5 Insanely simple steps to create a powerful brand name (without a brand consultant).
King Solomon was spot on.?
A good name is better than gold and silver (Proverb 22:1).
You know, I’ve met folks whose names I felt didn’t fit their looks and personalities. (Don’t get it twisted, I am not trying to diss their parents, no).?
Know why?
I probably thought the guys were too smart, too good looking or articulate to bear those names.?
Also, it also shows that I have a frame in my mind that associates some names with particular faces, right??
Is there anyone you know like that too??
That’s how people feel when they encounter your brand for the first time. If it has a cool name, they instantly feel an instant pull or a liking for it. But if it’s uncool, they might cringe and won’t even touch it even with a long pole.
Let me explain.
A few years ago, I was shopping for a pair of shoes. So, I visited this shoe store around Ikeja, Lagos. As I entered the store, I did a quick scan of the large row of shoes, and in that instant, my eyes settled on one.?
Then I inched closer to check it out.?
The moment I picked it up, I saw the brand name, Homo. I dropped it.?
Why??
The brand name was kind of repulsive to me. Homo.?
The name instantly triggered an uncool association in my brain, “Homosexual”.
I grew cold. Come on, I am a blood-bought, blood-washed, Spirit-filled believer. What am I doing with homosexuality, in split seconds, my admiration paled and turned into disapproval.
But you know, from the benefit of hindsight, I think I was a little hysterical.
Because homo could also have other associations such as homo sapien, homo habilis, and homo erectus.
So, you see the value of endowing your product or company with an effective name that has no negative connotation.?
A brand is said to have a negative connotation when it creates a negative meaning or impression when translated or introduced into other languages or another country.
Some examples of brand names with negative connotations:
a. Barf?
This is a detergent brand made in Iran, and the name literally means “snow”, which is a good association for a detergent. But outside Iran, “Barf” means something less original, in order words, it is regarded as an imitation.?
b. Siri
Apple’s intelligent personal assistant, Siri, installed on the iPhone, is not a cool name in Georgia. It is a rude word for cock.
c.? Pee Cola
A popular beverage drink in Ghana, but to tourists visiting the country, the name suggests something different. No tourist would like to taste a drink that would make her pee.
d. Lumia
Nokia’s smartphone brand name means “unique” but in Spanish, it means “prostitute”.
e. Mercedes Benz
Mercedez Benz first launched in China, it was called “Bensi” which means “rush to die”. You bet that’s not a good name to name an automobile.
f. Bing
In Chinese, Bing means sickness. If you were Chinese, you would rather use another browser.
So, without saying too much, create a good impression with your brand name because you may never have a second opportunity to erase a wrong first impression.
But there are brand names that understand the value of creating universal brand names.?
Universal brand names are names that can cross national and cultural barriers without generating any negative meaning or impression in the minds of the audience or consumers.
Some examples of universal names.
Tesla.
Named after the great American physicist, Nikola Tesla
1 followed by 100 zeroes
Visa?
Paper that has been seen.
Apple
Connotes knowledge and simplicity
Channels (TV)
Band of frequency used in radio or television transmission, especially one that is used by a particular station
Fluterwave?
The name of a payment software
Multichoice
Availability of choices
Amazon?
The largest river in the world
Microsoft
Microcomputer software
The Guardian
Protector, defender, keeper of the public morals.
So, you get the drift now.
the point is, take your time before deciding on which name to call your product or company.?
That said, let me now walk you through the process of actually creating a good and memorable brand name, one that resonates greatly with your target audience.
This is the heart or core of your brand and delineates your purpose, vision, mission, and values.?
As I mentioned in this post, your brand name is part of your overall brand strategy.?
The implication is that you have to take a holistic view, against looking at your brand name from a narrow perspective.
a. Your purpose: Why do you exist??
You can always latch onto the EY’s definition of Purpose, “an aspirational reason for being which inspires and provides a call to action for an organization and its partners and stakeholders and provides benefit to local and global society”
b. Your vision: How do you see the future? What does the future look like for you? How do you want to create the future?
c. Your mission: How do you want to practically create the future you see??
d. Your values: What are your guiding principles?
2. Find your differentiators.
Now, what makes you different, although your brand essence, that is your purpose, vision, mission, and value would help, it might not suffice.
To find your differentiators, you need to analyse your competitors to
know who they are, what they do, how they do what they do, etc.
This should give you a sense of how you would like to be different. I bet you won’t like your audience to think you are a clone of your competitors.?
Doing that is as good as ‘killing’ your brand.
To help get that done, you can download this competitive analysis worksheet.
3. Brainstorm?
This is the part things get tricky since most brainstorming sessions?
don’t produce the desired results.?
But you can make your brainstorming effective by
The results of Steps one and two should be used as a recipe for getting the creative juice of the team flowing.?
That said, the brainstorming session should achieve three things:
a. Describe what you want the audience to feel when they hear your name
b. The adjectives and word associations that the target audience would likely use to describe your brand.
c. Try to generate about 15-20 possible names.
4. Vet the brand name.
?To avoid the pitfalls of creating a name with a negative connotation you can type the name in a Google search, and see what it means especially if you want the name to go international.?
If it’s the name of a company, you can visit the website of the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, Nigeria and if in the US you can use the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s database of registered trademarks.?
5. Test, Test, Test
As branding specialist Marty Neumeier noted in The Brand Gap, the need for a good brand name really and truly should emanate from the customers and therefore they should be in the driver's seat to determine how to identify, remember, converse about it and compare it with other brands.
Therefore, testing becomes a crucial element of naming your brand. Matter of fact, it is by far the most important aspect of naming your brand.?
Said differently, if the preceding steps produce some names that do not resonate with the audience, it won’t make sense to then use them.?
The rule of thumb is to gun for the top three.
How do you test your brand name?
a. Create landing pages on your website with the same copy and image with each of the three top names
b. Create a Facebook paid ad and run it for 1-2 weeks
c. The name with the highest conversion is the Winner.
Now, that you have a name.
There are six checklists that should guide your naming process.
In sum, your name is a crucial element of your overall brand strategy.?
So, knowing that should guide your naming process.??
The steps involved in creating an effective brand name as described above include determining the core or essence of your brand, identifying your differentiators, brainstorming, vetting the names and finally testing, testing and testing.??
Finally, I look forward to your feedback on how you are creating powerful and effective brand names.
Until then, remember, your brand is the most important branding decision you would ever make.
My name is Oyeniyi Faleye