Naming is one of the most difficult parts in a rebranding process for both the company and the brand consultants. Emotional attachment to the former name, the uncontrolled explosion of creativity, and the multitude of criteria that an eligible name must meet are just a few of the elements that define the complexity of this process.
What is truth and myth in what we know about the naming process, be it product or company naming? How easy is it, how do we know if we have found it and how do we avoid traps? Here is a list of some statements and their degree of truth or falsity that might be useful.
1. There is a perfect name for my company/product waiting to be discovered
Mit. The concept of “perfect name” is perhaps the first and biggest obstacle when starting a naming process. That's because the perfect name doesn't exist.
But there are names that fit perfectly with the brand strategy, names that have enough substance to inspire design, visual identity and the development of communication concepts in the future, names that create differentiation in the category and are memorable for consumers. There are also names that meet all the criteria for registration as trademark, soundness, meaning, etc. But there is no perfect name — a name that has a magic halo around it and enchants you by simply pronouncing it.
2. Naming means creativity
Truth. Naming means creativity, but applied creativity.
Applied creativity involves the use of creative principles and techniques to find solutions that meet strategic requirements. Finding a suitable name does not mean general brainstorming with the most creative people to invent unheard words, but departing from a very clear brand idea and using associations, inventions, derivations to find the name that synthesizes that idea. In addition, naming means creating eligible names that can be registered and protected as a trademark and pass all language, pronunciation and sound checks. Surely there are dozens of names that fit a brand idea, but if none of them can be owned, in reality there are zero viable proposals.
3. The descriptive name speaks best of what my product is/what my company does
Truth. A descriptive name, by definition, says exactly what your product is or what your company's core business is, thus leaving zero chance for confusion among consumers. The question is: what would you do on the shelf if all wine brands, for example, were called: white wine, rosé wine, red wine, to which the name of the variety was added?
Descriptive names usually work in the case of those who are path-openers or those who dominate a particular category. It was logical that in the mid-20s one of the first companies in the technology area was called International Business Machines Corporation (today's IBM), just as it seems perfectly understandable to us that Japan Tobacco International (JTI) was the name of the most famous tobacco company in the world, originating in Japan.
In the current market context, where overcrowding and substitute products are realities that we face on a daily basis, the decision to adopt a descriptive name must be very well weighed. Not only is it difficult to build a category in which to become a leader, but once this is done dozens of similar products/companies will invade the market later, most of them using other naming tools to differentiate themselves. And then, why not have a unique name from the beginning?
4th. The name must match the category
Truth. The category to which a brand belongs is a criterion that must be taken into account when creating names, just as the profile of the consumer is taken into account. The category to which it belongs sets the main name directions. For example, law firms, architecture or business consulting usually bear the names of the founders. However, we also have brands in the consulting business like Accenture (previously known as Andersen Consulting in 2001), as well as there are brands that have only half used these rules: PricewaterhouseCoopers officially became PwC in 2010, and HOK is one of the most well-known architecture firms in the world whose name is only made up of the initials of the names of the founders (Hellmuth Obata, and Kassabaum).
In naming, often the rules are made to be broken. So much more important than the rules imposed by the category you belong to are your business strategy and how you expect your brand to evolve.
5. I can have any name — what matters is how I draw it and communicate it
Mit. The brand name is often the first thing your consumers come into contact with and the most present element in your interaction with them.
And the first impression matters. It's true that the name will almost never appear on its own, and there are other communication elements to convey the message (logo, design, copy, etc.), but why wouldn't we want a name that starts telling the story itself? A name that attracts consumers and is easy to remember? In addition, only a strong name with a unique story can inspire a memorable identity and design to match.
6. Once it has the name, everything else comes by itself
Mit. Although a good name (according to the established criteria) has a considerable influence in building the new brand, this does not mean that, once chosen, the task of the agency and the client has been completed.
The naming process must be carried forward towards a differentiating visual identity, supported by a suitable slogan and used as a generator for communication materials. Internally, a name must be communicated to the organization to create that emotional attachment and for employees to believe in it and be able to deliver it further. In general, people are reluctant to be new, especially when it comes to changing something that they have developed a certain emotional attachment to, such as the name of the company they work for. How the new name is communicated internally is vital to its success externally — if the organization does not accept the change and is not willing to carry it forward, then expectations of what consumers think should not be higher either.
7. Once they find the name they can more easily determine which strategy to adopt
Mit. The naming process must always succeed in establishing the business strategy.
To build a strong brand that differentiates itself, the naming process must be started after a very clear idea of what the brand is, where it aims to reach, who and how it talks to, etc. Only in this way can coherence be ensured in building the future of the brand, both in terms of fulfilling the promises made (through identity, slogan, communication, etc.) and in terms of meeting consumer expectations.
We draw the line and gather: naming is a rigorous but also creative process, a process that is guided by strict rules, but which it can also break in certain cases. If, as far as the process is concerned, the certainty is that it must be based on a well-thought-out strategy, in terms of the name itself — it must be able to tell the story of the brand and inspire.