Product details

This chapter is excerpted from 'Brand Naming'. You don't have a brand - whether it's for a company or a product - until you have a name. The name is one of the first, longest lasting, and most important decisions in defining the identity of a company, product, or service. But set against a tidal wave of trademark applications, mortifying mistranslations, and disappearing dot-com availability, you won't find a good name by dumping out the Scrabble tiles or running an all-employee contest. In fact, the challenges of naming are so great they've given rise to a new breed of branding expert: the professional namer. Brand Naming details best-practice methodologies, tactics, and advice from the world of professional naming, shared by Rob Meyerson, a brand strategist and namer who's named start-ups, nonprofits, and products of the Fortune 500. You'll learn what makes a good (and bad) name, the step-by-step process namers use, and how to generate hundreds of ideas before whittling the list down to a finalist. The most complete and detailed book about naming your brand, Brand Naming also includes insider anecdotes (what Phil Knight said when he first heard Nike), tired trends (start-ups with names ending in ly), busted myths (Chevy Nova sold just fine in Mexico), and brand origin stories (the surprising truth behind Häagen-Dazs). And through interviews with over a dozen other namers, Meyerson has amassed a treasure trove of resources, references, templates, and tools to help you dive deeper into the art and science of naming. So, whether you need a great name for a new company or product or just want to learn the secrets of professional word nerds, put down the thesaurus - not to mention Scrabble - and pick up Brand Naming.