Inspired by the challenges faced in crafting brands for my clients, I became passionately wrapped in the topic of what makes an effective brand name. I dove into research in search of answers to my question then organized and analyzed my findings. I greatly enjoyed writing this article; My hope is that it will help others in developing one of their company's greatest assets: A brand name which consumers can emotionally identify with.

Branding pro Marty Neuemier says in The Brand Gap, “The need for good brand names originates with customers, and customers will always want convenient ways of identifying, remembering, discussing, and comparing brands. The right name can be a brand’s most valuable asset, driving differentiation and speeding acceptance.”

1. Metaphoric Brand Names

These brand names cleverly make no sense on the surface, but have some sort of connection to what they are selling. They have a high risk but also high reward; In the beginning, people are going to think the name doesn’t make any sense—But if the brand name can stick around for a while, that business will carve out a new space in everyone’s minds that only it fills—and consumers will never confuse that brand name with anyone else. Obtaining the domain name is a bit problematic as it often carries a high price.

Successful Metaphoric Brand Names:

• Amazon is not connected to South America. However, we link the idea of ‘exotic value’ because the Amazon is a beautiful and hard to get to place. Plus, the Amazon is the largest river in the world infusing brand words like big, powerful, flowing, etc. into the company identity.

• Apple does not sell fruit. They have nothing to do with apples. The bitten apple is linked to the forbidden tree of knowledge from the Bible—the most commonly known book in the world.

• Yahoo! created an identity around the emotion their brand is meant to evoke. Back when the internet was relatively new and there were a lot of people who are completely new to it, they essentially sold the idea that you can feel the joy of avoiding frustration and actually finding what you want.

• Nike, the winged Greek goddess of victory is a great reference for speed and…well, victory. These are effective messages to carry when in an industry like sportswear.

2. Misspelled Brand Names

One method is to intentionally misspell a word, add prefixes, suffixes, or other tweaks to existing words in order to carve a unique spot in the brand name market. Though this is immediately identifiable, you will lose online traffic with many consumers who misspell the misspelling!

Successful Misspelling Brand Names:

• Flickr is naturally evocative of film and cameras.

• Dribbble, a brand name which “came about from the dual metaphors of bouncing ideas and leaking your work,” says co-founder Dan Cederholm.

• Todoist effectively turns to do list into a catchy single word.

3. Invented Brand Names

Invented brand names have the advantage of having full control over the brand identity because there is no pre-established meaning in the minds of consumers. Unfortunately, these creative brand names need a lot of time and effort put into their marketing in order to stick in consumer minds. Since they are not actual words, consumers do not immediately know what the brand name offers—in which case a tagline can play that identifying role until the Invented brand name itself becomes infused with meaning.

Successful Invented Brand Names:

• Twitter effectively makes use of a bird as their logo mascot in order to link this made up word to tweet. Taken a step further, a tweet is now known as a post made exclusively on Twitter.

• Geico similarly leverages the gecko lizard as its mascot to both market the Invented brand name as well as help people remember it due to the mascot’s similar pronunciation. The Geico Gecko creates its own memorable alliteration.

• Google, what is a google? It is a misspelling of Googol which is 10 to the power of 100. This makes the brand name part Metaphoric, part Misspelling—but ultimately an Invented brand name.

4. Direct Brand Names

There is no confusion as to what businesses with this type of brand name provide. It is very hard for Direct brand names to develop their own brand identity because they have to stick with the associations that people already have with the particular product or service the brand is named after. This can be very detrimental as consumers will carry any negative experiences they’ve had with the same product or service from another business. Direct brand names often feel as if they are void of any characteristics or personality to identify with and therefore have a hard time creating an emotional connection or communicating something meaningful.

Successful Direct Brand Names:

• Free Credit Report spells out exactly what it offers.

Some companies which had Direct brand names changed them to something more effective in creating a unique identity.

• Snapple use to be called Unadulterated Food Products—this is a great example of a business going from a thing they provide to an actual identity.

• eBay use to be called AuctionWeb—a compound word for what it literally is: auctions held on the web.

• Nike use to be called Blue Ribbon Sports—sports being a direct and generic word which many other companies could use.

• Yahoo! use to be called Jerry and David’s Guide to the World Wide Web. They switched to an emotion their brand is meant to evoke.

