Naming a product or a company is a difficult decision. Unlike most challenges you'll face, this one is in a field in which virtually everyone claims expertise. The first thing to remember when naming something is not to rely too heavily on another's advice. Names created by committee are usually losers.
Don't forget about the law. Your name can cause a Jurassic Park-size problem if you don't first conduct a legal name search. The last thing you want is to hit it big, then be forced to change your name because a tiny company has the same name and wants $100 million from you for the rights to it.
Start by sitting down and making a list of what you want your name to stand for in the mind of the consumer. Your name should reflect your name and your positioning. Haagen-Dazs is supposed to make you think of cold fjords and rich, creamy milk. It doesn't matter that there's no such person as Haagen or no such place as Dazs--the name serves its purpose.
You must decide what you want your name to imply. It's usually the first thing your prospects learn about you. Here are some of the things your name can tell your prospects about you:
- Quick
- The best
- Convenient
- Highest quality
- Experienced
- Fun
- Outrageous
- Reliable
- Inexpensive
- Guaranteed
- Recommended
- Honest
- Dangerous
- Unique
Once you've got your list of attributes, try it out on peers and focus groups. For example, if you're starting a dry cleaning service, ask them if the attributes you've chosen -- fast, reliable and inexpensive -- would meet their needs. If not, adjust your list and try again.
Related: How Can I Find a Good Name for My Business? (Video)
Now that you've got a list, you've got to make a decision. Do you want a name that's generic, descriptive or fanciful? Any lawyer will tell you that a fanciful name is the best sort of trademark. It's the easiest to protect from encroachment by competitors, and eventually it makes the strongest name. A fanciful name is one where no picture comes to mind. No one knows what a Nike or a Xerox looks like.
The problem with fanciful names is that it takes an awful lot of time and money to persuade the consumer that they stand for something. The name itself doesn't begin by positioning the product or the company. So for most guerrillas, a fanciful name is too expensive to develop into an asset.
The second alternative, which is more difficult to protect, is a descriptive name. These names help position your company or product, and they telegraph information about what you do. Some examples:
- Speedy Muffler
- Ultimate Auto Body
- College Pro Painters
Descriptive names are my favorites. They communicate enough about your product to help the sale, but they're unique and stick in the customer's mind and help stop the competition.
Related: How to Name Your Business
Lastly, you can use a generic name. These names are virtually unprotectable, but they have the ability to immediately telegraph what your business does.
Some generic names include:
- International Business Machines
- U.S. Steel
- Park Avenue Cleaners
- General Foods
As you can see, sometimes a generic name takes off and works, but in general, it's an uphill battle--you've positioned your company, but your company has no identity.
Examples of Good Names
- Faith Popcorn--a memorable name that reminds you that she doesn't take things too seriously.
- National Public Radio--a simple name that immediately connotes weight, seriousness, and the fact that everyone is involved.
- Staples--a simple word that brings together a ubiquitous office supply with another word for "essentials." Once learned, the user never forgets what it stands for.
- Head and Shoulders--the name lets you see the benefit of the product--no dandruff on your shoulders.
- Apple Computer--simple, friendly, basic, easy to remember.
Related: 'Bar Rescue' Asks: Is Your Business Name Hurting Your Business?
This article is an adapted excerpt from The Best of Guerrilla Marketing -- Guerrilla Marketing Remix (Entrepreneur 2011) by Jay Conrad Levinson and Jeannie Levinson and contributing authors, including Seth Godin.
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Comments:
What you call "fanciful" names are being labeled more and more as "brandable" names, specifically because a) they ARE easier to trademark as you mentioned, and b) it is easier to get the matching .com address. You can search for good examples of brandable names (the most popular example is "Google"). They may be a better fit than more traditional "descriptive" names, especially if your business is internet or technology based.
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Its quite interesting how many will turn to friends for advice when it comes to business decisions. Even more interesting when many of those friends are not professionals in that field so not realy suited to making recomendations. Yeah looks great, love that name. hmmmm Research and relevance. Its great to stand out from the crowd with your new whizbang name, but what does it stand for and will anyone be able to relate to it? Most of us wont have a gazillion dollars to throw at marketing the name so that people grow to love it. I agree its a tuff gig and thats without even considering IP, trademarks and domain name availability locally and potentially internationally.
