9 Critical Brand Naming Principals
Summary
TLDRStephen Houraghan from BrandMasterAcademy.com shares nine essential brand naming principles in this video, guiding business owners to strategically select names that resonate with audiences and avoid common pitfalls. He emphasizes the importance of contextual memorability, framing the brand's core idea, and ensuring clarity and meaning in the name. Houraghan also advises on the significance of the brand name in facilitating growth and the necessity of a thorough, thoughtful process to arrive at the perfect name.
Takeaways
- 📝 The importance of strategic brand naming is often overlooked, with many business owners choosing names without considering the long-term impact on brand perception and memorability.
- 🎯 Brand names should be strategic tools that help convey the brand's positioning and differentiation, rather than just catchy or familiar terms.
- 🌟 A brand name should aim to be memorable and contextually relevant, helping audiences remember the brand for the intended reasons.
- 🖌️ The brand name should frame the 'big idea' of the brand, solidifying its position in the audience's mind and reflecting its core purpose and values.
- 🔍 Brand names should have meaning, tying into the brand's mission, vision, and the transformation it aims to offer its customers.
- 💡 Clarity is crucial in brand names to avoid confusion and ensure the audience easily understands the brand's identity and offerings.
- 🚫 Avoid using acronyms or confusing names that may hinder the audience's ability to connect with and remember the brand.
- 🧠 Memorability is key; brand names should be easy to recall and not solely descriptive of what the business does, as other tools can serve that purpose.
- 🛍️ The brand name should facilitate the brand's success, but it is not the sole determinant of success; the overall brand experience is paramount.
- 🔍 Before finalizing a brand name, ensure it is available for use, including checking for existing trademarks and securing a suitable domain name.
- 🕰️ Choosing a brand name is a process that requires time and consideration; avoid rushing into the most obvious options and explore a wide range of possibilities.
- 🔄 Strategic naming involves a thorough process, and the perfect name may not present itself immediately, but with patience and effort, it will emerge.
Q & A
What are the nine critical brand naming principles discussed in the video?
-The nine principles are: 1) The brand name is a strategic tool. 2) The brand name should frame the big idea. 3) The brand name should have meaning. 4) Aim for clarity in the brand name. 5) Memorability is critical. 6) The name facilitates the brand. 7) The name should be available. 8) Choose your name slowly. 9) Strategic naming is a process.
Why is it a disadvantage to name a brand before any strategic brand development processes are in place?
-Naming a brand before strategic development is at a disadvantage because the brand name is a strategic tool that can influence audience perception and memory. Without proper strategy, the brand may not effectively communicate its value or position in the market.
What is the importance of contextual memorability in brand naming?
-Contextual memorability is important because it helps the audience remember the brand based on the context and the idea the brand wants to convey, shaping their perception of what the brand represents.
How does the brand name help in framing the big idea of a brand strategy?
-The brand name helps frame the big idea by supporting the brand's positioning and differentiators, making it easier for the audience to understand and remember why the brand is unique compared to competitors.
Why should a brand name have meaning?
-A brand name with meaning is more likely to be emotionally adopted by both internal brand representatives and the audience, as it ties into the brand's purpose, beliefs, and the transformation it aims to provide to its customers.
What is the role of clarity in a brand name?
-Clarity in a brand name ensures that the audience can easily understand and remember the brand, avoiding confusion that might hinder the brand's goal of bringing the audience and business closer together.
Why is it not advisable to use acronyms in brand naming?
-Acronyms can be confusing and may not be easily understood by the audience, which goes against the brand's goal of clarity and ease of communication.
How does the brand name facilitate the brand's success?
-While the brand name itself does not guarantee success, it facilitates growth by being memorable and leading the audience back to the positive experiences they have had with the brand.
What checks should be performed to ensure a brand name is available for use?
-Checks should include verifying that there are no existing trademarks on the name within the relevant class and ensuring that a suitable domain name, preferably a .com, is available.
Why is it recommended to choose a brand name slowly and not rush the process?
-Choosing a brand name slowly allows for a thorough exploration of possibilities and helps avoid settling on the most obvious options, which may not be the best solutions for the brand's long-term strategic goals.
What is the significance of viewing strategic naming as a process rather than an immediate idea?