5. Word Combination Brand Names

Combining the unique identity of Invented brand names with the clarity of what the business is about, Word Combination brand names are a good option if you are sure the business plan will not need to expand or take unexpected turns. Like Direct brand names, you can usually tell what Word Combination brand names sell just by looking at them but with the added ability to create an emotional connection with consumers.

Successful Word Combination Brand Names:

• Microsoft effectively combines and shortens micro-computer software.

• Netflix combines two shortened words—Net being derived from the word Internet and Flix shortened from a synonym for movies: flicks. These two words embody what Netflix does.

• Mastercard gives the idea of a credit card which is somehow superior.

• FitBit expresses fitness through the use of a small product.

6. Alliteration Brand Names

An alliteration by definition is the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. These can be a combination of any other type of brand name, but with the added chance to stick in consumer minds due to their satisfying flow.

Successful Alliteration Brand Names:

• Best Buy tries to convince the consumer that they have the best products at the best price.

• Coca-Cola is named after its original ingredients: cocaine and kola nuts.

• Dunkin’ Donuts has since removed the word donut from their brand name in order to expand.

7. Personal Brand Names

These brand names make use of the founder’s personal name or that of a historic figure. This act of connecting one’s reputation to a business immediately helps build consumer trust; When consumers can connect to the person, this directly results in consumers connecting to the brand. Eventually, the identity of the brand name surpasses that of the individual and continues to carry its own meaning. Plus, there is no limit to the business’s product or service expansion with a Personal brand name.

Successful Personal Brand Names:

• Disney has become a brand name packed with memories and meaning in the minds of consumers young and old…and it is all credited in large to the man who started it—Walt Disney.

• Toyota was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda. The reason for the slight change in spelling is because people though it sounded better and the fact that Toyota can be written with just 8 pen strokes in Japanese.

• Mercedes-Benz was founded by Carl Benz. Among the co-founders, Emil Jellinek named the new cars after his daughter Mercedes Jellinek.

• Tesla is known for making electric cars and—as most people know—Tesla the man was a pioneering innovator with the use of electricity. Tesla was not the founder of this company however which makes this a sort of Metaphoric brand name as it references a name with pre-established meaning.

8. Abbreviated Brand Names

Examples from this category can fall under any of the others, but the use of an acronym makes them behave differently. Like Word Combination brand names, Abbreviated brand names allow for an effective use of a direct word while retaining a unique identity. At first, consumers will need to figure out what the acronym stands for to understand what the business does—but after a while, the set of letters will carry their own evolving meaning even though consumers have long forgotten the words they stand for.

Successful Abbreviated Brand Names:

• AT&T stands for American Telephone & Telegraph. No one says telephone any more and telegraphs are greatly outdated—but that doesn’t matter because society has given the acronym new meaning.

• GE stands for General Electric.

• IBM stands for International Business Machines.

• BMW stands for Bavarian Motor Works in English.

• UPS stands for United Parcel Service.

10 Characteristics of a Good Brand Name

Each of these categories have their advantages and disadvantages. To summarize the above, here is a list of positive aspects to look for in a brand name. Think of these as guidelines rather than rules.

1. Built off of a brand strategy.

2. Connect emotionally.

3. Short and simple.

4. Differentiates from competition.

5. Easy to pronounce.

6. Can’t misspell it.

7. Does not use a direct word for what it provides.

8. Does not limit business expansion.

9. Don’t need to spend a fortune to get the domain.

10. Can be protected under national and international trademark.

5 Questions to Ask When Brainstorming Brand Names

Coming up with a brand name for a new business is a daunting task. Here are a few important questions which will act as a guide in your search for the right name for your brand.

1. Why do we do what we do?

2. What are our values?

3. What makes us distinct?

4. Where do we come from?

5. What is our personality?

The Power of a Tagline

Making use of a tagline—or slogan—can be a powerful way to communicate what a business provides or the message it stands for. This is especially useful when the business is just starting out with a unique brand name which carries a strong identity but is inherently ambiguous. The tagline can be there to clarify what the business does in its early life until the name itself begins to be associated with its products and services. Furthermore, taglines can easily be removed or changed without damaging the brand’s consistency.