Business Naming Basics

Business naming can be more productive when you have a great number of name candidates from which to choose.

The longer the list, the more diversity and creativity emerges – also the more points from which to diverge and thus add more candidates. Business naming is not a game of numbers, but the more candidates you have, the closer you come to a “perfect” name.

Here’s a way to increase the length of your list as well as provide two or three name candidates that might show up on your short list.

Review your list looking for two-word candidates in the form of adjective-noun. Then reverse the two words.

Thus, “Strategic Innovations” becomes “Innovations Strategic”. “Medical Insights” becomes “Insights Medical”. “Proactive Solutions” – “Solutions Proactive”. “Legal Perspectives” – “Perspectives Legal”.

Not only is the idea retained, it’s presented in a unique way that makes it more memorable.

You can sometimes change the reversed noun into an adjective as well. The example I share here is my own company name, Signature Strategies. When I first reverse the two words we get “Strategies Signature”. Not very promising, even with punctuation. But by changing Strategies into an adjective we get Strategic Signatures. I could have lived with that if “Signature Strategies” had been unavailable to me.

Remember the key to effective business naming: “the more the merrier”.

 

Tags: Naming Ideas by MartinJ
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I ran across another blog that presented some advice on business naming.

As usual, everyone has their own set of opinions concerning effective company naming, and Kathy of Virtual Impax had a couple of deeply felt feelings about her company’s name and about naming companies in general.

First, her list of naming criteria

1. A great small business name tells what you do.
2. A great small business name communicates your business’ unique place in the universe.
3. A great small business name uses words that people can easily spell.
4. A great small business name uses words that people are using to search for solutions to the GDP (not Gross Domestic Product but rather Goals, Desires and Problems).

I can somewhat agree with the last two and wholeheartedly agree with the second, but as I commented on her blog about number 1: “However, there is one piece of advice you’ve provided that I disagree with. That’s having your name describe your business. Inevitably that leads to confusion because it can easily be mentally transferred to another company with a similar name. In addition, descriptive names are inevitably long, usually three-words, so names get reduced to three-initials that have no personality or relevance.” I forgot to add that descriptive names are usually generic, thus hard to trademark”

I then suggested that: “I want my clients to have names that differentiate them from their competitors – names that are memorable as well as easy to pronounce and are suggestive of a benefit or solution if possible. The name should reflect the character of the business, should set the tone.”

She stated she thought her company name, Virtual Impax, was not a good name because…

1)People asked her, “What do you do?” (I believe that to be an opening for your elevator speech, and that’s a good thing.)
2)Even clients don’t spell the name correctly so sometimes she has to return checks. (I think it’s great she acquired those clients. Could the name, being different, have contributed to acquiring that paying client in the first place?)

I’m not saying Virtual Impax is a perfect name.There will always be some controversy about corporate names. I’ve never seen, much less created, a perfect name. It’s “progress, not perfection” in the naming game.

Tags: Name Evaluation by MartinJ
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The other day in the blog about Business Naming: the Poet’s Role I recommended alliteration as an effective business naming technique.

In fact my own company name, Signature Strategies, is based on alliteration. So was my first company’s name, Marketing Matters.

But notice anything else about both those names?

Well, they both rely on double meaning as well.

“Signature” is not only appropriate for a branding agency because I help clients develop a “signature”, it also means “premium” as in Signature Soups.

And “Matters” means, according to my American Heritage Dictionary, “a business affair or thing” as well as “to be of importance”.

So why is this a good thing?

People like the “aha” feeling they get when discovering a name has a double meaning. They “get it”. It’s like discovering an “Easter Egg” in a piece of software. They also like to pass it on so they’ll look smart.

So both those company names use two techniques, alliteration and double-meaning, to enhance memory and introduce a pleasant feeling that can develop into a branding success.

Tags: Naming Ideas by MartinJ
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Company names that rhyme are memorable and pleasurable.

So are corporate names built upon alliteration.

