Brand Naming
- By: Bridcodes Global

Anyone who has ever had to come up with a name for a new product or a new company knows how stressful the process is, and how easily the initial excitement is replaced by a sense of desperation caused by the fact that all the good names are already taken.
This blog discusses multiple important aspects of the naming decision-making process, which should be evaluated and settled upon before going forward with any new name. Bearing these things in mind at an early stage can save businesses time and money in the future.
1. Brand architecture decision
The very first question you should ask
yourself is whether a new name really is needed for your business or product.
If you want to set up a new business, you need to call it something, of course,
but if you're launching a new product, for example, check first if you can use
some existing names that the company already owns, particularly if they've
already established some brand recognition level.
Building a new brand from scratch is a favorite option for many people because it makes them feel creative and innovative, but it should be the last resort in most situations because it takes years and is very costly. Instead, one of the following options can be launched (obviously only if you already have a strong brand in your portfolio):
- 1. a product variant, using a branded house
framework,
- 2. a
sub-brand,
- 3. an endorsed brand
A type of brand architecture called a brand
house, requiring new offers to have separate names and identities, can be
managed effectively only by companies with huge marketing budgets. If you are a
small business, it is a bad idea in 90 percent of cases, leading to
inefficiencies in spending.
Ultimately, when you consider the naming
convention and brand design for your latest addition to the portfolio, think
five to ten years ahead. Consider what the next products / offers in the
pipeline will be, where architecturally they will go, how they will coexist
with the product you are launching now, etc.
Abstract or descriptive
It's always tempting to want a new name to
define, to some extent at least, the category in which it will function. This
is understandable, since the name can then play a dual function – defining the
brand but also explaining the group it belongs to. It saves time and money, as
less effort is needed to illustrate what you are selling to potential buyers,
and it should also work to your SEO's advantage.
Nonetheless, problems will arise when you
decide after a couple of years that you no longer want to be in this group, and
need to expand the brand's reach. A couple of famous brands have faced this
challenge. Nowadays MTV (Music Television) is much more about youth shows than
the music. Within the area of personal care and makeup (hair styling, oral
care, cologne and even "ass wipes"), Dollar Shave Club is entering
new categories, which have nothing to do with shaving. Dunkin ' Donuts has
changed its name to Dunkin' to reposition itself more effectively from a
doughnut brand into a drink-first business.
The alternative to a name that is "descriptive category" is to choose an abstract name that does not signify something specific, which has nothing to do with the group it represents (e.g., Apple, Netflix, Starbucks, Amazon, Microsoft, and many others). The potential benefits are substantial, particularly if you have a budget to fund the launch of the new product or company. However, it will take a lot more effort and more resources to build brand awareness and explain what the brand does to people.
Two more steps
You may be tempted to pick the final name
and skip the next two steps if you have a list of potential names that are
"on brief" and you have been able to confirm that they are not taken
by anyone else and you can actually use them legally. Surprisingly, this is
something that many businesses do, failing to recognize the value of two
additional checks.
In reality, the first test you need to run
is pretty straightforward, is free and takes little time–it's the study of your
future digital presence. First of all, investigate whether the URL (preferably
all of them)–the new name plus the extension you want to use is accessible. If
the URL is taken, either choose a different name or buy the domain while the
cost is still fair (when the brand gets bigger it won't be sensible). Second,
make sure they don't take the social media handles. Second, test what happens
when you google your new name is creating a significant presence in the search
results going to be an easy job?
The second is a lot more complicated
process. If you have global ambitions and want your new brand to be well known
all over the world, it would be better to check that your newly chosen name in
other languages doesn't mean anything offensive. It is a frustrating operation
but not to be overlooked. Later, you'll be thanking yourself. You don't really
have to perform extensive analysis on the connotations that the new name evokes
in every single language; you should do a common-sense review.
To engage Bridcodes Global for a project related
to a brand strategy, please contact us at [email protected]