-Viewing strategic naming as a process acknowledges that finding the perfect name requires time, effort, and exploration of various options, increasing the likelihood of discovering a name that aligns with the brand's strategic objectives.
Outlines
📚 Strategic Brand Naming Principles
Stephen Houraghan from BrandMasterAcademy.com introduces nine essential principles for brand naming. He emphasizes the importance of strategic naming over spontaneous decisions based on personal preference or sentimentality. Houraghan explains that a brand name is a tool to plant a seed in the audience's mind, influencing their perception of the brand. He uses the analogy of naming a dog to illustrate how names can shape our initial impressions and applies this concept to brand names, highlighting the need for names that are contextually memorable and strategically aligned with the brand's positioning and differentiation.
🔍 The Importance of Meaningful Brand Names
The paragraph delves into the significance of brand names that carry meaning, reflecting the brand's purpose, beliefs, and the transformation it aims to offer its customers. Houraghan stresses that a meaningful name is more likely to be emotionally adopted by both the brand's representatives and its audience. He advises against confusing names, especially acronyms, which can hinder the brand's goal of bringing the audience and business closer together. The role of the brand name, according to Houraghan, is to facilitate brand recall and memorability, not to describe the business, which should be achieved through other tools like taglines or slogans.
🚀 Prioritizing Memorability and Availability in Brand Names
Houraghan discusses the critical nature of memorability in brand names, advising against descriptive names that fail to stand out. He highlights that the brand name's role is to be easily recalled by the audience. Furthermore, he touches on the practical aspect of brand naming, emphasizing the necessity of ensuring the name's availability, including checking for trademarks and securing an appropriate domain name. He also warns against the pitfall of entrepreneurs seeking a name like 'Apple,' clarifying that success comes from the brand's experiences, not just its name.
🛠️ The Brand Naming Process and Its Pitfalls
In the final paragraph, Houraghan outlines the brand naming process, urging a slow and thoughtful approach to avoid settling on the most obvious options too quickly. He advises exhaustive exploration of all possible names and stresses that finding the perfect name is a process that requires time and effort. He also points out that many business owners underestimate the strategic importance of brand names, often selecting them without considering their impact on brand perception and audience connection. Houraghan concludes by inviting viewers to share their experiences and challenges with brand naming and to seek further insights at BrandMasterAcademy.com.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Brand Naming
💡Strategic Brand Development
💡Memorability
💡Contextual Memorability
💡Brand Positioning
💡Brand Differentiator
💡Sentimentality
💡Acronyms
💡Clarity
💡Domain Availability
💡Strategic Naming Process
Highlights
Stephen Houraghan introduces nine critical brand naming principles for strategic brand development.
Most businesses select brand names without strategic processes, leading to disadvantages in brand perception.
The importance of a brand name as a strategic tool to influence audience perception from the first touchpoint.
Brand names are often chosen based on personal preference rather than strategic relevance.
The impact of brand names on shaping audience perceptions, similar to how we perceive a dog named 'Fluffy' versus 'Killer'.
Contextual memorability is key for a brand name to be remembered for the intended context.
Brand names should frame the big idea and differentiate the brand from competitors.
Meaningful brand names tied to the brand's purpose and mission are more likely to be emotionally adopted.
Clarity in brand names is crucial to avoid confusion and align with the brand's goals.
Memorability of a brand name is critical for easy recall and brand recognition.
The role of a brand name is to facilitate brand recall, not to solely define brand success.
Ensuring brand name availability through trademark and domain checks is essential.
Choosing a brand name is a slow and thoughtful process to avoid settling on the most obvious options.
Strategic naming is a process that requires time and effort to uncover the perfect name.
The video emphasizes the often-underestimated importance of brand naming in overall brand building.
Invitation for viewers to share their experiences and challenges with brand naming in the comments.
Encouragement to subscribe for more actionable brand strategy tips and techniques.