Not only will rhyming or alliteration help make your name more memorable, these techniques add a cadence, a lilt, that makes these names pleasurable to say.

So use alliteration (Signature Strategies, Peak Paths) or rhyming (Compliance Alliance, Rare Care) when you are naming a business that relies on referrals. If people like to “say” a name, they’ll remember it and feel good about passing it on. That’s the rhyme and reason these techniques work so well.

You don’t have to be a Shakespeare to use either of these devises. And usually one or two will just pop up as you play with words appropriate to the business.

Then just look for more

Tags: Naming Ideas by MartinJ
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Like almost anything else, corporate names can be classified by type or category. Why would you want to do this?

Well, some types are more effective, more powerful name types than others. So with the descriptions below, I’ll also give my opinions about each types business naming effectiveness.

Before proceeding I must insert a couple of disclaimers. Quite often a name could logically fall into more than one category.

Also the categories themselves are not what you’d call “industry standards”. You’ll see other classifications in which different terminology is used, or where additional name types are defined and one or two of my list are omitted.

The purpose to this blog post is to identify name effectiveness.

Personal Names

These are businesses named after people. Both last names and first names qualify for this category. Multiple names are also included. Naming your business with your own name can be effective if your name carries some recognition with your market, or if you wish to establish a “personal brand”. However, personal names are not very distinctive. And if you ever plan to sell the business, your name on the door may be a deal-killer. You may also have a problem trademarking a personal name depending upon the other words contained in the name.

Geographic Names

These names are derived from place-names. They might be names of municipalities, states, geographic landmarks or features, regional “nicknames” (Queen City) or streets and other man-made places. Not included in this category are names beginning with “American” or “National”, or ending in “International” or “Global”. Using a local name as your business name will not differentiate you in the least. Just open a phone book to the name of your city or state to see what I mean. There may be gold in a geographic name as I pointed out in the post, 10,000 Business Names at your Fingertips, so don’t reject this name source out-of-hand. But please, don’t follow the crowd. One other thing: geographic names may be difficult to trademark.

Descriptive Names

These are names that, to some extent, describe the business being named. Many names in this category will begin with a suggestive word or benefit followed by one or two descriptive words. (Integrated Management Services, Enterprise Information Management, etc.). They can also be descriptive of the business’s industry, product category or product function. Descriptive names are, by and large, the least effective names. They normally rely on passive, Latin-derived words. They are usually too-long. Quite often descriptive names get shortened to an acronym, and that ain’t good as I explain in the next paragraph, Names from Initials. One last thing, as companies evolve over time, descriptive names become obsolete causing companies to re-name in order to reflect new directions and trends. Descriptive names can also be difficult to trademark.
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Names from Initials

In this group are names comprised of initials. There may be a word or two following (C&S Construction), but the name is about initials. They may or may not be acronyms. But the fact that they are just a string of letters makes them hard to remember and to associate with the company, its products, services or brand. Initials have no personality, do not differentiate and generate no passion. They are like model numbers. Nuff said.

Arbitrary Names

In this category are names that are not descriptive or suggestive of the companies having assumed them. Nor do they fit in other categories like geographic or historic. Examples include: Arbor Networks, Gryphon Technologies, Blue Pumpkin. Here are names that can become house-hold words, that can be promoted with imaging and messaging “out-of-the-box”. The best example is Apple. But be careful. Many companies have attempted to follow Apple’s lead only to call. Think of Zebra and Radish, both hi-tech darlings for a few minutes. They probably didn’t thrive because of other factors, but imitating a name type might demonstrate a “me-too” approach to running the businesses. Arbitrary names are usually not too difficult to trademark.

