Last week our New Media team was brainstorming a name for a new application MetroStar Systems is creating, and we thought our tips for name creation might be worth sharing.
In this video, Theresa Kattula, Monica Huie, Patricia Joo, and Kathy Ohlhaber give four quick tips for naming a product or service.
1. Define: Define your or your client’s mission/goals for the product or service as well as define your target audience. For example, you don’t want to use inappropriate words for a Government targeted audience. Do a competitive analysis to see the names your competitors are using for similar products and see if the name you want already exists.
2. Abstract vs. Obvious: Based on the objectives and target audience that you define, consider whether you want to create an abstract or obvious name for your product or service. In other words, do you want a name that’s really unique and creative but needs some explanation? Or, do you prefer to use a more self-evident name that’s clearly reflective of what you’re offering? Whichever kind of name you choose, decide how you want it to relate to your product or service and build your brand around it.
3. Longevity/Memorable: You want to keep in mind that the Internet is going to be around for a long time (unless the Mayans were right and 2012 is the end). So make sure you’re coming up with a brand name that can retain its longevity. Look at what sites your brand can work with and choose the ones that have the potential to be around for a while (i.e., of course Facebook). You also want a memorable brand, so be creative with the marketing of your logo or mascot. You still remember what animal Geico’s mascot is, right?
4. Easy to pronounce?: Is it easy to pronounce? If you create your product name by combining two or more of the features of your product or service, you may come up with a name that is difficult for people to pronounce such as Type + Tweet + Display = “tytwdi”. This is really hard to pronounce with just one vowel! Keep it simple because if it’s hard to pronounce, it’s probably hard to spell and remember.
We hope these four quick tips have been helpful! Have fun coming up with a name for your product or service and don’t be afraid to get creative! Good luck, and be sure to post your comments on Supernova!