What are the keys to building a strong brand? Being distinct from your competition. And a distinct brand starts with a distinct name.
Great brand names are short and memorable. They are not descriptive, but connect at an emotional level. A great name is like the cover of a book – it sets up a great brand story but doesn’t try to tell the story. A great name will stand the test of time – it does not draw on current trends or fads. Great names are ownable – they can be trademarked, registered as a business name, attached to a great URL and a Google search will not be cluttered with companies in the same space using the name.
Great brand names are created by a very small group of stakeholders, not a committee. Names by committee result in names by consensus and mediocrity. Think about Apple, Starbucks, Google and Kijiji. These names would never have passed the approval of a committee because they don’t describe what the businesses do. Which is exactly why they are memorable.
And the number one rule of naming – don’t use initials. You simply can’t build an emotional connection to two or three random letters. The exception is the billion dollar rule – if you’re going to spend a billion dollars promoting your brand, you can build a brand based on two or three letters, like RBC, BMW and IBM have done.
Revolve has experience nationally helping clients who need to create a distinct brand name, whether a start-up, a conflict with an existing trademark, the result of a merger, or sometimes just to have a fresh start. If you would like to discuss our naming process, please email Phil.Otto@revolve.ca or call 902-835-3559.
