Is creating a good naming crucial to the success of my brand?
The answer is yes, absolutely. But how do you create a unique and memorable brand name that not only identifies the brand but also gives it life, meaning and emotions?
A name that is capable of attracting and tuning in to its target audience, both today and tomorrow, because it must have the ability to transcend and endure over time. The graphic image may change and, moreover, it must have adjustments and some changes over time, but not the name, it remains unalterable.
Before starting with the 5 keys to create a successful naming, I want to give a message that may sound obvious, but unfortunately, it is not, because every day I see brands that make this mistake. The naming should positively identify the product or service, this is important to keep in mind, and this does NOT mean that it should literally identify the product or service.
It bothers me to see those brand names that refer to the business, like the one that sells tyres and its brand is “The tyre house”, how to explain to the owner of that business that then with that name he will not be able to expand his offer, and the worst of all is that he does not sell tyres, he sells speed, safety… anyway, you can read more about this in my post What does my brand sell?
Once the identity of your business and its positioning strategy is clear, it is time to give it a name (naming). And now, here are the 5 keys to creating a successful naming.
The important thing is that the name of your brand must be:
- Easy to read. I know a company that used a name in Afrikaans for their business because the owner spoke this language, the problem is that their target audience was 100% Spanish speaking and this name was not only incomprehensible to them but it was also illegible (with 3 consonants in a row, phew!), they did not know how to read it, how to pronounce it, how to verbalize it, so all wrong, very wrong. This simply does not work.
- Easy to pronounce. As well as being able to read it, you must be able to pronounce it. There are classic examples of this in well-known brands that have spent millions on marketing and yet people still doubt their pronunciation.
- Easy to remember. Simple is easier to remember than complex. Rhyming is easier to remember. Evocation works in Brand Recall. What makes sense is more memorable. Pleasant sounds. And the difficult thing is always acronyms, you can remember them very well but you have to spend more money on marketing or be a very important reference in the sector, something difficult when you are just starting.
- With a meaning according to the offer. Take special care in this, sometimes it happens that you create a name that seems perfect but in another language, it means something you don’t want to communicate with your brand. Be sure to check in different languages and check what it means when typed into a web search engine.
- Registrable. Choose a name that you can register in order to have that precious symbol such as ® or ™, and also, check if it is preferably available with a .com web address.
It is very important that you can register your trademark as this ensures that no one will take it away from you. If that happens, you will have lost a lot of time, work and money, and you will also be sure that no one will be able to sue you for the use of the trademark if it is similar to another one or if you didn’t know it was already registered.
In order to be registrable, it must not be generic, nor use names of countries, cities, surnames, similarities to other registered trademarks, etc. Check all these factors, and when you have a name that you think works, check with the trademark registration authority in your country or in the countries where you want to register it to check in their database if it is registrable. You can also seek advice from expert lawyers who will guide you through the process and ensure that you don’t waste time and money filing trademark applications that are likely to be rejected.
That’s it! Now start brainstorming, which will be the first approach to what will be your successful trademark.