SAY MY NAME, SAY MY NAME…
If you’re thinking about re-branding your business, a complete re-brand process can sometimes include changing, adjusting or re-naming the brand name. You should only consider this if you have a clear and compelling reason as to why you want to change the brand name and the benefits this name change will bring to your brand and business.
The reasons to change may vary – your brand name might be too specific, limiting your business growth; your brand name might need to change because you’ve merged with another business, taken on a partner, or launched a new service and this needs to be reflected in your brand name, or you want to send a new message with your new brand name and attract a new type of audience.
Re-naming a brand is not an easy feat! It’s a complex, collaborative and creative process that requires a lot of brainpower, imagination, research and time spent thinking. But where does one start? Follow my 6 tips on how to choose a successful brand name:
- Your new brand name should tell a story
Determine what message you want your new name to communicate, and then invest the time in finding and choosing a name that says it best. If you don’t know what you want it to be, a brand strategy process will help you uncover your key messages and what your brand stands for. Then you can find a suitable name. - Consider the future & brand architecture
Our brand strategy process always looks at the brand architecture which can greatly impact your brand name. Will you have a single brand? Multiple brands under one umbrella? Sister brands or branded products and services? All of these need to work in harmony and should be future proof. For example, you don’t want to have the word fragrances in your brand name if one day you will expand and sell linen. - Develop a decision making process
When brainstorming your new brand name ideas, it’s possible you and your branding team will come up with 100’s of different brand names. It’s important to develop a set of criteria that will help you eliminate all the bad ones and narrow down your decisions. - Check availability
Before you get too excited about your new chosen brand name, make sure that you check if you can actually own it. You need to check for trademarks and patents, here and overseas to avoid messy legal disasters and it’s also worth checking the availability of domain names and social media handles so that you can use your brand effectively. When choosing a brand name it is best to work with a professional IP specialist or IP lawyer to make sure you don’t infringe on any copyright. - Don’t get too many people involved in the process
Unless you want to specifically invest in focus groups to help you determine your brand name, it is best to keep the decision making process to a minimum number of stakeholders. Like anything creative, it is a subjective process, and having too many opinions will confuse you. Definitely avoid ‘crowd input’ – don’t post your shortlist of favourite names (and logo concepts for that matter) on on your personal social media accounts to get your friends to vote as they are most likely not the intended audience of your brand. - Don’t do it yourself While these tips are a good starting point, you don’t have to go through this process yourself! Our talented team can help you develop a brand strategy that will help set the foundation for a new brand name. While the final decision ultimately lies with you, we can go down multiple rabbit holes to brain storm ideas, name concepts and themes you might never have considered, but that will ultimately help you tell your brand story.
