When naming something, it is
human nature to want to describe what you are naming. This is, of
course, the most direct route to relevance.
Many
historic and well-known companies have names that describe what they do or
make. For example: International Business Machines, Minnesota Mining and
Manufacturing and Kentucky Fried Chicken. While these descriptive names may
have brought comfort to those who did the naming, the names were
short lived. All three of the mentioned examples have now turned to acronyms:
IBM, 3M and KFC.
Instead
of considering names that simply describe the brand, find ways to creatively
think about how a brand behaves. A relevant name can convey a brand’s engaging
personality, express something interesting about the product or service, or it
can be geared toward the intended audience and relate to cultural contexts.
Take, for
example, Puma. It’s a name that symbolizes the idea of strength and speed. This
helps connect the audience with these symbolic ideas rather than with a brand
name that only evokes shoes.
Brands
that only communicate functional benefits using descriptive names miss an
opportunity to develop a stronger bond with customers. A strong, insightful
name tells a story that metaphorically relates to the product or company.
To get
past the desire for a descriptive name and step into a creative zone, here are
some suggestions to get through the pain of relevance:
1.
Consider names that are suggestive of what the brand does or its
philosophy, instead of attempting to describe exactly what the brand will do.
2. Look
at modern brand names and consider them first as words, and then as brand
names. How does “Apple” describe computer hardware, music or cell
phones?
3. Add an
appropriate descriptor after the brand name to make it feel more natural and
comfortable in the early stages of using the name. For example, “Apple
Computers.” Then, when the brand grows up, the descriptor can be dropped.
4. Say
the name to people to get their reaction. Are they curious, offended, confused,
intrigued? If they are left with a desire to know more, the brand name is on
the right track. If they are bored, confused or offended, the name may require
more thought.
When
stepping into the creative zone, keep in mind that a great name does more than
communicate what the thing is or even convey its personality. It sets the
foundation for the customer relationship, establishes leadership and separates
the business from the competition. Naming is both the art and science of
knowing the origin and esoteric meanings of words, the emotional reactions to
certain sounds and the visual expression of a name.
If, in
the end, it’s still a struggle to find a brand name with a suggestive or even
arbitrary name, remember that a brand changes over time and as it takes on new
attributes, whatever name is chosen, it will eventually fit with how the brand
evolves over time.
