As a copywriter, I think a lot about names. My colleagues, Steven Donaldson and Michael Zinke of Radiant Brands, do as well. They recently wrote a great article “Naming and the Emotional Connection” about how to hit a home run for your brand when you create a product or service name.
Their five recommendations for creating an emotional connection are, like so many things in life, simple but not easy. Worth trying, though. It makes sense to come up with a name that becomes associated with a product experience and prompts consumers to seek a repeat.
Their recommendations?
- Be personal
- Be simple
- Say what you do
- Don’t reinvent the wheel
- Promise a great experience
I want you to read this article, so I’m not going into detail about any of the recommendations except #4. I’ve seen a few too many “reinventing” names over the past years. Agilent and Accenture, for example. Clearly, these monikers are intended to be suggestive, in a good way, of great attributes like agility and diligence. To me, they’re pretentious and more than a touch cutesy. Here’s what Steven and Michael have to say: “As you build your brand connection you can be different or radical, but connecting to customer experience means keeping the brand connected to what consumers value.” They note that when AT&T renamed Bell Labs Lucent, it pitched out brand recognition and de-leveraged (my word, not theirs) years of goodwill.
I’ve always liked names that “say what you do” and winced at names that obscure it.
Any thoughts?
Kay Paumier says
I agree that many names work against, instead of for, their “owners.” I’m always intrigued by companies that use just numbers and initials in their product names. Somehow ordering a “329TR3W” does not have a ring to it, does it?