What goes into a naming strategy
You don't have to read the whole post: A strategy needs to specify a job for the name to do, what the name should say, how it should say it, and a couple of examples of what that could look like.
If you’re still with me, hello. Let’s talk strategy.
Just as every namer has labored over their own definition of what makes a good name, we have also all labored over what needs to go into a naming strategy.
When I teach The Strategy of Naming class, I offer two versions of a strategy document you might create. They are:
The meaty version
My ideal version of a naming strategy document covers a good mix of context and direction:
A description of what we’re naming:
An ultra-simple explanation that anyone can understand
Audience profiles:
Who is this for? What will it mean to them?
The job of the name:
What will this name need to accomplish for the brand?
What the name should say:
What are the most important ideas or themes for the name to express?
How it should say it:
What tonality/perspective should we emphasize? What constructs are in play: real words, compound words, or wholly invented words? Should we be descriptive, metaphoric, or totally out-there? Can we experiment with phrases? Idioms? (This tends to be the most robust section)
Beacon names:
What names represent the kinds of names we would like to see as the outcome of our exploration?
Competitive analysis/snapshot:
How are others naming in this space? What are conventions we might mirror? What do we need to stay away from?
Industry + macro trends:
Is there anything going on in this space that would influence naming styles or language choices?
Conflict filtering parameters:
Which trademark geographies and classes, languages, search terms, etc. will be important to determining the appropriateness of the name?
Other project specific stuff:
Terms + themes to avoid
Character count limits
Demo/visual context for the name
The lean version
Like I said in the subhead of this post, if you’re very targeted in your direction, working with experienced namers, and the full context of the project is clear to everyone involved, you can get away with less:
What we’re naming + who it’s for
A clear job for the name
What the name should say
How it should say it
A couple of examples of what that could look like
It could fit on a single page. It could fit in a text message, if you really needed it to.
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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