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Diving Deep Into Naming

This document outlines Scott Hauman's naming process and best practices for developing new brand names. It includes 10 key steps: 1) project kickoff, 2) naming workshop, 3) competitive audit, 4) positioning and criteria development, 5) ideation and generation, 6) filtering and distillation, 7) trademark screening, 8) name scoring, 9) final list, and 10) brand extensions. The document also discusses types of names, developing a positioning platform and brand personality, and provides examples of naming criteria, scoring, and a final name recommendation. The overall process emphasizes thorough research, criteria-driven evaluation, and testing to select a name that aligns with brand positioning.

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Scott Hauman Director, Brand Strategy September 14, 2010
THE TOUGH ONES Pet Shark Swatch
Ava Rosalee TOUGH ONES Marga Elisabeth Peter Max
“An orange is an orange…is an orange. Unless, or course, that orange happens to be a Sunkist, a name eighty percent of consumers know and trust.” – Russell L. Hankin, CEO, Sunkist Growers
THE BIG 8 NO-NO’S 1.  Don’t fall in love with any specific name early in the process. 2.  Don’t have too many people involved in the name selection process. 3.  Don’t have the conversation again. Once the name has been selected do not communicate what the second choice or other options on the list were. 4.  Don’t short cut the process, sooner or later shortcuts will comeback to haunt you and could be potentially expensive and embarrassing to your company. Don’t rush it either. Naming done well and on a multi-country or global scale takes time. 5.  Don’t rule out an alternate domain name if the one you’re after is already taken. If another company already has possession of a domain name in which you’re interested, consider creating an alternate version. 6.  >
#6 Don’t ask your spouse or close friends for their opinion!
THE BIG 8 NO-NO’S 1.  Don’t fall in love with any specific name early in the process. 2.  Don’t have too many people involved in the name selection process. 3.  Don’t have the conversation again. Once the name has been selected do not communicate what the second choice or other options on the list were. 4.  Don’t short cut the process, sooner or later shortcuts will comeback to haunt you and could be potentially expensive and embarrassing to your company. Don’t rush it either. Naming done well and on a multi-country or global scale takes time. 5.  Don’t rule out an alternate domain name if the one you’re after is already taken. If another company already has possession of a domain name in which you’re interested, consider creating an alternate version. 6.  Don’t ask your spouse or close friends for their opinion. 7.  Don’t expect to gain 100% consensus from your decision-making team. Select the name that fits your criteria the best. 8.  Don’t forget to defend your name in the marketplace – establish an on going monitoring program to protect your brand asset.
THE BIG 8 NO-NO’S 1.  Don’t fall in love with any specific name early in the process. 2.  Don’t have too many people involved in the name selection process. 3.  Don’t have the conversation again. Once the name has been selected do not communicate what the second choice or other options on the list were. 4.  Don’t short cut the process, sooner or later shortcuts will comeback to haunt you and could be potentially expensive and embarrassing to your company. Don’t rush it either. Naming done well and on a multi-country or global scale takes time. 5.  Don’t rule out an alternate domain name if the one you’re after is already taken. If another company already has possession of a domain name in which you’re interested, consider creating an alternate version. 6.  Don’t ask your spouse or close friends for their opinion. 7.  Don’t expect to gain 100% consensus from your decision-making team. Select the name that fits your criteria the best. 8.  Don’t forget to defend your name in the marketplace – establish an on going monitoring program to protect your brand asset.
