Winning the Name Game
by Bill Weger
What do Xerox, Nike, Starbucks, Habitat for Humanity and Make-A-Wish Foundation have in common?
They all played the name game—and won.
Naming an organization is one of the most important marketing decisions a company or nonprofit will make. A name is often the first thing people encounter and the word they eventually use to describe the organization. It appears on websites, social media, business cards, press releases and advertising. Over time, it can become one of an organization's most valuable assets.
A good name cannot rescue a bad organization. But a good name can differentiate you from competitors, make you memorable, communicate personality and give your brand room to grow.
Consider Xerox. Chester Carlson invented the copying process that became known as xerography in 1938. The Haloid Company later developed and commercialized the technology, eventually becoming Xerox Corporation. The Xerox name became so closely associated with photocopying that it entered everyday language.
Nike offers another lesson. Named for the Greek goddess of victory, Nike developed a name that naturally suggested achievement and competition and eventually became inseparable from its swoosh and the 1988 tagline “Just Do It.”
Starbucks was inspired by Starbuck, the name of the ship's first mate in Moby Dick, the classic novel. Of course, the coffee company's iconic logo features a crowned, twin-tailed siren in green, symbolizing coffee’s maritime heritage and allure.
These examples show that a successful name does not necessarily have to describe exactly what an organization does. Sometimes a name creates a distinctive identity and allows the brand to give the word meaning.
Be a Purple Cow
As marketing expert Seth Godin has suggested through his “purple cow” metaphor, there are plenty of ordinary brown cows. The purple cow gets noticed. In a crowded marketplace, being different can be an advantage—but different should not mean confusing.
Homework and Testing
Some hugely successful companies have descriptive names, including International Business Machines, General Electric and General Motors. Also known as IBM, GE and GM. Their success, however, was built by products, services, leadership and marketing—not only by their names.
For a new organization, a generic name can make differentiation difficult. Naming requires both creativity and homework. Before committing to a name, search the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office database for potentially conflicting marks.
Also check relevant domain names and social-media handles. The USPTO notes that trademarks can conflict even when they are not identical if they are similar in sound, appearance or meaning and involve related goods or services. A basic search is useful, but it is not a substitute for comprehensive trademark clearance or legal advice.
Test promising names with employees, customers, donors or other stakeholders. Ask what the name suggests, whether it is easy to pronounce and remember, and whether it communicates the personality you intend. Also check for unintended meanings in other languages or cultures.
These naming principles can help.
Make it easy to say. Keep your name relatively short, simple and easy to pronounce. People should be able to hear it once and repeat it later.
Make it stand out. Create a distinctive name with personality. It can be playful, sophisticated, surprising or intriguing. The goal is not simply to be different, but to be different in a way that reinforces the organization's character.
Link it to your mission. Look for connections between the name and your mission, values, history or goals. A nonprofit name, in particular, can help communicate purpose and make the mission easier to remember.
Avoid acronyms. Acronyms can work—IBM is proof—but they can also produce a meaningless string of letters. If you use one, ask whether it can become a recognizable brand in its own right.
Consider personalized names carefully. Dell, Goodyear, Wrigley and Heinz demonstrate the enduring power of founder names. But an eponym also ties an organization to one person's reputation and may become complicated as the organization grows.
Consider invented names. Verizon and Accenture show how a created word can become a brand. The advantage is distinctiveness; the disadvantage is that an invented name usually requires more marketing to acquire meaning.
Finally, think beyond the name itself. Today's name must work on a smartphone, in a Google search, as a social-media handle and in conversation. It should be easy to spell and flexible enough to accommodate future growth. Don't name only for today. Name for the organization you hope to become.
Say It With a Tagline
A good tagline extends a brand's meaning beyond the name. Nike's “Just Do It” and UNCF's “A mind is a terrible thing to waste” demonstrate how a concise phrase can become closely associated with an organization. UNCF says it introduced its iconic motto in 1972, and the organization continues to use it today.
A tagline can communicate what you stand for, what you do or, most importantly, why people should care. For nonprofits, it can provide the emotional dimension that a name alone may lack.
Keep taglines memorable, simple and original. Five words or fewer is a useful discipline. Use strong action verbs, conjure a picture and say something the organization's name cannot. Avoid empty claims such as “the best,” “premier” or “the only.” Don't create taglines by committee—too many cooks can spoil the soup—and don't sacrifice clarity simply to sound clever.
Test the Tagline
Develop two or three promising versions and test them with stakeholders. Start with text-only versions so graphic design does not influence reactions to the words. Then show participants how the tagline works with the name and logo.
Ask whether it is clear, memorable, believable and distinctive. What does it make them think about? Does it communicate the organization's essence? Research should inform the decision, not make it. Balance audience feedback with your knowledge of the organization, its mission and its communications strategy.
And resist changing a tagline simply because the communications department is tired of it. Recognition takes time and money. Change it when it no longer reflects the organization's mission, audience or strategic direction.
If the answers are favorable, you may have more than a name. You may have the beginning of a brand.
But a name is only the opening sentence of the story. The organization must spend years giving that name meaning through its products, services, people, customer experiences and actions. Xerox did not become synonymous with copying simply because the word sounded distinctive.
Nike did not make “Just Do It” powerful by printing it on a poster. Starbucks did not build a global identity from a literary reference alone. The brand followed the promise—and the experience followed the brand.
That is the real name game. Choose a name people can trust and remember. Build a promise they can understand. Then give them a reason to believe it.
Bill Weger is the Founder, Managing Partner, Clearfont Media, a strategic communications company. 100+ Marketing Communications Awards. B.S. in Journalism, University of Maryland, B.A. in Public Communications, American University.
