WHAT MAKES A STRONG NAME?

In simple terms, the strength of a great name is in it’s ability to make a lasting emotional connection. This must span the life-cycle of the venture - from early traction through to being competitively differentiated.  It must connect with a range of constituencies; customers, staff, the supply-chain and investors.

An effective name reinforces the value proposition of the company or product it represents.

It carries the first ten seconds of the introduction and continues to function as the foundation for trust through the development of a lasting relationship.

The objective is simple, the factors that influence their result can be complex.

CONSENSUS BUILDING NAME CRITERIA

In addition to important legal and domain availability issues, there are really four strategic factors in the success of a brand name. Because these factors are often mutually exclusive, it's often not possible to have a name that checks every box. We have developed a four-point ranking criteria that establishes strategic priorities, while achieving consensus in a realm that is often the subject of passionate and polarized subjective opinions. After all, consensus may be half the challenge at the early stages of a new name.

NAME/ BRAND STRATEGY

We have outlined a number of name / brand strategies we have developed over the years. Each has a unique objectives.

There is no one answer to what a great brand is... let's start with a conversation about the possibilities.  click "Say hello"

• DESCRIPTIVE
• EVOCATIVE
• EMPTY VESSEL / PURE BRAND
• COMPARATIVE BRAND
• ACCEPTANCE BRAND
• ENTERTAINMENT
• UTILITY BRAND
• DISRUPTIVE / UNCONVENTIONAL
• TRANSACTIONAL
• Co-BRAND / NESTING STRATEGY

FOUR FACETS OF NAMES

CREDIBILITY

INTRINSIC CREDIBILITY:  Simply, does the name ring true in the context of the marketplace?  This can be a subjective opinion for the purposes of the rank.

OWNERSHIP

OWNERSHIP is a product of exclusivity and utter uniqueness. "Xerox"  is unique and unmistakable, where “CopyPro” is much less so. Ownership also is measured by trademark-ability.

Our standard for ownership is at a minimum:

Access to the dot-com domain or at least confirmation of a path to this, and that the top level domain is not actively used.

Completely clear trademark space, or a highly qualified summary of the existing TMs to ascertain there are no areas of overlap.

MEMORABILITY

Memorability is often the single most important aspect of a name - especially if the venture or product is consumer-facing.

When ranking names, we consider phonetic transparency, visual and other mnemonics, and a domain that can be found.

Memorability often comes with a compromise in Credibility.  For example, WAZZOO bank is more memorable than MERCHANT'S BANK

POSITIONING

Strategic or descriptive positioning is usually over emphasized by teams trying to develop names... as there is a natural tendency for logic to dominate a business decision. Great names are not always descriptive - in fact, most are specifically not.

Another aspect of this is HOW the message is conveyed. Literally, by inference or evocative.

Details of a Naming Criteria Worksheet The name is reviewed in context, with taglines. Each participant ranked the name on our four point weighted criteria.

Each name is fully researched and the summary details key factors of domain availability and a summary of trademark research, translations etc.