PROCESS IS THE KEY Before any naming effort can begin, it is essential to decide what you want your new name to do for you. To make that decision, organizations need to understand the possibilities. What can a name do? A name can… •  Achieve separation from your competitors •  Demonstrate to the world that you are different •  Reinforce a unique positioning platform •  Create positive and lasting engagement with your audience •  Propel itself through the world on its own, becoming a no-cost, self-sustaining PR vehicle •  Provide a deep well of marketing and advertising images •  Be the genesis of a brand that rises above the goods and services you provide •  Completely dominate a category
TYPES OF NAMES Surnames: Names that are representatives of formal family names, last names, or historical labels. (Gillette, Siemens, Dell, Smuckers, Ford, Martha Stewart, Schwab) Functional Names: Functional names are purely descriptive of what a company, product or organization does. (AOL, Pizza Hut, General Motors, Flooring America) Invented Names: There are two kinds of invented, i.e. made-up, names: those that are built upon Greek and Latin roots, and those poetic constructions that are based on the rhythm and the experience of saying them. (Haagen-Dazs, Valeo, Snapple, Xerox, Oreo, Wii, Accenture, Kodak) Experiential Names: Experiential names offer a direct connection to something real, to a part of direct human experience or metaphor. (Navigator, Gateway, United, Target, Explorer, Quicken) Evocative Names: These names are designed to evoke the positioning of a company or product rather than the goods and services or the experience of those goods and services. (Apple, Yahoo, Shell, Virgin, Lotus, Viking, Fortress, Harbinger, Daggerfin)
MY PROCESS 1. Project Kickoff 10. Brand Extensions 2. Naming Workshop Audience Research Audience Research 9. Final list 3. Competitive Audit *Trademark/IP counsel Company/Product/ Service/Brand 8. Name Scoring 4. Positioning Platform & Criteria Dev. 7. Trademark Screening 5. Ideation & Generation & Linguistics Check 6. Filtering & Distillation
1. PROJECT KICKOFF The goal of the project kickoff meeting is to further understand the needs and timing of the project and its deliverables. Discussions should include: •  Work plan and key dates •  Identification of core naming team/decision makers •  Review of company, market-specific or competitive information and research the client may have available •  Budget review •  Scheduling of Naming Workshop
2. NAMING WORKSHOP A discovery workshop is held to uncover insights about the company or product, its competition and overall strengths and weaknesses. This session seeks to understand how the client views its brand and more important, how they want their audiences to experience/view their brand. The workshop is comprised of a series of interactive exercises designed to capture brand personality, key associations and imagery insights in support of the naming effort. The workshop lasts approximately 3-4 hours and usually is held at an off-site location. Option: Naming research to test alignment with executive perceptions
3. COMPETITIVE AUDIT After the workshop, a thorough competitive analysis, in which we quantify the tone and strength of competitive company or product names is executed. A formal competitive naming chart is completed to help the naming team understand where we need to go with the positioning, branding and naming of the company or product at hand. Naming chart example - handout
4. POSITIONING + CRITERIA The next step is to refine and/or define the brand’s positioning. The more specific and nuanced your positioning is, the more effective the name will be. All great product and company names work in concert with the positioning of the businesses they speak for. This positioning process is predicated on understanding everything about your brand, where it’s been and where it is headed. This naming process is based on forward-looking positioning strategies – yours, your competition and your entire sector’s. The outcome is a positioning platform that is used to inform the ideation process. Once the platform is agreed upon, a formal naming criteria document is created to guide and filter the names born from the ideation process.
PLATFORM 5: Tagline (An out-facing expression of X’s trueline) 4: Trueline (An internal expression of X’s most compelling differentiator) 3: Vision (A bold picture of the future to focus everyone’s efforts on the mission) 2: Mission (An over-arching strategy for achieving X’s purpose) 1: Purpose (The fundamental reason X is in business)
PERSONALITY To help the naming effort capture the best possible story, it is key to develop a brand personality pyramid that showcases the intended personality traits. For example: Open   Open (accessible, authentic, direct, genuine)   Inspiring Brand X (active, engaged, uplifting, inventive)   Allegiant Inspiring Allegiant (dedicated, reliable, steadfast, supportive)
MOOD BOARD Create a mood board to express the personality, tone and character. This will help the naming team better understand the intended brand experience and trajectory
CRITERIA Without benchmark criteria, naming efforts are lost to “gut feelings” and personal judgment. Crafting a formal criteria document that is approved and embraced by the naming team is arguably the most important part of a name development exercise. The criteria document is used as a guide for name generation, testing, and client review and selection. Criteria document example – handout
5. IDEATION + GENERATION The next step is Ideation and Generation. With the positioning platform elements as key references, we generate an extensive list of initial names, anywhere from 100 to 400. 6. FILTERING + DISTILLATION These names are then subjected to rigorous analysis and screening through a set of branding filters, which include marketing, semantics, phonetics and legal. The master list is usually trimmed down to about 20 names.
