Criteria of a good brand name -2

Previously we talked about memorability. Today, we will take a look at the second criteria if a good brand name: strategic fit.

A strategically fit name should support the positioning of the brand. Whatever the brand promise is, the name should support and reinforce it.  There are many ways of generating a strategically supportive name. Here are three of the most popular ones:

1. Use meaningful words: If the car you are marketing is tiny,then a name like Mini would be more desirable than Focus (Ford). Mini signals small size whereas Focus signals visual clarity. A non-meaningful word (e.g. Xerox) is more appropriate when you have money and time to spend building your brand. This approach is more rewarding on the long run. (More to come on this topic)
2. Use the power of melody: Use repetitive sounds. Our brains enjoy the melody of repeating sounds. Open up your grammar book and remember different ways of creating repetitive sounds. No wonder why Coca Cola is so popular around the world.
3. Use suffixes and prefixes strategically: There are many ways to create new words in English language. Use of prefixes and suffixes is one of the most popular ways to do it. (Micro means small: Microsoft, Nov means new: Novartis)

Today’s actionable tip: There are hundreds of ways to manipulate sound and meaning. It is called phonetic symbolism. In order to find the name that fits strategically with your brand, you should hire a brand strategist with deep understanding of linguistics.

Our final post will we focus on legal availability.