INSIGHTName in Vain.
More process and less hope is essential to brand/product naming.
The Rolling Stones. There’s a great name, selected in 1962, and the last good one. Sorry everybody who bought a guitar since then. You’ll just have to settle for being Doja Cat. Even tougher luck if you have just started a business that won’t headline Coachella. According to the US Census Bureau, more than 5.1 million new businesses were formed in 2021 alone. Even though Twitter, Led Zeppelin, and Childish Gambino are already taken, composing a great name for your organization is critical.
A name is the most tangible expression of an organization, product, or service. It will bear the most weight of all brand components. That is not to say it is the most important, but it will be the most frequently used. What the name will come to represent to its audiences will have more to do with what the organization does to make it meaningful and less to do with “the perfect name.” A name will come to quickly communicate meaning, reputation, and expectations. It will be the lead in all press. It will have a significant impact on a logo, story, and all go-to-market assets. When someone asks an employee where they work or what they are working on, the name will often come first and be attached to everything that employee says next.
Brand, Über Alles
For a name (or a rename) to be selected that is capable of carrying all the meaning that a company will put into a brand, the company needs to have a strong brand in the first place. Company and product names are successful because of what the people behind them do to make a company work, and for that to happen, vision and purpose must be clearly defined, ownable assets (more on that in a later post).
It’s Not Your Fault
More often than not, we hear of start-ups with names that are neither great nor horrible. They’re just… okay. Fine. Why does this critical process trend toward meh?
Our naming works most often begins after our clients execs have drained their well of clever ideas: backs of napkins, vague memories of mythology, portmanteaus and initialisms, and even a consultation with the Wu Tang Clan (planning on changing my LinkedIn name to “Wacko Swami” right after I post this little missive.)
The problem isn’t that our clients lack creativity. Nor is it that they aren’t willing to put in the time and effort necessary to conjure a good name. The problem is that it’s a crowded house. This means:
Subjectivity will kill most of the good ideas.
Legal availability will maim most of the rest.
Process, volume, and often a mindset of non-attachment are critical for success. And, given that most organizations do this once (or twice), and agencies like is + at do this all the time, our process and stamina are valuable assets.
Shameless plug; also true.
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Matthew Thornton
15 July, 2022