Choosing a Brand Name

Here is a list of what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to brand names according to Frank Delano, author of The Omnipowerful Brand.
What Works

• Beginning and ending the brand name with the same letter—Delano says that makes the name easy to remember. Examples include Nissan’s Altima car, Ortho chemicals, and Elle women’s magazine.
• Adding a vowel to the end of a word, transforming a common word into a proprietary trademark—An example is Lyrica, the name of a drug used to treat psychotropic conditions.
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  Ending a brand name with the letter “a”—Delano says the letter “a” makes the name sound friendly, like Humana.
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  Ending a brand name with the syllable “va,” particularly if the brand needs to have an international feel—Delano says “va” means “to go forward” in Latin-based languages. Some examples include IBM’s Aptiva PC and Polaroid’s Captiva instant camera. Delano cautions that you should be careful about the prefix or stem syllable that is linked with the “va” suffix. For example, Chevy Nova means “no go” in some languages.
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  Starting a brand name with the letters “ch”—Delano says brands beginning with the letters “ch” mirror such familiar words as church, charity, cheerfulness, and children, thus bringing to mind thoughts ofjoy, goodness, and fulfillment. An example is Cheerios.
• Ending the brand name with the vowel “o,” particularly if you want the brand to appeal to men—Words ending with the vowel “o” are more masculine sounding, according to Delano. One example is the name Terrano for Nissan’ s 4 x 4 sport utility vehicle.
• