9 Characteristics of a Successful Brand Name

Some people approach the naming of their company or product as if they’re David Copperfield, pulling magically names out of a hat. That may work for a lucky few. Rarely does work well in the long run.

The best brand names are multidimensional. Which means they created by a strictly objective process. Most companies choose their name by thinking of a few cool sounding names. Then they make their selection based on the one they feel has the “It Factor”.

Going about naming this way often ends in disaster. Some examples include:

• Getting sued for trademark infringement
• Name limits your company growth
• The name doesn’t resonate with your company or audience

Welcome to the matrix

When clients hire us to name a company or product we go though very elaborate research and development process to come up with100-300 different names and concepts. Afterwards these names are plugged into a matrix and graded against 9 different characteristics.

1. Aesthetics – Pleasing to the eye.
2. Originality – Different from competitors.
3. Depth – Layered with meaning and rich in creative flexibility.
4. Contagious – Buzz worthy, vital, and strong enough to live one.
5. Humanity – Communicates our values and culture.
6. Compliance – Aligns with brand strategy, style, and story angle.
7. Stickiness – Memorable, timeless, and hard to forget.
8. Sound – Rolls off the tongue and pleasing to the ear.
9. Gettability – Trademark/domain availability.

Each characteristic has a weight that attributes to the ‘score’ of each name. As a result, many names get eliminated because they fail to meet the minimum requirements. Afterwards refine and reduce this list until we’ve narrowed down the names to the final 10.

This is where the real fun begins. You may go through this process and still have a hard time finalizing a name. However if you find yourself in this situation give us a shout. We’re happy to help.