Five Questions To Ask Before You Approve Your Next Brand Name

By Author: martin well
Total Articles: 364
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1) Does the name break any rules?
If it doesn't, try again. Last year, 305,000 trademark registration applications were filed in the U.S. With all that clutter, just fitting in won't work. If you don't want to get lost in the mix, you have to look different, sound different – your brand naming strategy has to help you stand out, get attention, generate interest, and tell a new story. Your brand name has to offer a different message that's unexpected and relevant to your customer.

2) Will it make your competitors grimace?
Since a registered brand name is the one thing your competitors can't take away from you, it needs to make them wince every time they see it. If you think they'll just shrug it off or create something better, take it off the list.

3) Does the name make a promise or tell a story?
If it doesn't, don't approve it. Great brand names are like small poems. All the components of the name – every letter, word unit, and sound – work together to deliver strategic messages.

Too ...
... often, brand name selection is done on the basis of what the name means at a particular moment, as opposed to the messages that they can keep delivering. What would you rather have: Anti Glare sunglasses or a pair of RayBans?

If you think about it, selecting the right brand name can be your toughest marketing challenge – and for good reason. It's the cornerstone of your product's relationship with its customer. The right name sets the whole concept in motion.

4) Is the name descriptive or suggestive of a feature or benefit?
If so, make sure it is the single most compelling benefit that consumers will need over the next 10 years. This could make or break the brand.

5) Are you comfortable with the name?
If you are, you might have a good brand name, but you don't have a great one. Oscar Wilde once said that an idea that isn't dangerous is hardly worth calling an idea at all. It's the same with a brand name. A great name provokes. It takes chances. This attitude attracts customers and the market to your brand. Let the other guys just fit in.

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