Product Brand Guidelines:
Understand the product and context:
Conduct in-depth interviews with key stakeholders to understand the product, its unique selling points, target audience, and market landscape. This will help identify the core values and desired brand personality that the product name should embody.
Competitive analysis:
Analyze competitors' branding and naming strategies to identify opportunities and avoid potential pitfalls. This will help ensure the new brand stands out and differentiates itself from others in the market.
Define naming criteria:
Develop a set of criteria for evaluating potential names. These may include factors like memorability, pronunciation, relevance to the product, cultural fit, and legal availability.
Ideation:
Generate a comprehensive list of potential names through brainstorming sessions, leveraging both internal and external experts. This process can be facilitated by employing creative techniques like mind mapping, word association, and semantic fields.
Initial screening:
Evaluate the generated names against the defined criteria and shortlist the most promising options. Conduct a preliminary check for legal and domain availability to avoid potential issues down the line.
Test and refine:
Gather feedback on the shortlisted names from a diverse group of potential customers, employees, and other stakeholders. This can be done through focus groups, surveys, or interviews. Use the feedback to refine the names and narrow the list down to the top contenders.
Legal and domain availability:
Conduct thorough trademark and domain name searches to ensure the chosen name is legally available for use and can be protected. Consult with legal experts to mitigate the risk of infringement claims.
Final selection and rationale:
Present the top name(s) to the key decision-makers, along with a rationale for each choice based on the research and testing conducted throughout the process. Once a final name is agreed upon, proceed with the creation of a brand identity, including logo, tagline, and other visual elements.
Brand launch and monitoring:
Develop a strategic plan for launching the new brand, including a communication strategy for employees, customers, and other stakeholders. Continuously monitor the brand's performance and reception in the market, making adjustments as needed to maintain and grow its value.
Tips and Tricks
🗣️ Embrace linguistic diversity: When brainstorming potential names, consider words or phrases from various languages that might be relevant to your product. This can help create a unique and memorable brand name that appeals to a diverse audience. Be cautious about using words with different meanings or connotations in other languages to avoid unintended negative associations.
📳 Use phonetic symbolism: Research shows that certain sounds can evoke specific emotions or perceptions. For example, names containing front vowels (e.g., 'ee' in 'green') are often perceived as smaller or lighter, while back vowels (e.g., 'oo' in 'blue') are associated with larger or heavier qualities. Leverage this knowledge to create a name that subtly communicates your product's attributes.
🤌 Explore morphemes: Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in a language. Combining morphemes can create a powerful and memorable brand name that communicates the essence of your product. For example, "FedEx" combines "Federal" (implying trust and reliability) with "Express" (signifying speed and efficiency).
🎯 Engage in "narrowing the gap" exercises: When testing potential names with your target audience, ask them to list the associations they have with each name. This will help you understand the gap between the intended meaning and the audience's perception. Based on the feedback, iterate on the name to minimize this gap and create a more effective brand.
🧏 Test digital and voice compatibility: In today's digital world, it's essential to ensure that your brand name works well with search engines, voice assistants, and auto-correct features. Choose a name that is easy to spell, pronounce, and recognize when spoken or typed into a device. This will help your target audience find your product easily and reduce the risk of losing potential customers due to mispronunciations or misspellings.