We’ve all listened to a radio commercial and not heard the brand name clearly pronounced. Or perhaps the name reminds us of another, sometimes negative, idea.

I suggest recording the name candidates, perhaps only the last five or six finalists, in the context of a radio commercial. You will get to hear the names in a “live” setting. I’d play them back at least an hour after you’ve recorded them to “cleanse the palette” so to speak before passing judgment.

In addition, if the brand name may be used in other countries, be sure to check it in languages used in those countries. Both formal and common language useage should be checked through a translation service.

Martin Jelsema

Tags: naming tips, naming, naming a company, naming a business, naming a product

There are two aspects to this admonition. I’ll tackle linguistics in this post and the other aspect in next week’s naming tip.

We know certain letters and letter combinations can add power (the “plosives” like j, k, p, t), or at the other end of the scale, they may add lyricism (m, n, ph, sh). This is a fuzzy area and there’s controversy about the importance placed on linguistics in naming. Yet, the study of linguistics has established some guidelines, such as:

• The letters a, b, m, s and t are reported to evoke positive emotions.
• Negative feelings are more likely associated with f, q, x and z.
• Sounds associated with speed are f, s, v and z.
• The vowels a, o and u are more masculine, while e and i are more feminine.

Naturally, each name candidate will be made up of a combination of letters, so these linguistic observations may or may not apply, or may apply partially, depending upon those combinations.

Just couple these ideas with common sense.

Martin Jelsema
303-242-5975

Tags: naming, tips naming, naming a company, naming a business, naming a product, branding

But I’ve noticed a trend that I think is beneficial for anyone naming a brand, particularly for business names.

Watch what the web-based businesses are doing. I think they’re doing things right.

The first thing is a very basic admonition: don’t use more than two words in your name. Three-word names turn into alphabet soup because people will shorten those multi-syllabic mouthfuls by using the name’s initials, losing any identification and humanity the original name might have possessed.

Next; attempt to use single or two-syllable words instead of three or more syllables.

Then let the new name infer rather than describe. Inevitably when a name describes a product or service it becomes very serious and doesn’t reflect the personality of the brand. This the web businesses do particularly well.

Now for some examples, many of which have become household names in a matter of months. I’ll leave out the most well-known (Google and Yahoo) even though I believe those two are particularly responsible for the trend toward short and active names.

• YouTube
• Technorati
• Propeller
• StumbleUpon
• Reddit
• SpicyPage
• Twitter
• FeedBlitz
• Delicious
• Digg
• BlogPulse
• Spurl
• Simpy
• NewsVine
• Kaboodle
• IceRocket
• Furl
• Dosh Dosh
• Bark
• NetScape
• Camtasia
• BlogLines
• FaceBook
• MySpace
• SlideShare

Well that’s enough.

Now I know that many of these companies opted for a short name because they wanted a name that people could remember when they typed a domain name to access the web site. And there certainly wanted an unusual name that was available as a domain name. This is valid.

But the end result are short, unique and memorable names. These are the types of brand names that will also be effective in off-line environments as well.

Martin Jelsema
303-242-5975

A new logo created by one of England’s top design studios for the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), a department of Briton’s Treasury. It was approved by execs and managers and then introduced with fanfare and brand new pens and mousepads to the employees. Only then had anyone thought to turn the new logo on its side. And then came the snickers, twitters and guffaws.

The logo was supposed to signify a bold commitment to the body’s aim of “improving value for money by driving up standards and capability in procurement”.

Instead, it became an object of much embarrassment and chagrin.

Read the full story at the Tribune, UK, website.

This happened to me once.

The design I had recommended was a phoenix rising from the flames. But the bird’s head, with beak straight up and only the tops of its wings visible, was just too phallic. Luckily the client thought I was just joking because he saw the reference immediately.

That just goes to show you – check and check again. Get man-and-woman-on-the-street opinions. Review with the though, “what is wrong or inappropriate or just plain silly” with the design, the name, the tagline.

