Whether you’re setting up a company, launching a new business line or undertaking a rebrand, choosing a name is often the first step. It can also be the hardest: is your name truly original? Will it resonate with your audience? And does it reflect your services and values? Your brand name could be your greatest asset or your weakest link.
1. Define your brand persona
The first step in brand naming is to determine a brand’s personality and positioning. March interviews stakeholders, team members and clients to find out what the brand means to them, and what makes it different from its competitors.
For our work with data agency Ones and Heroes (formerly Deedy), we conducted a brand archetype workshop to uncover the brand’s values and persona. Deedy’s archetype was ‘The Pioneer’, and its values included inclusivity and innovation. Its existing name, an archaic word meaning ‘industrious’, reflected neither its archetype nor its values. We proposed a change of name to accompany the company’s rebrand.
2. Create a longlist
Once we have created a clear picture of a brand’s persona and positioning, our creative director and copywriter work together to draft an initial list of names. For our project with Ones and Heroes, we came up with a longlist of 600 possible names.
We group these names into ‘buckets’ according to their construct and approach. A name might be abstract in approach (like Google, for example), suggestive (Twitter) or descriptive (Whole Foods). It might be a real word or words (Vitamin Water), a compound word (RightMove) or coined (Spotify).
3. Review and refine
Our next step for brand naming is to review our longlist as a team and cut it down to our 30 preferred names. For each of these, we look at available domains and check trademarks to ensure there is no potential for conflict or competition with an existing brand. Based on this information, we create a shortlist of between 10 and 15 names to present to the client.
4. Get feedback
The next step is to present our shortlist of names to the client. We share the etymology and thought process behind each, showing its position on a graph to indicate its construct and approach.
We then ask the client to note the three names that have stayed with them, along with the three they liked least. We also ask them which of the ideas most appealed to them.
Finally, we use a simple scoring system to rank each name according to factors including its first impression, how it sounds and looks, how easy it is to read, and how memorable it is.
5. Test the Market
6. Evaluate
We then report this market feedback to the client, who evaluates it and chooses the name that feels right. This may not always be the one with the most votes: in the case of Ones and Heroes, the most popular choice was We Speak Data, which ranked second on memorability but first on value alignment.
Ultimately, we and the client felt Ones and Heroes had more impact and resonance. Inspired by computing’s binary roots, the new name is playful and witty, and celebrates the nature of their business.
7. Trademark
8. Launch
Once you have registered trademarks and created a brand identity, it’s time to announce your new name. Inform clients, suppliers and partners, and share any changes in contact details, such as email addresses.
Old URLs should be forwarded to your new website domain, and you should update your branding and information on marketing platforms, including social media accounts and newsletters.
Looking for a new brand name? We collaborate with ambitious brands, whether you’re a dynamic start-up or an established organisation. Reach out, and let’s build something extraordinary together.
