The name is the brand element that most often tells the market about values and personality, culture and functionality. A good name is therefore an important, strategic tool for the company. Countless variations of names are already registered as trademarks and domains. This places extra demands on creativity and legal insight.
There is a continuous battle for the unique and distinctive, for taking a position. In such a context, a name should ideally represent a value for the business, and not a handicap. Names must never be chosen randomly, but anchored in fundamental principles of brand building. In addition, the name must be adapted to complicated rules for registration and protection.
A trademark can consist of all sorts of signs that distinguish a company's goods or services from those of other companies. This can be rendered graphically, for example words (word mark), word combinations or slogans, names, figures (figurative mark), letters, numbers, and the shape of the goods, equipment and packaging. A brand is a trademark with a position or history that arouses emotional values in the consumer's mind.
A name is often built around a set of emotional values; the core values you have chosen for the company, product, or concept. The name should be unique and exciting relative to the competitor's, and make it possible to build a new and powerful name or brand through strategic market communication.
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The name should sound pleasant phonetically. This will also make it easier to understand.
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If a name becomes too complicated to read and comprehend, it also becomes difficult to remember.
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The name should be distinctive and stand out from competitors.
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The name needs to sound good in the language it will be used. Czech word construction, for example, works poorly in the Norwegian market.
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The core values are the brand's emotional characteristics and personality traits that best describe the brand and that the company or product should be associated with. The rational values describe the brand's rational content.
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If the name is also to be marketed outside of Norway, it is important that it can also be pronounced in other languages. If the name is too «peculiar», it can be difficult for international contacts to remember and perceive the name.
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The name should not only sound good but also look good. Spindly letters can appear messy, equally tall letters like 'o's and 'e's work well together. Here, it may be safe to get a designer's input.
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This means that the name must possess the distinctiveness required to meet the trademark law's requirements for registration as a word mark. This, in turn, means that the name must not be directly descriptive of the product or company, nor indicative of quality.
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With a good understanding of competitors' positioning and naming strategies, it is easier to develop names that clearly stand out.
NameAbrand has developed a naming process that ensures the name's registrability and uniqueness through several phases. We safely guide our clients through the initial phase, the creative phase, the checking phase, and the presentation phase. For further information, please contact us.
