What are some guidelines I should follow for naming a company?
Hello everyone! So I'm working on a rebrand for a client that has me compelled to also recommend a name change. After many attempts to figure out new names were botched by Google searches coming up with other locations, I've found myself a bit lost.
Keep in mind that I fully believe in trying to come up with a name that's as original and unique to the client's brand mission, but how original can a name be until it's slightly or too similar to other locations? Is there a guideline that I should follow with naming (i.e. If there's another state location, don't use that name altogether)? If anyone's had a background in brand strategy and naming, I'd love to hear from you!
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Jul 12, 2016
Your name has to be memorable, but it also has to be available. This biggest challenge today is that your first choices for names are probably taken. There are domain checkers online that can tell you if the domain is still available. More common now is names with slight misspelling of the words to get the domain of your choice. (Example, like Tubmlr someone mentioned).
Aug 7, 2014
Hi Christoper,
As you mentioned Company Name should be a unique one. It should be easy to remember and also related to your field. Don't try to go for other popular brands or companies. What ever you choose is upto you. But be unique and build your brand name wisely.
Aug 7, 2014
The quick 'n dirty method: Jump over to BustaName.com and start dropping relevant words into the first column. It'll start checking all the permutations to see which domain names are available. (I know that you're asking about naming and not specifically about domain name registration, but you can get a pretty good idea of whether the business name is being used already by checking to see if the domain is taken.)
After you've entered some relevant terms, try adding some other action-oriented terms like "get", "my", "go", etc. Sort by length or readability. That should get you off to a pretty good start.
Aug 5, 2014
company name reflect the business you are in ,i mean when people see the name of your company ,product name come in there mind like KFC
Jul 31, 2014
What is your customers purpose? What is his emotional business? Find out what your client intends to deliver emotionally to its clients, and create a mind-map with stuff associated with that. Then try different creative ways: try using synonyms, translating the word into an unusual language. I always make sure the resulting name is short and at least remotely relates back to the emotional benefit provided. Make sure the main product is never showcased in the name, only the emotional benefits.
Jul 29, 2014
Christopher,
The suggestions you have received are all good and cover the process very well. I would also recommend that you read the book "Positioning, The battle for your mind", by Al Reis and Jack Trout. before you go too far. It's been around awhile, but is still very important reading. There is also a sequel, "The New Positioning", by Jack Trout.
Make it a great one,
Bruce
Jul 29, 2014
Build lists of words and combine the results to draft a concept. This will give you more flexibility to choose from a limited pool of alternatives.
List # 1: Why would anyone buy from you?
List # 2: What makes your customers unique? (Marketing is about them, not you)
List # 3: Terms associated with the location (for location based)
* Use Google trends and alerts to monitor your terms, context and search volume.
* Get feedback from your target customers to reduce their objections during development. Developing anything in a vacuum is a recipe for failure. http://ow.ly/zHZyZ
Jul 15, 2014
I would not use the word "The" in the beginning, Even though it may be what the client wants. It can become confusing. Also if you have a name that is very long, use an abbreviation in the domain name. ie... tncp.net. If I would have know how complicated the "The" was I would have left it out. However, you client must know that will original and unique branding he has to have his company on board. If not, let them go.
Jul 13, 2014
When I think about creating a name I try to pick words that describe the business in some way and then try to put the words together. It's also fun to use this as a starting point to create a new word. Kodak did that. They just made the word up and it is totally original and recognizable. It's of course really hard to come up with such a novel brand name but by combining words into new ones you may be able to create a new word that can be the company name. And if you use a process that can be explained to the client on how you came up with the word that can help explain the name and justify why they should use it, Which can help when you pitch it to them. This May or may not help but it could help you start the creative process. Hope this helps! And thank you for all your wonderful advice too.
Jul 12, 2014
Sometimes it's OK to have the same name and then add another word to make a difference. It's a real challenge to find a .com that ticks all the boxes without costing big dollars.
You could consider slight spelling changes like Tumblr.