Naming strategies

When naming a company or product, it's crucial to start with product positioning, which influences your marketing strategy and should be the foundation of your naming process. According to Arielle Jackson, once you have your positioning, you should create a naming brief. This includes deciding what you are naming (a company, product, or both), what you want the name to communicate, what you want to avoid, and understanding the names of competitive or related products. Additional considerations might involve ensuring the name is pronounceable in key markets, like for a Chinese audience if you are operating in China 1.

Arielle Jackson outlines seven criteria that should always be considered when naming:

1. Trademark: Checking if the name can be used without violating existing trademarks.
2. Domain Availability: While getting a .com domain is traditional, variants may also work.
3. Distinctiveness: The name should be memorable and not sound like any others.
4. Timelessness: Avoid naming trends that might date the company (e.g., dropping vowels was popular in certain periods).
5. Communication: The name should reflect key messaging or convey the desired emotions.
6. Sound and Ease of Pronunciation: The name should be pleasant to say and easy to spell.
7. Contextual Suitability: The name should be viable in the context of the business environment 1.

These steps and criteria help in creating a powerful name that aligns with your brand's values and market positioning.