Martin Jelsema

303-242-5975

Trackbacks:

OGC Logo a Brit of Humour?
OGC logo design gets a grip

Usually this incredibility comes from specific ad campaigns rather than from a brand platform. How do I know? Because they’re vacuous.

Strong brands are built upon core values. They’re differentiated from competitors based on attributes the brands actually possess. Thus, believability and credibility are inherent in the brands themselves.

But let the ad agency “creatives” begin writing taglines and headlines as they interpret that platform and the research that accompanies it and the ideas get skewed and exaggerated.

Take today’s example, for instance.

Subaru’s newest TV ads depict folks, one after another, “lovingly” caring for their Subarus. The payoff is this insipid tagline: “Love: It’s what makes Subaru a Subaru”

It’s a distortion. I’m sure Subaru research says that a certain percentage of their customers say they “love” their Subarus. That’s fine. But from there to the idea that love makes Subarus is a giant step.

I’d also suggest that the slogan does not differentiate Subaru from its competitors, nor does it resonate with car buyers who may admit to loving their vehicles but don’t switch to another make because Subaru says their cars are made from love.

No, Subaru was sold a bill of goods. Their agency short-changed them.

It’s a campaign and a brand without substance.

Martin Jelsema
303-242-5975

Generally, I’m not opposed to acronyms. If we stick with the most stringent definition, “A word formed from the initial letters of a name” (NASA, RAM); or a more lenient definition, “A word formed by combining initial letters or parts of a series of words” (WAC for Women’s Army Corps), RADAR for radio detecting and ranging), I believe a name like that might be viable.

This is especially true when a name like Federal Express that’s developed recognition and a loyal following is shortened to FedEx out of familiarity, and retains a link to the original. It’s not so true when the original words have no recognition. Then the acronym was no relationship or connotation to the consumer.

Now a string of three initials that DO NOT form a word (where each letter must be pronounced – IBM, CIA) is not an acronym. These types of names should be avoided altogether. They just don’t have any personality, and until they are firmly established, over time and at great expense, no relevance. IBM had the money and the exposure to turn International Business Machines into IBM without losing the company’s heritage and panache.

But how can you embrace CRW? In addition, these name types are not memorable. They are just three random letters to most people.

There is a subset of initial-grown names that can work. Over time certain phrases have been shortened to initials and over time those initials become familiar shorthand for the original phrases. Examples: RPM, VIP, MVP. If a set of initials that carry an attribute that’s appropriate (and not already snared by a competitor), I’d say jump on it. It’s a rare occurrence when product and available initials align.

I have compiled a list of such initials-with-meaning “ initial sets. If you’d like one, just email me at martin@signaturestrategies.com, or leave your request in the comment box below.

Martin Jelsema

Tags: naming tips, naming, naming a company, naming a business, naming a product

It’s also the smart way to go unless you’ve had extensive naming experience.

If you go to a graphics design firm or a PR firm you’re likely to get a reluctant “yes” to the question for help. But by and large they are not qualified, are not experienced, have not specialized in brand naming.

Ad agencies may fair a little better, but thet, too, are not naming specialists. As Mike Myatt of N2growth put it, “They may dabble in the practice, but you’ll find that it is rarely a competency.

That leaves companies and individuals with experience in naming companies, products and services. But experience it turns out isn’t enough. There’s a range of approaches to naming, from the completely predicatable old-line firms to the Avant-garde boutiques offering you the latest fads.

Here’s Mike’s advice in selecting a naming firm: First, review their portfolio. Make sure there’s diversity of client and variety of naming “styles”.

Second, find a firm that’s collaborative. After all, it’s your name, reflecting your company’s personality. Mike puts it this way: “Great naming firms achieve success based upon their ability to align their talent with the client’s vision.”

I’d add one more way to qualify a naming company: check out their own name. Just as ad agencies are notorious for naming their agency after its founders, naming consultants tend to be just as ego-driven. Find one whose name suits the business and its style, personality, culture and position.

