Give your name a job

Like people, names can really only do one job well.

Think about a name you love. What does it do? Does it tell you something about what the brand does, or does for you? Does it raise questions? Does it answer them? Does it make you feel like an insider? A rebel? A champion?

Whatever it does, how does it do that?

Side note: March’s class focus is the Strategy of Naming—learn how to build a naming strategy and then use it to guide the whole process, start to finish (and beyond?). Join me in class!

The jobs-first approach

By identifying a job for a name at the start of every project, the kinds of names that will work (and won’t) make themselves known a lot more readily than when there’s no jobs, just ~vibes~.

While it’s not a replacement for a full naming strategy, if you assign a job to the name as your first step, the rest of your naming strategy falls into place much, much more easily.

• If you decide that your name should clarify, you might explore names grounded in category language and recognizable product benefits. That’s how you’d get a name like Microsoft Teams.

• If you decide that your name should entice, you might explore names that borrow from emotional benefit language or metaphorical references. That’s how you’d get a name like Slack.

• If you decide that your name should provoke, you might pivot from expectations of what is “acceptable” or “safe.” That’s how you’d get a name like Discord.

Picking a job for your name (or your client’s name) should be based on both realities and ambitions

There are a million ways to pick a job for a name. In a single project, you might try on a few and realize they’re not quite right. Here are a few places to start.

Budget

Not a lot of budget? Maybe focus on a name that clarifies (The Container Store)—or maybe put more chips down on a name that dares to disrupt (Liquid Death).

All the money in the world? You might look form a name that creates intrigue (Lemonade), since you can invest in the marketing and messaging that will make it meaningful.

Value proposition

Look into the customer value you’re looking to convey. Is it on the functional side? You might go for a name that describes (Bubly), since it’s less likely to create an emotional over-promise.

Is it emotionally driven, and likely to expand over time? You might ask your name to inspire (Champion), motivate (She Should Run), or even delight (Happy Little Plants)—these are jobs that will lead to more evocative, storytelling names.

Audiences and markets

What are people looking for from the name? (Do you know them well enough yet to answer?)

If credibility is everything, you might want the name to help you establish authority (Covetrus) through its tonality or message.

Maybe you need to sound accessible and easy (The Good Table)—simple, everyday language and familiar metaphors might make up a lot of your exploration.

When names do too many jobs at once—or do their jobs all wrong

Mondelez International:

This name tries to both describe and inspire—and ends up heavy-handed. 

Even in their original press release, you can see the name trying to do a lot, and (in my opinion), it’s all too much:

Mondelez" (pronounced mohn-dah-LEEZ') is a newly coined word that evokes the idea of "delicious world."  "Monde" derives from the Latin word for "world," and "delez" is a fanciful expression of "delicious." In addition, "International" captures the global nature of the business.”

I know these kinds of global names that span a TON of trademark classes are incredibly hard to develop and land, so no hate to its originators. But after many years in market, it still feels like my discomfort with it stems from it trying to do too much.

Kyndril:

This name tries to disrupt industry conventions (in IT infrastructure) with  a supportive/nurturing relationship (meaning: “kinship” + “tendril”). Those communication points feel at odds with its industry without an obvious payoff in its brand or business strategy—and replacing the “I”s with “Y”s feels pharmaceutical and sterile.

Learn more about this, and other ways to set your next naming project up for success, at an upcoming Naming for Everyone class!

Happy naming!

Caitlin

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