Would you like to hear how one of Norway's strongest brands was born?
NORTURA – Norway's largest brand house for meat and egg products saw the light of day in November 2006. The food concern is the result of a merger between the cooperative enterprises Gilde Norsk Kjøtt and Prior Norge.
But how did the company name NORTURA come into being?
The strategy and positioning company MarkUp Consulting AS, led by Bjørn Petter Ulvær, was tasked with developing a good strategy for the Gilde/Prior merger at the beginning of 2006, and thus wished to collaborate with NameAbrand regarding the development of the final name.
Both companies' core values were to be reflected in the new name, and there were many of them.;
Guild values:
• Ambitious - To be determined and efficient
• Innovative – Finding new solutions, operational methods and products
• Reliable – Deliver what we promise and produce safe products
Thoughtful – Consideration for animals and people
Priors values:
• Through genuine interest, enthusiasm, humility, and honesty, we will continue to provide Norwegian consumers with joy in their food!
• Prior shall be recognised as Norway's best and most trusted supplier of exciting, good, and safe products
• Prior must have the correct quality throughout its operations. Prior shall ensure food safety and stable quality through training, approval, certification and systematic measurement.
The name would naturally need its own .no domain, and additionally be available and registrable in the Norwegian Trademarks Register across several trademark classes. These include foodstuffs, catering, pharmaceutical and veterinary preparations, and the provision of food and drink, among others. A total of six trademark classes. As the name was to be trademark registered as a word mark, it was important that it was not directly descriptive or indicative of quality, in accordance with trademark law. NameAbrands' task was therefore to develop names that indicated one or more of the given core values, rather than stating them directly.
There are quite a few prerequisites that are laid down when such an «important» name is to be developed. In addition to the legal requirements, it was important that the name should be easy to pronounce in Norwegian, but also preferably a name that can be pronounced internationally. They were open to constructed names, as long as these were relevant, meaningful, and easy to use in the Norwegian market. The name should work both on its own and with a descriptive text.
Not an easy task, one might think, – and it wasn't. But exciting, challenging, and rewarding!
Once the prerequisites are in place, the creative process begins; during which several hundred names were developed based on the values. The employees of the companies also came up with their own suggestions, which were evaluated in the same way as the names from NameAbrand and MarkUp Consulting.
The control phase, and selection follows thereafter. The selected names must be available in the following registers:
• The Trade Mark Register in Norway
• The .no domain registry
The company register in Norway
• Norwegian Surname Register
• Language control – English – no negatives
• General registrability as a word mark in relevant classes
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And of course, the name suggestions must have a history, a background, and be distinctive enough to be registered as a trademark (not be descriptive).
Quite a lot to deal with, and on top of that, it's important to keep your nose clean legally.
The checks were carried out carefully, and we were left with 10 names that met most of the preconditions laid down by Gilde/Prior and MarkUp Consulting; registrable names that had a history.
In addition, we also considered a total of nine names that the companies themselves had proposed, so the list for consideration became long. 19 names were to be ranked and evaluated.
At the presentation meeting, most of the marketing departments from both Gilde and Prior were gathered, and the excitement was high.
The first name suggestions to receive the lowest «rating» were those that were directly descriptive, such as «Norsk Bondekost» (Norwegian Farmhouse Fare), «Norsk Matglede» (Norwegian Food Joy), and «Norske Bord» (Norwegian Tables). This type of name cannot be exclusively owned and therefore cannot be registered as a word mark.
Then, the «indicative» names were «rated» and several came out well. The three with the highest scores were Grender, Nortura and Gastron. All of these had a good story behind them. Grender, referring to classic farm operations that produce high-quality food according to good traditions. Gastron, which is inspired by «gastronomy»; the study of food, taste and enjoyment of food.
And then there was Nortura, then;
Nortura is a constructed name built on Norway (in the prefix NOR) and the English word «nurture», which means «nourishment», «food», «care», «fostering», «feeding», «upbringing», «education», «environmental influence», «environmental factor», and «associating with». At the same time, we hear the word «culture» in the name, which refers to Norwegian food culture and traditions. The name can also be perceived as an abstraction of the word «natur» (nature in Norwegian), or «nature» in English. The pleasing name Nortura goes right to the heart of the company's area of operation with its clear associations with food, nourishment, and health, and is a good name on which to build a story. The ending «-tura» can also refer to the word «future», a positive aspect in relation to the company's new constellation and future. The name rolls off the tongue, is easy to remember and pronounce, both in Norwegian and internationally.
AND SO, the name NORTURA was born, trademarked both nationally and internationally, and built further by skilled brand builders and strategists.