Didn't the advertising executive Claude C. Hopkins say: « A good name is an advertisement in itself » ? How to find the best brand name? What are the best naming practices?
For more than 20 years, Jacques Seidman is dedicated to the creation of brand names, combining the creative, strategic and legal aspects of naming. What you need to know about preparation, creation, verification and selection of a powerful lever to activate the brand and its communication namely: its name? Here are the essential steps for designing a successful naming.
#1 – Brand Name: Preparation Determines Ultimate Success
- Involve decision-makers from the start
- Prepare a naming brief
- Form a small steering committee
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My first piece of advice is for those looking for the perfect name, know that it does not exist. The choice is always an arbitration between 5 or 6 criteria of excellence. A weak point on a non-blocking criterion can be accepted if the name is otherwise well above average on the other criteria.
Also, remember that any crucial preparation: senior management must be involved from the start. A small steering committee must accompany you throughout the project to contribute to its success. Get involved the internal or your team at the brief is always a plus.
A specific specification clearly specifying the issues, the objectives and more generally all the areas to explore is also a must, both for the creation and for the final selection of the name. In this specification, move away from the descriptive dimension. I am still too often confronted with incomplete briefs, yet this in-depth work is essential to the realization of a project.
#2 – Creation of the brand name, it’s the quantity that will make the quality!
- Avoid focusing on the offer and the description
- Vary angles and explore different real axes simultaneously
- Look for the quantity between: 100 and 200 proposals
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Brainstorming no longer allows us to come up with names that can be registered, given the increasing legal complexity over the last 20 years. On the other hand, it is an interesting first step to identify the avenues to be reworked and to involve the different departments in order to share a common vision of the future name.
Since the name is the foundation of identity, I recommend exploring simultaneously at least 3 scenarios, from the closest to the sector codes, to the most disruptive, including a more intermediate scenario.
During this phase, there is only one watchword: quantity will create quality!
My pool of names always revolves around 100 to 200 names, I finally present only the "nectar" which is barely 10%. It is about obtaining the greatest number of proposals within each scenario, for ultimately through the final name retained, engage in the communication strategy that best suits the brand and its identity.
#3 – Brand name: legal verification is a specialist matter
- Never forget that ignorance of obstacles leads to dead ends.
I find that most of the people I talk to don't realize how far you have to go from common terms if you want to protect your brand name. The number of registered trademarks is in the tens of millions and continues to grow. Most existing names are registered even if they are not used.
You have to check several hundred to have an available name. Many traps are ignored and await those who would like to register their trademark without taking expert advice. Knowledge of the obstacles, such as the refusal of registration of the name by the INPI, opposition from similar earlier trademarks... tEverything has to be anticipated to find the perfect naming.
#4 – The final selection, certainly the most delicate phase!
- Banish the “likes/dislikes”
- Avoid consensus on the lowest common denominator
- Think global, the name is not the message it is its "teaser"
A name must be evaluated on the 4 to 5 performance criteria of the specifications in order to neutralize subjective judgments, such as "I like it / I don't like it", which are real name's killer.
The more unexpected the name, the more it will require a certain phase of appropriation. before finally settling in like names such as Citroen's "Picasso", TGV's "Inouï", and "Engie".
Be careful when choosing a consensual name, which will often be imposed as an easy solution but which will ultimately have a negative impact on brand strategy and communication. The name will be your booster during the launch and the most lasting element of your identity; do not leave it to chance or urgency. Take care of its creation and you will quickly reap the rewards of your investment.
