Phronesis
Active member
Without a doubt, naming a brand is one of the most emotionally charged tasks within the whole spectrum of branding and that’s because of the sentimentality attached to it when we name things growing up. We’ll name things that we’re emotionally attached to. We’ll name our toys, we’ll name our first pet then we might name our first car when it comes along and then we’ll start to come to name our children as they come along, and then ultimately we’ll name our businesses. When it comes to naming a brand for the first time that task usually falls to the business owner.
Most business owners will approach this task in the same way that they approach any other task when naming anything else throughout their lives. They’ll approach it with that sentimentality point of view and I’m not saying sentimentality doesn’t play a role. I mean if the business owner is emotionally attached to the business and there is that sentimentality there then they’re far more likely to get behind the business but when it comes to naming a brand it’s all about connecting with the audience with who they are, with what they want, and that sentimentality doesn’t come into play. Nobody cares about who the owner’s dog was or what street they first lived in. If the business owner takes that sentimentality into naming their business then it misses the opportunity to connect with who the audience is and that ultimately is the role of the brand name.
What Is the Goal of a Brand Name?
The brand name has multiple goals but the main goal that it has is Memorability. The brand needs to be remembered and that name plays an important role in whether or not the brand will be remembered. But memorability is not the only task that the brand name has, the brand name plants a seed in the mind of the audience so that the audience remembers the brand but that seed then needs to grow and that grows into the image and the position that the brand wants to own in the mind of the audience.
What Makes a Great Brand?
As I’ve already covered, it’s not sentimentality and if you’re able to remove the task from the business owner or if the business owner can step away from that sentimentality then the outcome is far more likely to be effective but there are two main characteristics of a great brand name. The first as we’ve already covered is Memorability. It needs to be memorable that is the job of the brand name.
If the brand name is forgotten or if the audience cannot remember what the brand is called then the brand name has failed in its primary task. It needs to be remembered, if it’s catchy and that adds to the memorability then great but that is the task of the brand name. It needs to be remembered. The second characteristic is that it needs to be strategic. It needs to help to solidify a position in the mind of the audience and solidify that image of how the brand wants to be remembered. If those two characteristics are included in the brand name then it’s well on the way to being a great name.
Most business owners will approach this task in the same way that they approach any other task when naming anything else throughout their lives. They’ll approach it with that sentimentality point of view and I’m not saying sentimentality doesn’t play a role. I mean if the business owner is emotionally attached to the business and there is that sentimentality there then they’re far more likely to get behind the business but when it comes to naming a brand it’s all about connecting with the audience with who they are, with what they want, and that sentimentality doesn’t come into play. Nobody cares about who the owner’s dog was or what street they first lived in. If the business owner takes that sentimentality into naming their business then it misses the opportunity to connect with who the audience is and that ultimately is the role of the brand name.
What Is the Goal of a Brand Name?
The brand name has multiple goals but the main goal that it has is Memorability. The brand needs to be remembered and that name plays an important role in whether or not the brand will be remembered. But memorability is not the only task that the brand name has, the brand name plants a seed in the mind of the audience so that the audience remembers the brand but that seed then needs to grow and that grows into the image and the position that the brand wants to own in the mind of the audience.
What Makes a Great Brand?
As I’ve already covered, it’s not sentimentality and if you’re able to remove the task from the business owner or if the business owner can step away from that sentimentality then the outcome is far more likely to be effective but there are two main characteristics of a great brand name. The first as we’ve already covered is Memorability. It needs to be memorable that is the job of the brand name.
If the brand name is forgotten or if the audience cannot remember what the brand is called then the brand name has failed in its primary task. It needs to be remembered, if it’s catchy and that adds to the memorability then great but that is the task of the brand name. It needs to be remembered. The second characteristic is that it needs to be strategic. It needs to help to solidify a position in the mind of the audience and solidify that image of how the brand wants to be remembered. If those two characteristics are included in the brand name then it’s well on the way to being a great name.
