ADS Brand Naming Process
Naming a new brand or company used to be easy.
But a comprehensive checklist of competitive and digital pressures has made strategic brand name creation all the more important and almost impossible.
A new brand name must:
Work across multiple media platforms and across the Internet
Be easy to search—yet distinctive within the context of blogs, YouTube and Twitter environments
Able to be registered in key countries, in Australia with ASIC and currently require a domain name such as a com.au however this si changing faster than i can write and just about anything is going to go, Australia is currently as of 1st June 2015 looking at going with just.au and we have a blog called www.brands.digital simply put the web has run out of traditional domain names.
Be able to travel around the world with conflict or incorrect translation, this cannot only be expensive but highly embarrassing.
By combining our experience across major consumer and technology categories and collaborating closely with our clients, ADS has developed a strategic brand naming process that works to meet the challenges of trademark development.
We offer all of the services that are needed to develop, evaluate and select a name with strategic impact. Our brand name development services include strategy and name development using small creative teams and linguists. We also have a legal trademark team.
Most projects at ADS start off with a few conversations and Mind Maps—large diagrams of words that spread out from a central concept. A map of hundreds of words, generated at the pace of a brainstorming session, can take less than ten minutes to hours to produce and can resemble a scribbled painting. The maps help to stake out linguistic territory, and to bring forth the deeper associations that a particular product evokes—the words underneath the name.
THE ADS PRINCIPLES OF PRODUCT NAMING – Don’t be afraid to be creative, be different, be bold, research, be more creative, think and check foreign translations.
Even at the best of times, naming is a contentious and emotional business. Whether you’re naming your baby, your boat, or your business ( your new brand), the process can take months and fuse much deliberation. Try to keep these simple principles in mind as you hunt for that perfect and available name.
MAKE IT RELEVANT – Make it memorable.
Google and other search engines has changed everything. But lets worry about Google anyway in 2015. Instead of worrying about your listing in the yellow or white page, you need a name that’s relevant and truly compelling. The key to any name—simple or complex, abstract or descriptive—is grabbing attention and staying memorable. Such as ADS.
Other Examples: Nordic Homes,- Norwegian home designers. Mapworks- Online maps that work. Liquorland- ” Okay we didn’t come up with that one, just looked out the window for inspiration.
FILL IT WITH MEANING – Life- personality, humour, longevity.
Choose a name that tells your brand’s story. Over time, you can expand the meaning of your name and add layers of depth to make it even more powerful—a visual identity, a color, a sound. The more significance your name carries, the more work it will do for you. ADS – Advertising Design Service etc. A lot of this meaning will come through the traits and personalities in your business and team and the way you, your team and your brand perceives itself and more importantly projects itself.
BRANDS DO NOT DEVELOP OVER NIGHT – they take time to emotional connect with us, to love to become human- okay maybe not human but have a very strong and instantaneous connection.
Even the best name may not seem terrific the first time you hear it. As your name evolves into a brand, it will acquire more meaning and richer associations. Give the names you’re considering a chance to grow on you—and try to imagine what they might stand for five or 10 years down the road, again don’t rush and don’t drink too much during this process.
DON’T BE AFRAID TO TRY SOMETHING NEW – Nothing is wrong anymore- unless its pornographic and thats another naming story.
Seriously look at Microsoft huge new world wide accounting software. Xero- prounced “Zero “if you did not know.
Great names grab your attention by breaking the rules—but a name that defies your expectations may also appear scary. Look past the perceived fear and you’ll find energy and possibilities. That buzz of a surprise could be telling you that you’ve found a name that stands out. Do all the above does it still sound good, ask a few trusted friends or members of your family, remember you have to live with this name for along time, maybe your life time.
SAY IT OUT LOUD – Over and over Again, write it down and ask people. Sleep on it. Write it on a computer screen and play with fonts. Just don’t rush it.
The best names are the ones that people can’t wait to tell their friends about. Names that roll off the tongue invite customers to become your extra marketing agency.
STAND OUT IN A CROWD
If you are different, you want to sound different. Use your name to focus on what makes your brand special. Look at your category and where it’s headed. What do customers expect? How can your name signal something new? What is your point of difference, does your name mean this, stand by your brand and its traits.
EXPECT THE BRAND NAME AND ITS STORY TO SUCCEED AND TO EVOLVE
There are always reasons to dislike a name, but you can’t make the right decision if you never make any decision at all. Remember that names are just one part of your brand, and they’re elastic—you can stretch them to mean what you want. Some names or brands can have one obvious connotation, others lots so think of your business plan and future. A great example of this is Virgin.
Richard Branson is truly an entrepreneur and anything can be Virgin in 2015. As a word, “virgin” brings to mind anything from wool and olive oil to Mary and The Material Girl – Madonna. But as a brand name, Virgin has come to stand for a provocative attitude that can sell everything from prepaid mobile phones, plane flights, music, to vacations in orbit and a few books on the subject whilst he is at it.
TOO MUCH IS NEVER ENOUGH
The first hundred names you think of are likely to be the same ones your competitors tossed around. Use naming specialists to develop thousands of alternatives. To arrive at a name that meets all your objectives, you need a list that’s both broad, relevant and deep. ADS can assist you with this, we will often spend many days, weeks or even months on this process, as well as lots of paper-(recycled of course). Give us a call to find out more.