Transcripts
What's up brand builders! Stephen Houraghan here of BrandMasterAcademy.com and in this
video you're gonna learn nine critical brand naming principals that you can use
when naming your brand your business your product or your service so you can
avoid the mistakes that most business owners make and plant a strategic seed
in the mind of your audience from the very first touchpoint.
now if you're new to the channel and you want actionable brand strategy tips and techniques to
grow your business well then hit that subscribe button and the notification
bell and you'll be well on your way now my experience I would say over
90% of brand names are selected long before any kind of strategic brand
development processes are put into place usually the business owner comes up with
the idea for the business and soon after comes up with a name for that
business based on nothing other than the fact that they believe it sounds good
they believe it sounds catchy or even worse one of their family members has
come up with this idea and now they've got an element of sentimentality attached to it
and they don't want to let it go but either way any business or brand that is
named in this manner is at a massive disadvantage because the brand name is
actually a strategic tool that the brand strategist can use to plant a seed in
the mind of the audience as to why that brand should be remembered so if it is
named early on in the business development stage and not the brand
development stage well then this business and this future brand is at a
massive disadvantage now let me give you an example here let's say you have a new
neighbor move in next door and you meet this neighbor at the gate at your front
lawn and you get chatting to your neighbor and they tell you that they
have a dog and you ask ok what's your dog's name
and they say fluffy now immediately you're going to paint a picture in your
mind as to what kind of dog this is without any other information other than
the name now let's say you ask them what the name of the dog is and they say
killer now you are gonna have a completely
different picture as to what kind of dog that is going to be and that's gonna
impact immediately how you feel about that dog now I know that's a very broad
example and a very very basic example but how our brain works doesn't change
we are always painting pictures as to how we perceive something based on the
information at hand and that's exactly what we do with brands as well so when
it comes to the name of your brand there's some subtle nuances going on
here with how your audience paints a picture of your brand in their mind
based purely on the name so whether you're building a brand for your own
business or whether you're building a brand for a client it's really important
that you understand the strategic relevance of the brand names so you can
either make those decisions yourself or to have a conversation with your client
about the impact and the strategic viability of the brand name so I'm gonna
run through nine key principals that you can take into your brand naming
processes so you can start to name the brands that you build more
strategically principal number one the brand name is a strategic tool now a
strategic brand is made up of multiple elements all coming together to play
individual roles in the building of a brand the brand awareness the brand
recognition each one of those elements all plays their own role in making that
brand memorable to who that audience is and helping to shape the perceptions in
their mind as to what that brand means and when it comes to the brand name
memorability and contextual memorability is key so what is contextual
memorability well it's getting your audience to remember your brand based on
the context and the idea that you want them to remember your brand for so
really you want them to have a certain type of image and a certain type of
picture of what your brand should mean to them and your name plays a really
important role in that principal number two your brand name should frame the big
idea now at the core of any brand strategy is the positioning strategy and
the differentiator of that brand and these two elements really
define what the difference is between your brand versus your competitor's
brands and if you are able to develop a name that helps to frame that position
and that idea as to again why your audience should remember your brand and
the context in which your audience should remember your brand well then
your brand name will help to solidify that position in the mind of your
audience principal number three your brand name should have meaning now if
you're able to develop a brand name with a meaning that's tied into why the brand
exists what the purpose is what it believes in and the transformation that
your brand is taking your customers on the outcome that they're going to
achieve if you can tie the brand name into any of those things then it's far
more likely to be emotionally adopted by the internal brand representatives as
well as the audience I really think about what your brand is going to
achieve what's it going out into the marketplace to do what is the purpose
why does it exist and what mission is it on what vision does it have for the
future what transition is your audience going
to really experience from your brand being in existence if you're able to
develop the brand if you're able to tap into any of those ideas it really gives
that name extra weight and extra meaning and as I said if it does have meaning
then it's far more likely to be emotionally adopted principal number
four aim for clarity now the role and goal of any brand is to bring an
audience and a business closer together essentially making it as easy as
possible for that audience to do business with that brand now if there is
any confusion whatsoever in any form of communication from that brand whether
it's through the message or the story or the visuals whether something's
misaligned then that works against the end goal of the brand which is to bring
the audience and the business closer together and that goes for the name as
well if there's any sort of confusion whatsoever is if there's something that
the audience just doesn't get about the name then that's gonna work against the
end goal of the brand so avoid any confusing sounding names or any name
that would make the audience think well what does that mean or what's that all about
and one of the major culprits here are acronyms so famous brands using acronym
names will be HSBC AT&T or ING now all of these brands are very successful