Suggestive Names

Here, a business incorporates a word, usually the first word, that suggests a benefit, or at least a positive attribute of the company. Examples: Summit Mortgage, Priority Leasing, Precision Staffing. Also included in this group is a sub-category, Historic/Classic names. They were enfolded here because these words are usually suggestive of positive attributes (Athena, Lincoln, Galileo). If a suggestive name is meme-like, it can be powerful. (Memes are words or images that upon exposure are instantly associated with an idea, situation or activity, and evoke a common reaction.) Trademarking a suggestive name is usually fairly easy.
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Offbeat Names

This is a potpourri of small categories. They include: alphanumeric names (5Linx Enterprises), whimsical/humorous names Jamba Juice), names comprised of phrases (Counsel On Call), and non-English names. There’s just too much variation within the offbeat class to classify the category as to effectiveness or trademarkibility.

Coined-Word Names

This group is comprised of names that were “made-up” or derived from sets of letters from other words. Five types are identified here: combined words (CyberStaff America), fuzed words (Amerisource Funding), tacked/clipped words (Fanta), alternately spelled words (Sirius Solutions), and morpheme constructions (Adonix). Although there are a great variety of coined-word names, I can generalize about them. First, most people don’t like them initially, but with exposure and association, coined names grow on people. It does take time, however. In addition, they are the easiest to trademark. They, like suggestive names, can be powerful if they are derived from memes. They can also be based upon parts of descriptive, suggestive and even personal word-parts. When combined, fuzed, tacked or clipped, they become differentiated even though they impart the connotations of the original words. I’m a fan.

Summary

Yes, the list above is somewhat arbitrary. But every list of name types is somewhat arbitrary. I’ve recently performed an analysis of some 5,000 names and used this classifying system. And even though you can place some names in more than a single category, there was room for every single name.

So I hope you’ll find this classification useful. And remember, coined-word names and suggestive names are generally the most effective in differentiating a company with a unique and compelling presence.

Tags: Naming Resources by MartinJ
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I recently read a blog post at Greentech Media about a trend toward creating company names with double vowel words. Here are several they mentioned: Jadoo, Soraa, Kaai, Deeya, Oorja.

As I commented on their blog, I think it will be a short-lived trend.

Using double-e’s and double-o’s are perfectly acceptable in the middle or the end of a word, but to lead off with “Ee” or “Oo” makes it difficult for readers to pronounce and comprehend. As for double a’s, i’s and u’s, they just complicate the pronunciation and comprehension situation even farther – no matter where in the word they happen to be placed.

Now I’m an advocate of unique corporate names. But I also have other criteria I attempt to apply, sometimes with limited success. Those criteria might include memorability, relevance and comfort.

I’m also an advocate of coined word names (aka neologisms) for their uniqueness. But I also apply the criteria of memorability, relevance and comfort – along with pronouncibility.

In the names cited by Greentech, the name origins were often relevant to the company or product in another, sometimes obsolete, language. That doesn’t excuse their adoption unless they’re only marketing to Sri Lanka natives or sandskrit readers.

Names are sometimes adopted out of desperation. There’s not enough time to come up with a really superb name in the first week or so. Then the outlandish and obscure are seen in a favorable light.

Since the business name is vital in reflecting the corporate personality and tenor, I suggest taking all the time it takes and don’t settle for obscurity.

Tags: Naming Issues by MartinJ
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You can either find or invent good company names.

Business naming can be arduous and frustrating, but there’s a way to generate literally hundreds of name candidates in a short while.

Get a good Atlas. There are thousands of place names listed in the index of your atlas. Just scan the lists. The are Anglo-Saxon, American Indian, nostalgic, patriotic and quirky candidates galore.

You’ll likely find a slew of corporate names that might set just the right mood and convey the appropriate image for your business.

I’ll sometimes use an Atlas just to get the creative juices flowing. I might find a dozen or so candidates from, say Vermont which can be used “as is” or combined with other word roots, prefixes or suffixes (i.e. combining Alpha with the last syllable of Piedmont = Alphamont).

The founder of Haverhills mail-order business confessed that he adapted his business name just this way. He knew nothing of Haverhill, MA. He just liked the sound of it. It’s been a successful catalog company since the mid-1960’s.

