What’s In A Name? 3 Tips For Successful Brand Naming
As we come out of COVID-19 and start slowly reentering something that feels like (sort of) normal life, it’s not just individuals who are rethinking their approach to everyday life. Businesses are re-emerging with new perspectives, goals, and strategies, and with that comes a desire to start fresh. And in the business world, that means a rebranding.
Here at Lyons Creative, we love a good rebranding project. There’s nothing quite as exciting as helping a company or non-profit organization reimagine their look, feel, and messaging to fit how they want their customers and supporters to see them.
Naming is one of the most challenging (and most rewarding) parts of any rebranding project, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. When you’re thinking about completely changing your name, there are so many factors to consider and stakeholders to please.
I could write a whole book on naming strategy (and plenty have been written already) but for the sake of brevity, here are three of the most important criteria you should consider when evaluating any potential new name.
1. IS IT MEMORABLE?
Creatives very non-scientifically and non-poetically call this “stickiness.” Is your name “sticky"? Will it stick in customers’ heads and remain top of mind for as long as possible?
Sometimes very clever names are incredibly memorable. Consider these examples. I love the company name of Acorns, an app that rounds up your purchases to help you “squirrel away” money in an investment account, a few cents at a time. Same goes for the sunny, cheerful, and size-inclusive women’s swimwear brand Summersalt.
However, go too abstract or too literal in your name and you won’t get the name recognition and “stickiness” you crave.
2. IS IT OWNABLE?
Thanks to good ol’ technology, it’s never been easier to register a business or stake your claim on your URL. Because of that, it can be hard to find a brand name that isn’t already taken in one way or another.
Short of making up a new word, you probably won’t find a company name that hasn’t been taken by anyone—another company, a non-profit, a blog, a social media account, a book, a podcast, a clothing line...you get the idea. But the most important factor in making sure your brand name is ownable is making sure nobody in a similar space is using the same or a very similar name. So, if you’re a dental practice, you will want to steer clear of using a name similar to other medical practices in your area. Your customers will thank you for helping them avoid confusion, and it’ll save you lots of administrative headaches, too.
Before you commit to a name, it’s important to ask your lawyer to confirm there isn’t significant trademark risk. #notalawyer
3. IS IT USABLE?
It’s easy to think of your brand’s name as just a URL or something to put on a business card. But it’s important to think of the name as part of your full brand ecosystem. Depending on the type of business you run, your name will need to work well in a variety of different places—on product packaging, spoken at networking events and in presentations, and shared in the media. Make sure the name you choose stands up in all your most common use cases.
Written by Jen Lyons
