For the 4th and final video in our Building Brand Names series, we focus on the critically important step of CLEARING name options, or vetting them. For starters, don’t let yourself or any clients fall in love with just one name. You have to make sure the name can clear!
Step 3: BUILDING BRAND NAMES – SELECTION
This is the third step of our naming process, in which we focus on SELECTING brand names. What fascinates us about the naming process is how many very different skill sets are needed for the different parts of the process.
Step 1: BUILDING BRAND NAMES – STRATEGY
Today we’re diving a little more deeply into our process for creating names. This video unpacks the first and most important of the major steps in the naming process: setting the STRATEGY.
Does This Name Suck? YES!
People love it when I trash a brand name (you guys are vicious!) and this is one that I give the thumbs down to. Check out this #tellthetruths video to see why this name just doesn’t ring my bell.
Does This Name Suck? NO
Do you know where the brand Shinola got their name? It’s from a heritage shoe polish brand and an old, old saying, “You don’t know shit from Shinola.”
Naming Is Power
We’re so intrigued by the idea that giving a concept a name gives it more power, and sometimes even brings it into our consciousness.
Does This Name Suck? NO
Does This Name Suck? Bombas.
Nah, it doesn’t suck, but they don’t exactly knock our socks off, either. They just barely make it across the suckiness threshold.
That’s Not Brand Architecture
No judgement! A lot of very smart people come to us saying that they want help with brand architecture, but what they’re really looking for is help with their portfolio strategy.
Bright Red Thread
We mostly talk about naming around here, but we do a good bit of Brand Architecture work, too, so I thought it would be fun to share a simple principle of brand architecture.