Martin Jelsema
303-242-5975

Hanley Wood changes name of ‘Green Products and Technology’ to ‘EcoHome’
Washington, D.C.—Hanley Wood, a b-to-b media company that covers the housing and construction markets, has changed the name of its recently launched Green Products and Technology to EcoHome. The new name debuts with the May issue, the second of four planned for 2008….

The name change aligns the magazine more closely with Hanley Wood’s annual EcoHome Expo and Conference and EcoHome Web site, said Frank Anton, CEO of Hanley Wood.

That got me thinking about names for publications. In general, trade publications do an unimaginative job of naming. They usually go for a descriptive name. Yawn.

It appears that Green Products and Technology would have been OK with Hanley Wood except for the apparent need to align with the EcoHome Expo and Website.

The publication industry is pretty hide-bound. There’s little differentiation in the manner publications are marketed to readers and to advertisers. I’ve been in on many a media presentation over the years – I mean like forty or more years – and they still sound the same. They still quote readership and circulation numbers. They still conduct and present preference studies. They still price competitively by CPM.

This applies even to the newer publication introduced in the Internet Age – Fast Company, Red Herring, Industry Standard - even though each of them have better understood branding. This is most ardently applied through content and an independent editorial stance. Most BtoB publications just won’t upset advertisers in any way.

Anyway, those are the thoughts sparked by the article. As for EcoHome as a name for a magazine, an expo or a website, well, lets just say they could have done better. But it’s certainly better than a utilitarian descriptive like Green Products and Technology.

Martin Jelsema
303-242-5975

Tags: branding, brand management, BtoB, Fast Company, Red Herring, Industry Standard, EcoHome, Hanley Wood

Let’s say you’ve decided Mercury might be an ideal name for in-line skates.

Mercury, the name of a Roman god who acted as a messenger , does connote speed. But from its ancient roots, Mercury was also the god of “rogues, vagabonds and thieves”.

But more important are current associations. Check out other companies and products with the same name. Think of Mercury automobiles (isn’t the perception today of a poor-man’s Buick?), Will there be an association, even a subtle one, between your skates and the car? Then there are outboard motors and a host of Mercurys.

There’s a reference book available at most larger libraries that alphabetically list all registered names. It’s a two-volume reference by Gale Research called Brands and Their Companies and Companies and Their Brands. Reviewing Mercury under both products and companies will reveal trademarks you’ll want to scan for unsavory or conflicting associations.

Then there are other possible associations. How about the NASA Mercury project? But there’s also the element mercury and mercury poisoning of tuna.

There may or may not be any conflicts, poor associations or just too many “Mercury”s to make the name attractive for your skates. But at least a review will help you decide.

Martin Jelsema
3030-242-5975

Tags: naming tips, naming, naming a company, naming a business, naming a product

Today I’m calling out Toyota and their bad Matrix model.

I’m using “bad” in its original context - I don’t mean it’s, you know, good.

So here’s their tagline: Get in Touch with Your Dark Side.

Just on the basis of this inane slogan I scoff. I shake my head. I roll my eyes.

Now I’m a Star Wars fan and I assume that’s the dark side they’re referring to. I’d say the Matrix has a dark side position only if R2D2 has defected.

Do you know the car? It’s a small, round under-powered economy car. I know, I rented one a couple of weeks ago and drive it into the mountains. Living in Colorado has its advantages. Now I grew up in Estes Park Colorado and I’ve driven that road in four cylinder cars since a had a Hillman Minx back in the early 1960’s. I never had any problems even on the steep inclines.

But this Matrix didn’t have enough power to pass a New Jersey tourist. In fact, one passed me. The shame of it.

The only dark side I experienced had to do with night falling before I got home.

The point is credibility. You could position this automobile in appealing ways that are true to the vehicle and the experience of driving it.

Dark side indeed.

Martin Jelsema
303-242-5975