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“The investment you make into a brand, makes its name worth it” – Bernard Kelvin Clive

Did you know that the famous brand name ‘Google’ was actually a misspelt word ‘Googol”?

Now, let’s get started.

It sounds good in the ear to have sweet brand names that rhymes and charms but that alone will not make your brand jive.

Some few thoughts to debunk; in choosing brand names, some experts suggest having a name that can be pronounced easily, really? Not so much of that, it does some good anyway, but the point is if your brand name isn’t jaw-breaking but your brand doesn’t deliver on its promise you will fail. Let’s throw in some few examples, illustrate the point that the investments made into brands go beyond its name.

Having a fairly easy relatable brand name for your products and services is great but most importantly focus on delivering on your brand promise. That will cause the name to rise above the crowd.

Who would have thought that an automobile brand like ‘Mitsubishi’ can make it at the marketplace. Quite a heavy name to pronounce, what do you say? At the end of the day, a brand is mostly known by either the brand’s name or its logo. However, it doesn’t come that easily. It requires a deliberate effort to communicate the brand’s value in order to make the name.

Just coming up with just any name is not the best, a name that can sell your brand and a name that will be worth your investments.

The funny parts of brand names are that a name that may mean well in one country and culture may mean something totally the opposite, sometimes even with negative connotations.  A simple example is packaged black pepper sauce in Ghana called ‘Shito” in the local language, the same word in English without the last letter sounds disgusting, doesn’t it? ‘Shit’.  Another example is a spice made in Jamaica called “Cock Flavored’ that supposed to mean chicken flavor, but in America and modern slang the word ‘cock’ implies ‘the male reproductive organ’.

So, it’s very important to do a little research into your brand names before going out there with it, especially if you want to cross borders.

RESOURCES:

Rebrand: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding

Bernard Kelvin Clive Amazon books