When you use a world Atlas, or an historic Atlas, the candidates just multiply.

As an added incentive, you might find a great place to visit once your company starts generating cash flow.

Tags: Naming Ideas by MartinJ
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Quite often a business name will come to mind, and then adapted by the entrepreneur in charge even before the business plan has been written.

Bad idea.

A lot of information needs to be sifted and digested before a start-up is ready for a corporate name.

The very first thing that must be considered: Exactly what are you naming? Identify that first.

Is it a single business that has no aspirations for going global? Is it the company only that you are naming, or is it also a product line, a series of models or styles, or a single service?

I have a client and friend who had used the same name for his first product and for his company. He came to me when he was ready to introduce his second product. Already in his third month of business he had experienced the need for a standard naming hierarchy.

For companies who plan to introduce multiple product lines, and models and styles within them, you may need to establish a naming hierarchy early on just to make sure you won’t be confusing customers later on.

Perhaps you will be naming a product that is replaced by newer versions – like software – so you’ll want to establish that ground work early with a hierarchy, or as some prefer to call it, a brand architecture.

From the very beginning, set up a structure for your new and future names. By so doing you won’t have to backtrack later when re-naming can be costly and confusing to customers and prospects.

Tags: Naming Issues by MartinJ
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I’ve done about a dozen name preference studies since 2000, and inevitably name candidates that are made up of coined words seldom win.

That’s because people don’t like the unfamiliar.

As with everything unfamiliar, the coined name is suspect, but once people get used to pronouncing the new word and get form some associations with it, then it becomes okay.

It may take a little time, but once established a coined name will carve its own notch.

It’s usually worth this period of adjustment in the long run. Remember who “funny” Google sounded when you first heard it? Now, of course its established and represents the largest, most innovative company on the Internet.

The point is to have a unique name. Because without one, there’s little to convey the difference between your offering and your competitors.

So be brave. Adopt the unfamiliar and the unique. Strongly consider a coined name and benefit in the long run.

Tags: Naming Strategies by MartinJ
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IBM, RCA, AIG and MSN are recognized corporate names, but I wouldn’t follow their lead when naming a company.

First of all, almost all three-initial named companies began as something else: International Business Machines, Radio Corporation of America, etc., etc. Those names were so cumbersome shorthand names were naturally adopted, probably internally at first, but rapidly spreading to suppliers, distributors and customers. The next step was adopting the shorthand in the companies’ external communications. So over time, and with big communications budgets, the initials began to represent the company.

But with newly-formed companies initials mean nothing.

Initials have no personality They don’t resonate. They don’t inspire. They communicate no passion, history or expertise. They are just initials, having no actual meaning, just an identification – like a part number.

Most often those initials stand for something. But I know one company from the 1970’s whose initialed name stood for nothing relevant. That company was NBI, and those initials stood for “nothing but initials”. Needless to say, it was a Boulder-based company. And it no longer exists.

But usually those three initials represent multi-syllable, Latin-ending, generic descriptors that vaguely describe the company’s business category. So they started off with a bad company naming strategy – making the name comply to its industry and/or product description. What else could they do except to adopt the initials?

Now some initial sets can work as names if those initials already have a familiar and appealing connotation for their customers because of previous associations: MVP, QED, ASAP come to mind. But most three-initial names might just as well have been picked from a bowl of alphabet soup by a blindfolded chimp as far as relevance is concerned.

The best names for companies are short, active one or two word names. Even a coined word name is so much better than lifeless initials. And usually those short names have fewer syllables than a set of three initials. Remember that a major function of a corporate name is to represent the company in a distinctive, memorable way. Names like Google, Yahoo, Amazon, Apple are easily remembered compared to CRW, MSN, AOL and IMC.

So when naming a business, stick to words, preferably one or two short, active Anglo-Saxon words.

You may be long-remembered for your efforts.

Tags: Naming Issues by MartinJ
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