29 Naming Exercise

Naming your brand is very important if you want it to succeed!

Consider the function of a brand name: It identifies a product, service, or company and differentiates it from competitors. But it does much more than that. The introduction of a brand name can either generate attention or make the offer completely forgettable.

Naming can be difficult in the crowded, increasingly global marketplace in which businesses operate today. As you understand the role of naming and the systematic process for selecting a new brand name, you can help lead your organization in making wise, informed choices about this essential element of branding. Here are the steps to take for naming your organization:

Define What You’re Naming

Define the personality and distinctive attributes of the company or product to be named.

Check the Landscape

Scan the competitive landscape to identify brand names already active in the category, to avoid selecting a name that would easily be confused with competitors.

Brainstorm Ideas

Engage a naming team to brainstorm ideas and generate potential brand names. Due to the challenges of identifying a unique, protectable name in today’s global market, the naming team should include some members with prior naming experience. Often companies hire specialty naming firms to add creative power and expertise to the process. The team should generate lots of ideas, knowing that the vast majority will fall out during the screening process.

Screen favourite names to make sure they are available to use perceptually (no mind-share conflicts with other known brands), legally (no trademark conflicts) and linguistically (no problems in translation).

• Perceptual screening: Start the screening process with thorough Google searches on the names being considered to eliminate any that could easily be confused with established players in your product or service category or a related category.
• Legal screening: The next screening process is to evaluate potential conflicts with registered trademarks that exist in the product or service categories in question.

Check Domain Name and Social Media Availability

If you want to operate a web site or social media using your new brand name, you will need an Internet domain name for your web site, as well as social media accounts. As you are refining your shortlist of cleared names, check on the availability of domain names and social media handles. If you’re lucky, a clear .com domain will be available to reserve or purchase at a reasonable price, and a clear Twitter name will also be available. Here are some tips for navigating this process:

• Use a reputable registry to check availability. When you’re checking on domain-name availability, don’t just Google domain names at random. Instead, use a reputable domain-name registry like Godaddy.com or Register.com.
• Look at variations of your chosen name(s). Consider reserving domain-name variations of your chosen brand name(s), either because the original names you want are not available, or because you may want to control close variations to avoid letting them fall into the hands of competitors or Internet profiteers.
• Before you settle on a final domain name for your brand, make sure you investigate where common misspellings of your name might take site visitors.
• Reserve domains in geographies where you plan to do business. Consider whether to reserve domain names using different extensions. In other words, not just yourbrand.com, but also other extensions including those in other countries where you plan to operate: your-brand.mx for Mexico, yourbrand.cn for China, yourbrand.ca for Canada, and so forth. If you plan to do business in multiple countries, it is wise to reserve domain names in each of the countries that are strategically important to your company.

Customer-Test Your Final Short-Listed Names

It is always wise to conduct market research to test short-listed names among your target customers. This gives you insight into how they will hear, interpret, and think about the names you are considering. Customer testing can reveal nuances or connotations of a name that didn’t occur to the naming team earlier–for better or for worse. Customer testing results can also be a great tie-breaker if the naming team is split between finalists.

Make Your Final Selection

Ultimately the naming team should select the name with the most potential for creating a strong, differentiated brand, combined with the least risk from a trademark ownership perspective.

Take Steps to Get Trademark Protection for Your New Brand

Once a final name is chosen, engage a trademark attorney to file a trademark or service mark registration for the new brand. Ask for legal counsel on where to register your marks based on where you plan to operate globally. While this step may seem expensive and time-consuming, it can protect you and diminish the risk for the organization if your brand name is ever challenged legally. Down the road, it is easier to enter into licensing and other types of agreements if a brand name is registered. Licensing can be a lucrative strategy for strong brands.