How can a naming process help me?
#naming
I would love to say that most brand names have been born with the professional help of a branding consultancy, but we all know this isn’t true. Giving a name to their project is one of the first things entrepreneurs do, and they very rarely resort to external help.
As Plázida’s vocation is to help innovative and purposeful entrepreneurs to create and manage their brands, we have put together some of the main reasons why external and professional help when creating a name can be very useful.
#A name for when you grow up
Thinking big means questioning what is usually taken for granted, considering new angles, discovering the box we’re in and daring to leave it. Exploring possibilities, looking for unexpected connections… Small companies have trouble thinking about what they want to be when they grow up. An external and experienced point of view can help in avoiding a name that’s going to become too small in the near future. Remember that it’s very difficult to change it later. And it’s expensive and exhausting to battle with oneself.
#Born out of a process that we know works
Creating a name generates a lot of impatience, as we commented in a previous post. But following a process guarantees an adequate briefing, a deep exploration of different paths, a knowledge of the naming tendencies in the competition, and the absence of last-minute surprises because its registrability has been verified. It’s horrible to fall in love with a name that cannot be registered… Time is needed to provide a long list and a good selection, and also for the consultancy to prepare its best presentation and treat you as if you were part of the Ibex 35. Doing it well pays off. Trust us.
#To success
Reaching the adequate name isn’t easy. Once you’ve made it, regardless of who came up with it, celebrate it, even if only symbolically. It’s the point of departure for a new entrepreneurship, or the launching of a new product brand, or the beginning of a repositioning of unwanted perceptions. And you’re going to live with it for a long time. So much, that you’ll even be amazed at the attachment and identification it triggers in you. And if you’ve already found this Holy Grail, isn’t it worth a toast at least?
#From strategy and design
Strategy and design are like mother and father. A good brand name must come with a brand strategy. If the latter is yet to be defined, now is the time to do it. The name must also be easy to logotype. Even though some graphic designers are true experts at turning any idea into a logo, it’s better to play in their favour –which, after all, is ours too. It’s difficult to construct a logo out of a phrase. It’s also difficult to do so without knowing who we are and what type of perception we want to create, without knowing our desired style and our ideal tone of voice. Until our brand’s image reaches the public, there is no brand. If we acknowledge that our name must help us be perceived in a certain manner, we’ll already be on the good track and won’t have to make corrections later.
#Dare to stand out
Building a brand has a lot to do with daring. Daring to stand out among apparently similar options, to be oneself, to build on one’s values, to have a dream and strive to achieve it. If we hire professional help, it’s because we want to be different. It’s not a good idea to pick a name that is very similar to one’s competitors’. What’s more, this is precisely the way to hand them positions on Google, each time our clients get it wrong. There’s too much noise out there to launch something that looks like a déjà vu. Not daring to be different is bad for business. When you launch a brand, don’t expect an explosion, but sooner or later being original becomes profitable.
#Not everyone has to be happy
When it comes to a brand’s name, it seems that everyone’s opinion counts. Family, friends, the waiter at the bar where you have your coffee, those you meet on the street… When the only criterion to follow is the different opinions of those around us, the result is simply confusion. Names are a strategic decision, and as such they must follow the path of all strategic decisions. Involving all the people in the company is a good idea, but holding a referendum amongst all our friends isn’t, because we risk letting our best option slip away.
#Give a chance to the ugly one
There are many ways to fall in love, and although first impressions are important, we recommend that those names that have passed the first test be reflected upon for at least a day. Some names grow and strengthen and suddenly acquire light and splendor. There are names whose shades appear as days go by, and start to fit like the missing puzzle piece. Wait and give it a chance.
#Dive into the pool… there’s water
On some occasions, though not too often, the decision takes a long time and needless complications arise. It’s a crucial marketing decision, but it’s also important to bear in mind that delaying it means stopping the communication machinery. While wisely, it’s important to make up one’s mind.
#Your name is your story
If someone asks you why your brand has that name, the explanation should come easy and sound convincing, to help make a sale. For instance, Plázida is called that way because we want to create a brand which is a sensation, that when pronounced will calm you down and bring you to the mood you need to create. It is also not by chance that it is feminine, the energy that is changing the world is also feminine. When you meet a new company, ask why it’s called that way. It will instantly help you understand many things. There are names that work like relics, and others that smell of mothballs, but they’re not changed because it’s commonly thought that names have superpowers and that if the name is changed, the business fails. And look at how that’s turning out.
#Because the name… is just a name
Our brand’s name doesn’t have to tell everything. If it’s too evocative, we can accompany it with a descriptive tagline. If, on the contrary, it’s a descriptive name, perhaps it’s interesting to complete its communication with a tagline that suggests values or personality traits. Apart from the tagline, a group of key messages for different audiences will be defined, and there’s also our webpage and all the messages that will appear in our communication and in the dialogues on social media. It’s useless to torture a name in order to try and fit more meaning into it than is necessary or desirable. Names identify, they say who we are. Some branders even defend the idea that their meaning doesn’t matter, that it can be an empty box that is later filled with meaning. We all know very well-positioned brands that have invented, and even unpronounceable, names. For me, the true bingo is to find a name that connects with our differentiating essence and helps narrate the story of our brand. It’s not always possible, but it’s a legitimate aspiration.
#Don’t be shy
Ask us for a quote. It’s really not expensive. And we will handle it with all our care and experience.