brands but they're not successful because of the name in fact they're
successful in spite of the fact that they have a confusing name so again
going back to what the brand is there to do it's to make things easy and to make
sure that everything is clear and understandable so avoid any kind of
confusing name and if you can avoid acronyms then do principal number five
memorability is critical now when you do have business owners coming up with
their brand names they usually choose descriptive names because they want
their audience to know what it is that they do and that's a fair assumption
really that you know you want to come up with a name that describes what it is
that the brand does but the role of the brand name is not to describe what the
business does you have many other tools for that including the tagline or the
slogan or even your messaging but the role of the brand name is to make sure
that the audience can recall the brand easily so if you're coming up with a
brand name you don't want to be describing what it is that the business
does you want to be providing a name that is easy to store in memory and be
able to easily recall that name so really go for that memorability and not
those descriptive names principal number six the name facilitates the brand now
the name is not gonna be what makes your brand successful or not successful
now I'm not downplaying the importance of the brand name the brand name is very
very important when it comes to brand recall and memorability and getting your
audience to really remember who your brand is and what your brand does but I
can't tell you how many entrepreneurs or business owners have come to me and said
I want a name like Apple and the word pear has been thrown into the
conversation that's it's happening more times than you would believe but when we
think about Apple we're not really thinking of the name we're thinking of
the experience that we understand that we've come to know and love
about Apple and that's the same for any brand when we recall a brand we're
recalling the experiences that we have with that brand and the name is not what
gives us those experiences the name leads us back to those experiences now
there's a famous entrepreneur by the name of Phil Knight and when he was
coming up with a brand name for a shoe company he thought that Dimension Six
was a great name but he was advised against it by some of his employees and
he eventually went with the name Nike even though he didn't like it now the
name Nike is not the reason that brand went on to become the success that it
did but it facilitated that growth and made it possible far more than the name
Dimension Six would have principal number seven your name should be
available so when you come up with your unique name for your brand you want to
run it through a series of checks to make sure that you can actually use it
so making sure that there is no trademark on the name certainly not
within your class if there is a trademark at all then you should really
look into the classes that that brand is trademarked in before you decide to use
it for yourself and then obviously when it comes to the domain as well now most
short .coms are already taken so if you do have a short and memorable catchy
name that you want to use and the .com is taken then just come up with an
alternative domain or if it really is a deal-breaker that you can't get your
hands on that .com domain then you should look to an alternative name for
the brand principal number eight choose your name slowly now the brand identity
design process and the brand naming process are actually quite similar in
nature because they are both creative and when you sit down to go through this
process usually what happens is the most obvious options jump out at you straight
away and it's quite easy to get stuck on any one of those options thinking that
it is the best one but often the most obvious solutions are not the best
solutions so quickly move on from those obvious solutions and really take the
time to exhaust out the list of possibilities so again just take your
time with choosing a name and take your time with the development
of that name and make sure that you really exhaust every single angle and
principal number nine strategic naming is a process so understand that the
perfect name is probably not gonna jump out at you straight away you really need
to take the time and go through the processes go through the motions and as
I said before in the previous point really exhaust those possibilities take
your time with it and go through those processes and trust that if you give
enough time and attention and care to the actual process itself then more
often than not a perfect name really does reveal itself so take assurance and
take confidence in knowing that coming up with a strategic name coming up with
the perfect name for your brand is a process it doesn't always jump out at you
straight away but if you do take the time and effort and follow the
principals in this video then you're far more likely to come up with a suitable
brand name now my experience the naming of a brand is taken far too lightly in
most corners as I said before you have so many business owners that just pick a
name at the drop of a hat they don't really consider all of the strategic
elements at play and they don't really consider the role of the name in the
overall brand building exercise so when you understand that when you understand
that branding the role of brands is to really bring a business and an audience
closer together and the way that you do that is by influencing the perceptions
of your brand in the mind of your audience well then that really puts into
context the role and the importance and the relevance of the brand name in
shaping that perception if you liked this video please give it a thumbs up
and hit that subscribe button and the notification bell as well it really does
help the channel grow if you want more actionable tips and techniques around
brand strategy like this well then head on over to BrandMasterAcademy.com and
get yourself sign up for the list it is free and I will drop those tips and
techniques right into your inbox but I'd love to hand that over to you now I'd
love to hear from you what your experiences are what your challenges are
around naming brands or the brand naming process let me know in the comments box
below let me know any questions I'll do my best to answer all of those until
next time brand like a master and I will see you in the next video!
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