Hey, just wanted to mention that Nike is in fact a Greek goddess. So, people do in fact know what a Nike is. Other than that, good article.
It's a good practice to use something abstract for a name.. since you don't know what your company will be dealing with after 10-15 years... A family name is good enough for this purpose. Especially when your name is short as mine 8-) 5 letters, starting with R.
I named my company in a very simple way. All it took was two Modelo beers, a visit to godaddy.com, and a creative mind. Five years later, I turned down an offer of $500K for my company name. It will be worth fifty times more than the orignal offer in five years.
I think the article contains useful information and is a great starting point for those who want to start a business.It's pretty rewarding when you choose by yourself the name of your business after a lot of brainstorming and research time. You can also find a lot of books for this certain topic such as "The art of the start" writen by Guy Kawasachi or other books as well. And of course, if your financial situation allows, you can always benefit the help of a professional.
great !that's what i need to know! next step is to get a neww logo, some guys recommend me LLLLogdesignnet。。。。。COMMM/i/2012 does any people heart about this logo team ! thx
Speedy Muffler is a personal favourite. I like to do the 'radio test' which I also do with domain names. Say it out loud as if you were given one chance to say it to an audience of radio listeners. Is it clear, memorable and enticing? If not, bin it.
I wish this post was out last year. Would've saved myself and probably others people's time in brainstorming names. I'll be sure to bookmark and come back to this for my next venture
Thank you for pointing this out. Whether the authors know who Nike is or not, they are still almost correct when they say that "No one knows what a Nike... looks like." Personally, I find this very sad.
Hi Jay, I have a client who is a printer whose name has been around for 20 years but means nothing in todays printing world. We are exploring a name change eliminating the word "reprographics" from the name but incorporating some of the values of the business to its customers. I like the idea of a fanciful name. Bob Baulch
Hi Jay! Good information has been posted. It would give better idea about how to name the business. I hope it is more helpful to new entrepreneurs.
Wow. Sounds easy. And in fact, following this advice will help you generate a name. But will it be a great name? Maybe, if you get lucky. The process of developing a great name is more complex than this article indicates. As a professional name developer, I will admit I am biased. But I tell people generating names is the easy part...knowing which names are the best at connecting with your target audience is the hard part...and that is where professionals earn their money. I have great respect for the authors of this article, but in this instance they have greatly oversimplified the task of developing a great name. Finally, please do not try out the list of attributes on "peers and focus groups" or even ask peers and focus groups which names they like. Have a great relationship with your target customer and you will know what attributes are important, and if you don't then please ask the target customer, not your friends and family. And whatever you do, don't allow the biases of a few in a focus group to dictate your naming choices.
A simple search may not be sufficient to confirm the name's availability. We recommend a full trademark search, particularly when the corporate name is the brand name.
Thanks for the insights but naming a business should not be done in a quick way. The Business owner should also be aware if a certain name is already taken or used. You can check business name listings at your local business registry. There are also crowdsourcing website like Squadhelp.com, Kluster.com where the crowd could you provide a lot of creative name suggestions for your business.
This article does not mention one important check, is a website (preferably .com) available.
Name for the product or company be more helpful to get the more people connect with you. But it is necessary to create the brand image positively in people's mind. As an instance take a coca cola. Even a small child know this product. And here great tips shared with us which be helpful to create or choose the name for the product. Thanks for such information.
It was very interesting for me since i hope to start a new business in the future.Thank you very much
It was very interesting for me since i hope to start a new business in the future .Thank you very much
The name I have in mind satisfies most of the 8! Thanks for the advice.
I run a laundry business by the name of "Ironman Laundry Services." I meet a lot of industry related people and many clients. When I revisit or recall for business purposes, they hardly remember my name. However, when I say, "I'm from Ironman...." everyone always remembers.
A "Nike" looks something like this: http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Cities/ColchisNike.jpg She is the Greek goddess of victory.