Brand name selection plays a pivotal role in the brand development process. This name becomes the identity of a business on all platforms. It communicates, identifies, protects, and legalizes the brand for market operations. However, it is not something you can choose out of the blue! The perfect brand name is the one that expresses the nature, motto, ideology, and emotion of the business. It must connect with customers and convey a sentiment to the target audience. So, how can you come to a decision? How can you simplify this daunting task? Let us explore a few steps that will aid your thought process and come to a fruitful judgment.
Notable Traits of A Good Brand Name
Every brand name possesses some basic traits and characteristics that you can adopt for your business. Although there is no magic trick behind the selection process, you need to justify a few grounds. Your preferred title must beget these notable traits to express a functional idea.
- Meaningful: The name you choose must communicate the essence and purpose of your business. It must hold a deep meaning that connects with your customers.
- Accessible: Your brand name must stand out from your opponent firms and businesses. Try to think of a memorable one!
- Unique: The name you choose will become your business’s identity to the people. Nevertheless, you need a unique identity!
- Future-Proof: They must hold some conviction in it. It must suit your business even if it expands in different markets.
- Preservable: You must be able to “own” the name you have chosen and trademark it for the future. So, if you have chosen a name that already exists, you may not get to legalise it.
- Visually Adaptable: The name must be visually adaptable so that you can communicate it through creative designs, including logos, icons and imagery.
Simple Steps to Determine The Perfect Brand Name
Once you have realised the significance and implication of a brand name, it is essential to understand how you can decide on one! You can follow these steps to narrow down a few suitable names for your business.
- Articulate The Nature of Brand: The nature of your business must be expressive in the name you choose for it! Every successful brand has established a unique identity in the market. For instance, the name Audi is a Latin translation of the founder’s surname, and it means “listen” in English. This deep connectivity of thoughts is an articulation of the brand in literal terms. Therefore, you must aim for this kind of creation!
- Brainstorm Implicative Ideas: Do not stick to a group of words or letters that occur to you randomly. Delve deep into thoughts and brainstorm ideas that have a meaning to them and are relatable to your business. You must follow a meticulous process to ration your thoughts into proper implications. Do not rely upon random judgments.
- Build on Brand Motto: Your brand motto and ideology must be the foundation of your thought process. Every word that you consider to be a potential name for your company must relate to its nature. Do not form vague names that consumers cannot find relatable and meaningful.
- Play Around With Letters: Play around with letters to form creative words, as you do not have to stick to the English dictionary. Most brand names are translations of lost languages or dialects but sound catchy and interesting. You can also think of something out of the box!
- Focus On Keeping It Short: The Gen Z audience and customers believe in catchy and short names. All the popular and beloved brands are 5-8 letters words. For instance, Gucci, Prada, Pepsi, Lux, etc., are the most common ones, but the list goes on! This theory may sound like a common idea that we all know. But how you conclude here makes a difference!
- Test The Shortlisted Names: Once you have shortlisted a few names that justify all the discussed grounds, you should test their existence. Consult a legal advisor as well as a brand development expert to choose the best of all!
Productive Tips To Simplify The Selection Process
The more you think, the more puzzling it gets to conclude! How can you decide on a name that is catchy, meaningful, expressive, and conclusive? What if the name you choose already exists? These questions will cloud your judgment as you try to name your brand creatively. Here are some tips that may help you get clarity on your thoughts and make a fruitful decision.
- You can add some distinctiveness to your brand name by using characters or punctuations in it. “Yahoo!” (uses exclamation) is one of the most popular examples in this category.
- Follow the “less is more” formula. Do not use too many letters or complicated phrases in your brand name.
- If nothing short suits your company’s nature, you can use catchy acronyms to represent your brand. For instance, TCS stands for Tata Consultancy Services, but we name it by the acronym the company highlights.
- Research the meaning of your selected name well enough in the countries where you wish to expand in future. Some words mean different things as the geographic locations change.
- Always get verbal input from a legal advisor since you need your brand name censored. Your selected set of words or alphabets must be viable in the legal books of your state or country.
Take Insightful Suggestions From The Experts
Giving your brand recognition in the market is the most crucial decision you will ever make! While there is no harm in keeping this decision-making process to yourself, it is better to take it to the courtship of experts. Yes, consult the trained professionals at Vowels to vet your selected brand name! Our team has enough practical expertise in brand development to provide end-to-end consultation. We can help you ration your thoughts and come to a decision that will be fruitful for your brand. Vowels understands brand psychology perfectly. Contact us for more information!
