Naming tips: number 65 in a series

Finding qualified help to name your brand can be tricky.

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