Shakespeare was wrong
There’s a lot in a name…
What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So goes the rhetoric of Juliet in a love-swept moment during Act II Scene I of William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet.
Undoubtedly a talented playwright, Shakespeare would never land a job at a branding agency if he were alive today.
Why? Because what might be true of Romeo is not true of brands.
Juliet is arguing, in essence, that the names and associations of things should not matter, only what things “are”.
Heed not the forget-me-not advice of our eponymous lovers, however. Great products/services are important. But your brand name is very important too. It’s the first touch point your customers are likely to have with your business. It should be unique, memorable and meaningful to stand out from the crowd. Not only that, but your brand name needs to be fit for the digital era. So it might just be the difference between you and your customers being together or not.
There are various strategies for picking a brand name but coming up with something random on a whim is not a strategy, it’s potentially brand suicide. The clever use of association or implicit meaning can go a long way. Because if your brand name is memorable and easily recognizable, it will make it a lot easier for your idea to spread via word of mouth.
You can make your brand name memorable and meaningful by nature, without having to spend millions on marketing its meaning by nurture.
Some strategies for naming your brand:
Before choosing a brand name, you need to keep three things in the front of your mind: your brand promise or mission, your customer and your brand’s essence and personality. The best names are formed from this holy trinity. A good name will also naturally lend itself to a visual association: a symbol or icon. There is no formula, of course, but here is some guidance below. Sometimes, however, you do need to break the rules to find success.
1. Keep it simple, stupid
Strip your idea down to its core. Then pick a brand name that easily communicates that idea. Make it easy to spell. Make it easy to pronounce. Make it easy to get. Keep it as short as possible.
2. Leverage associations
Search for associations that will positively reinforce or, better, powerfully convey what you wish to communicate (be it the idea, the mission or an emotion). Borrow meaning. Make it stick.
3. Make sure it’s available
Can you get a decent domain name? Can you get the relevant social media page names? Will your name be advantageous for search? Can it be trademarked? Is it too close to a competitor’s name? If it’s an app, will the name fit on the phone home screen? A good first step is using a site that can cross check your brand name’s availability e.g. http://namechk.com/.
Five case studies, some classics, some instant classics:
Nike: In the field of sports, what better brand name than one named after the goddess of victory? It’s the perfect beginning to their brand story and confidently marks our their mission: helping you win.
Pinterest: Using neologism (i.e. the creation of new words or combining existing words to create a new word), Pinterest managed to succinctly summarize what they’re all about: a pin board to follow your interests.
Steller: This is a beautiful visual storytelling app, which allows you to tell a story by creating digital photo albums, accompanied by text and video. The name, therefore, works on two levels. It has the positive associations of ‘stellar’, meaning outstanding or immense, but also is the collapsed short-form of ‘storyteller’. Clever.
Elevatr: Named after the infamous business test ‘the elevator pitch’, where you have 60 seconds or less to communicate what your business is all about, this is an app which allows you to write business ideas in a short, structured format. I usually never recommend dropping vowels, however, as seems to be the fashion in tech. The reason being that it makes it hard for people to spell and, therefore, find you. They may have had good reason though.
Tinder: this addictive mobile matchmaking app, aiming to appeal to a younger audience, took less of a direct route to naming their brand. Rather than sticking to the same obvious and uncool territory as other brand names in the market like ‘Match.com’, ‘OkCupid’ or ‘Lovestruck’, they took a more subtle approach but no less powerful in terms of meaning. Consider its definition: “easily combustible material used to ignite fires by rudimentary methods. Anything that can be ignited by a match can be considered tinder”. Their ‘flame’ icon only serves to underscore the association. By chance, the app’s swipe interaction is also arguably a ‘rudimentary method’.
In conclusion…
What’s in a name? that which we call a brand
By any other name wouldn’t smell as sweet;
For more thoughts on marketing, branding and start-ups, follow my new collection called ‘Start-ups and Upstarts’.
About the author:
Rossa Shanks is CEO and Co-founder of “I Know This Great Little Place…”, helping people find remarkable places and unforgettable experiences. Follow him on twitter for more thoughts on business, marketing and start-ups @rossashanks.
