The Problem with Generic Names

Continuing from Tuesday's post on simplicity in names, today I want to talk to you a bit more about generic names.

To put it simply, generic names suck. Think about it, are you loyal to a brand with a generic name? We buy books from Amazon, well designed gadgets from Apple, furniture from IKEA and search the web on Google. When you come to think of it, most popular brands don't have a generic name. There are still some old brands with very generic names, but now they present a shortened or abbreviated version of it. Take General Electric for example, their brand name is now GE and you will rarely find a reference to the original name.

Last Tuesday I was at an event on Social Innovation, I was really surprised with the lack of creativity and uniqueness of brand names from the companies that were attending. A lot of the names were very descriptive, difficult to remember and very generic. Imagine me coming up to you at a crowded event and saying that my company name is "The Brand Consultancy That Focuses on Simplicity", would you remember it? But people still fall for this trap, as I witnessed first-hand on Tuesday.

The solution is simple, whenever a generic name comes up during your naming sessions either park it or shut it down. The best you can do if someone insists on it, is morph it to a unique name. Abbreviate it, shorten it, keep the parts that you like and morph it into a single word. Better yet, come up with something unique and follow the advice on Tuesday's post. You won't regret it.

Posted by Harry Mylonadis 

A Simple Name

I've talked before about how important your brand's name is. One thing that you also need to do, is make your name simple.

Here are some points to help you with that:

1. Keep it short. The shorter it is, the easier it will be for your customers to remember it.
2. Make it easy to spell. Avoid difficult spelling and make sure it's spelled the same way it's pronounced. People will find out about you from friends and colleagues and a lot of the times by saying the name instead of writing or spelling it.
3. Repeat letters. The less letters you use, the easier it will be to remember it. For minimoko for example we use only 5 letters in an 8 letter word.
4. Don't mix letters and numbers. Stick to one or the other, as a combination is difficult to remember.
5. Make it unique. It's the easiest way to stand out and be remembered.
6. Avoid generics. Generic names are lame and belong in the Dot-com bubble. Come up with something that is different.

Posted by Harry Mylonadis 

Watch Where You Put Your Name

Your brand is one of your most important assets, so you need to be careful about where your name appears. If it's presented in the wrong space, next to the wrong name the effects can be detrimental.

Whenever you are discussing a certain partnership, collaboration, sponsorship or any other brand association, you need to make sure that there are some shared values. If you have some shared values, then this association will strengthen your brand and show that other people also believe in you.

Make sure that within your brand guidelines it's clear what your brand stands for and what are appropriate associations. It can be as simple as listing industries, or as detailed as listing other company names.

Protect your brand, don't let someone destroy your image just because of a wrong association.

Posted by Harry Mylonadis 

Simplicity in Branding: Your Name #SimplicityTuesdays

Last week we started talking about using the power of simplicity when working on your brand. During that post we looked at what your message should be and how simplicity can be used. This week we are going to look at what name you choose for your company, service, product or project.

When working on your name always keep in mind that it needs to be easy to read and easy to pronounce. If you have these two qualities people will think more positively of it, they will remember it and will trust you more. Even though you will be using simplicity to find the best name, don't overdo it and create a name that is just a collation of two other names. Be creative and create a new word. If it is interesting and easy to remember it will also give you the opportunity to tell a story about how you came up with that name. And that's a perfect ice breaker for any conversation. Your audience will hear where you are coming from and trust you even more.

Don't forget that the name is usually the first piece of information that is communicated to your audience. When working on your name, give it the time it deserves so you can produce the best result. It's very difficult to go back and change your name once you are well known, so choose wisely and use the power of simplicity to your advantage.

Next week, we will look at logo design.

Posted by Harry Mylonadis