away. Sometimes you have to sleep on it a night or two to really let it sink in. But, all great names should be:
- Relevant to your business and your audience
- Reflective of your company values and personality
- Realistic to say, spell, and find online
- Remembered on a 24/7 basis by those who come in contact with it.
Names Never Sleep! They’re always working either for you or against you on everything you do. So the next time you think “Eh, it’s just on our business cards,” think about how many times people also see it online, in search engine results, in emails, on labels and packaging… or hear it in conversations, sales pitches, voicemails, and more.
Wrong Name
The wrong name is any name that fails to make a connection with its audience. This can happen because of perceptions and meanings that weren’t considered, confusing spellings, meaningless acronyms, or names that are too long to remember. It can also happen because the so-called “perfect name” already exists online or with another trademarked brand. Finding the right name requires a creative, disciplined strategic approach.
Before we can build an effective naming strategy, we typically complete the key parts of our BrandMap (TM), which helps us define the “core” or the new or existing brand we are naming or renaming for our client. The BrandMap is a brand blueprint that not only will facilitate the development of effective branding messages, and focused marketing and sales initiatives going forward, it will often also help uncover naming associations and positioning that will help us quickly narrow down the list of suitable names that have been uncovered during initial research and brainstorming sessions. In particular the condensed product description, core values, brand essence, brand positioning, value propositions and “the big idea” typically delivers breakthrough clues when it comes to delivering available names and associated strong rationales.
Great Names Are Multifaceted
- Insightful – the name should tell others something meaningful about the company and/or its offerings
- Individual – unique names that are easy to spell, pronounce, and stand apart from the competition are generally more effective
- Immortal – No one wants to change their name and branding every few years. Yours should be able to stand the test of time.
- Interchangeable – names need to work across multiple types of media or add new business divisions with relative ease
- Incorporated – being able to trademark, own, and protect a name is key to its long-term success
- Idealized – focusing on the positive when choosing a name helps make your brand more relatable to your clients and customers. Avoid connotations that could be negative unintentionally.
- Iconic – Almost every name is usually accompanied by a logo of some sort, or in some cases, becomes the logo itself. The ability to connect graphically is an important attribute.
Proven Naming Methods Include:
- Leadership – Companies like Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren, Ferrari, Ford, Wendy’s, and Smucker’s all have their founders to thank for their characteristic names. Consider if the name or family members of the business ownership is right for your firm.
- What We Do – One of the most logical approaches to a name is one that describes the company’s business. CampaignMonitor, General Motors, and VitaminWater are all good examples. Just be careful your name doesn’t limit your future opportunities.
- Mix-Matched – These names are based on real words, but with a clever twist that makes them unique. YouTube, Netflix, Travelocity, GEICO (Government Employee Insurance Company), and Nabisco (National Biscuit Company) fall under this category.
- Image-Based – Names can represent a company’s attitude with a figure or idea. Green Giant, Nike, Midas, Golden Flake, and other powerful characters and statements leave a strong impression with potential customers.
- Wordsmithing – Whether it’s a clever spelling like Kompani Group or Flickr or an invented word like Kodak and Verizon, these names balance uniqueness with familiarity to great effect.
- Individual – unique names that are easy to spell, pronounce, and stand apart from the competition are generally more effective
- Combos – Some names use multiple methods to arrive at a great name. Famous Amos, eBay, and Auntie Anne’s leverage a few approaches to arrive at their brand names.
Place yourself in good Kompani and success follows