Choosing a name is one of the most important steps for any business. If you are looking for how to use naming to create the perfect name for your brand, here we tell you everything you need to know.
what is naming
The exact translation of the term naming is to name, which in this specific case is used to name the process by which the name of a project, organization or company is decided.
Naming, as part of the , is the entire set of creative techniques (psychological, sociological and marketing) that are used to develop and create original and consistent names with the .
What is the importance of naming
Naming is essential for companies, not only because the name is one of the first elements defined when creating an identity, but also because, by itself, without the need for other elements, it is capable of influencing the positioning of any brand.
A good name speaks of the proposal —the values and universe— of any brand and is responsible for giving meaning and trust to future customers.
It will be the first thing that the public will know and it will depend on it how they identify you and remember you compared to your competitors.
Even if it’s a great product, a bad name can kill its success. Therefore, achieving a good naming is an essential task for any brand. Remember that:
“The strongest brands achieve, through emotional connections with their customers, that their names are remembered beyond the attributes of a product or service itself.”
Benefits of having a good brand name
Although the benefits of having a good brand name are many, here are some of the most important:
- Everything good starts with a good brand name.
- Add value to the brand, its products and services.
- It raises its position among the brands in its category.
- Being a memorable brand often translates into higher revenue.
- Build an emotional connection with customers
- It provides a distinctive identity of the brand and its products.
Naming types
In order to explore all the possibilities, it is necessary to know the options that exist when choosing the name for a brand, business or product.
- Descriptive naming: they are names that in themselves detail or explain the action carried out by the company. Example: Telephone.
- Naming with neologisms: this type of brand name incorporates relatively new words in the language. Example: Netflix.
- Naming with acronyms: formed by acronyms, letters or combinations of words. Example: Aysa (Argentine Water and Sanitation).
- Geographic naming: these types of names carry the location of the company to which they belong. Example: Quilmes beer.
- Naming of puns: they are names that use winks, jokes or elements that are part of the imaginary. Example: This is Merry Christmas
- Naming ego: all those companies that use the name of the family or founding person as their name. Example: The Oreiros.
- Abstract naming: built with invented words without any meaning, but preferably poetic. Example: Kodak.
- Evocative naming: they are composed of a known root and from there they build something new by adding a prefix or suffix. Example: Cabify.
- Associative naming: they are those that describe something in a conceptual way. Example: Cougar.
10 characteristics of a good naming
Although there are many factors that influence when it comes to perfect, there are some characteristics that every name must have to lead its brand to success.
1. Unique
A good name will make you stand out from the rest for your originality. If your name is the same as someone else, they may be confused and it may not have the desired effect.
2. Shocking
It is also related to originality. It is important that, in addition to being unique, a brand name is eye-catching. Stand out from the rest and draw the attention of future customers, without deceiving them or exaggerating the qualities of your products or services.
3. Brief and concise
The best brand names are usually short and simple. His magic lies in expressing great ideas in a few words.
4. Easy to write and pronounce
For a name to be remembered, it must be easy to write and pronounce, at least for its target audience.
5. Pleasant to the ear
It is very likely that the brand name will be used in advertising channels that involve the sense of hearing, to get the most out of it, try to make it a pleasant name.
6. With a message
A good name must be the balance between communicating what the brand wants to convey to the world and, at the same time, creating expectation.
7. Positive image
It has to do with the desired image. The wishes and aspirations of the brand must be reflected in its name.
8. Easy to remember
It is the result of all of the above. When a name ticks all the boxes it becomes memorable to the audience.
9. Innovation
It is important to stay informed about the trends that exist in terms of brand name creation, in order to create one that exceeds expectations.
10. Adaptable
Brand names should, as far as possible, be used as is in all their communication channels (web, , mail) so, before choosing, it is ideal to check that this is possible.
Bonus: make it available
It may be the perfect name, but if someone already registered it before, you will have to keep looking. This is why it is so important to check that it is not registered as a trademark and that the domain and social networks are free before making a final decision.
Learn more:
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Naming techniques
There are many techniques that make it easy to create effective and memorable names. They can be used individually or combined to achieve the goal: a unique brand name that reflects the personality of the business.
Here are some techniques to stimulate creativity and think of new naming possibilities:
Creative and productivity techniques
- Random words: select two semantically distant words and combine them with different prepositions and conjunctions.
- Six hats to think: each person adopts a different way of thinking, which is equivalent to a hat of a certain color and during the game they are exchanged.
- Brainstorming: write down as many names and ideas as possible without setting any limitations.
- Creative immersion: seek inspiration in creative environments and resources such as movies, books or magazines.
- Forced association: write a list of words at random and then associate them with a concept.
Language resource techniques
- Symbolism: expression of an abstract concept through a substitute.
- Metonymy: use an existing word to name the brand, when there is a cause-effect relationship between the two.
- Metaphor: use an existing word with which a relationship of similarity is established.
- Synecdoche: using the name of a specific attribute to name the brand.
- Personification: attributing human qualities to the brand.
- Paronomasia: play on words based on the similarity in the sound of two or words.
- Onomatopoeias: textual representations of a sound.
- Oxímoron: apparent contradiction of two ideas to give rise to a third concept.
Steps to create a brand name
There is no secret formula for . However, certain methodology can help achieve the best results.
1. Determine the main attributes of the brand
It is important to know what you want to highlight before taking the next step. Start by naming the main adjectives that describe the brand personality, its characteristics and benefits.
2. Define the brand promise
Then it’s time to talk about what the brand or its products do for their customers, the solution they offer, the unique and significant benefit that makes it stand out among the other options for the target audience.
3. Establish the product category and map the competition
By delimiting it to a specific industry, it will be easier to identify the competition, study its characteristics and especially what type of names they choose and which ones are more successful.
4. Think of possible names
Now is the time to use the creative thinking techniques mentioned above to come up with as many names as can best represent the brand.
5. Separate the names according to their type
To arrive at a definitive selection, a good technique is to order the names according to their category (descriptive, acronym, geographical, neologisms) and select the best of each type.
6. Evaluate them according to their characteristics
Now all that remains is to find the perfect name, for this last filter the ideal is that they meet all the characteristics of a good naming (unique, pleasant, adaptable, memorable) and, finally, carry out some conceptual tests to make sure that, in the practice, the name works.
Tip: You can create your brand name easily and quickly through a tool.
If what you want is to simplify this process, or you are looking for a little inspiration, you can use our .
With these types of tools you will be able to find the perfect name for your brand or some triggers to continue your research.
See how easy it is with Tiendanube’s name generator:
- Select the category of your company, brand or business.
- Enter the words that have to appear in the name (with your research you will be able to easily determine it)
- Click and create your name.
- Clever!
naming examples
As we have already said, naming is an important process and must be considered strategically. For this reason, if you have already seen all the steps to create the perfect name but you still have doubts, you can see the examples we have to show you, with real cases of large companies.
In this guide you can see some examples to inspire you and create the name for your store
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It does not matter if your business is gastronomy, clothing, lingerie, electronics, gardening, decoration or any other field. In these contents you will be able to find multiple options to choose the perfect naming for your brand.
If you are looking for a successful name, here we give you more than 200 examples to create it
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Start naming your business
Now that you know the steps and techniques to create a successful naming, it’s time to get to work and start thinking about the new name for your business.
We hope that this guide has been useful to you in finding a perfect name that expresses everything you want to convey with your brand.
And if you are thinking of selling online, we invite you to try Tiendanube. to use the platform and learn everything you can do with it.
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