Naming
How brands get their names and how they tell their story. Naming, taglines, master narratives and the sentence a company uses to explain itself.
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Why do change projects fail?
Back in the day Benjamin Franklin (or Daniel Defoe) famously said: “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” While such wisdom is true, it feels…
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Should the LA Clippers Change its Name?
Donald Sterling, the disgraced owner of the Los Angeles Clippers has decided to sell his team, and Steve Ballmer, the former CEO of Microsoft placed a bid of $2 billion to purchase…
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Phonetic symbolism and naming
Which one of these shapes is Booba, and which one is Kiki? According to Wolfgang Köhler’s Booba/Kiki effect study, roughly 95% of people choose “kiki” for the sharp, angular shape and “booba”…
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Why do brand names fail? Part 3
This is the third and the last installment of our “Why do brand names fail?” series. The first part focused on the process-related mistakes. The second one looked at tactical errors. Our…
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When do acronyms work?
One of the most painful things for a brand strategist is working with an acronym brand name. They are meaningless, boring and not memorable. Yet, many of my clients want to be like…
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When do acronym brand names work?
Many companies use acronyms or initials in their names, but how well are they doing it? Learn the three tactics to make acronym brand names work.
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When do you need to hire a branding expert?
When you create a new company or product: A branding expert can offer you many services including: conducting research, clarifying strategy, naming, tagline development, designing identity, business card and website design and…
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Criteria of a good brand name – 3
This is the last installment of the naming trilogy. Previously we discussed naming criteria such as meaning and strategic fit. Today, we will focus on legal availability.
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What makes a great brand name? – Part 1: Memorability
“What makes a great brand name?” We can use the desirability of a brand name by three dimensions: memorability, strategic fit and legal protect-ability. Let’s start by exploring the first criteria: memorability. Our…
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Criteria of a good brand name -1
My clients often ask me: “What makes a good brand name?” I judge the desirability of a brand name by three dimensions: memorability, strategic fit and legal protect-ability. Let’s start by exploring the…