7. TRADEMARKS + LINGUISTICS A part of the filtering process is to prescreen names under development through these screening tools: •  United States Patent and Trademark Office (www.uspto.gov) •  Saegis Database (http://compumark.thomson.com) •  Search engines and other web applications (www.trademarkia.com) This helps determine the likelihood that a company will be able to procure the names. We do this in order to feel confident that the names an organization’s attorney submits for final trademark screening and application have been deemed as likely to pass muster for registration. If not…valuable time is lost. In today’s global economy, a thorough global linguistic evaluation is a must. With greater influences from other cultures, and the rich cultural diversity of people in most countries – even when it’s local, it’s global. Check names with native, in-country linguists. Idioms, slang and cultural associations vary from country to country, even if the same language is spoken. And, this way, you make sure your name says only what you intend it to say.
8. NAME SCORING A review of name scoring based on development criteria. Scoring example - handout
8. FINAL LIST Showcase of the top 6 names for client review and consideration. This list is submitted to legal for a full, trademark availability check.
EXAMPLE (B) •  Rooted in the evocative naming Alidade TM category •  Definition: a device that allows one to Capital Partners sight a distant object and use the line of sight to perform a task •  Gives clues to the craft of investing and forecasting •  Symbolizes outlook, client guidance and methodical approach [al-i-deyd] •  Connects strongly with the brand –noun Surveying platform •  Reflects the brand personality •  Unexpected and intriguing name •  Strong possibility of acquiring US trademark status •  Short and memorable •  Available domains: www.alidadecapital.com
10. BRAND EXTENSION A unique and key part of this naming process is the exploration of creative storytelling materials to aid in the final decision process. Once a client has selected 2-3 powerful names from the recommendation list and has received the green light from legal, we begin the process of exploring visual identity. These aides may take form as marks/icons, logo types, taglines, ad treatments, graphic layouts, environments and/or other relevant touch points. The top names are now ready for audience testing to gain insights on overall experience, appeals, strengths and possible negative associations. This final step helps guide the naming team in choosing the right, final name.
CELEBRATE …and start denting the marketplace!
REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS 1.  The Power of the Visual Identity – With presenting names alone, flat and untreated on a page, more times than often, they fail to capture the strength and potential of a name. Once a name is chosen, the visual identity will bring the name to life in a whole new way. Because we are visual creatures by nature, we tend to, subconsciously, judge names more negatively because they are in a static or visually plain state. 2.  The Power of the Criteria – Without benchmark criteria, naming efforts are lost to “gut feelings” and personal judgment. They play an extremely important role. They allow the development team to “weed” out names that have no tangible strengths and offer no long-term potential. 3.  The Illusion of Mass Acceptance – Every naming expert and consultant emphasizes that gaining 100% consensus from parties involved with a naming effort is improbable. Names like Xerox, Apple, Starbuck’s – names that have BECOME part of our daily vocabulary – all started out as somewhat vague and uninteresting to early decision makers and stakeholders. However, each was based on a positioning and has proven their worth beyond expectations. Communicate that objectivity is the key in choosing a name.
THE BIG 8 TAKEAWAYS 1.  Consider the long-term strategy for the name you’re developing and how the new brand name will fit into your company’s brand architecture and brand portfolio systems. 2.  Consider the real fixed and potential costs involved in creating, registering and defending a new name. 3.  Do a thorough inventory of competing names and brands – cast a wide net. 4.  Keep an open mind and generate a lot of options, hundreds if possible. 5.  Set up a defined criterion as to how names will be judged in the process and stick to it. 6.  Take the time to conduct native speaker linguistic checks. 7.  Seek out and use one of the many specialized naming consultancies and trademark attorneys to help navigate the numerous pitfalls associated with the naming process. 8.  Allocate the proper amount of time and resources to adequately communicate your new brand name to your intended target audiences.
CONTACT Scott Hauman shauman@daggerfin.com Director, Brand Strategy www.daggerfin.com Daggerfin @twitter.com/ScottHauman © Daggerfin 2010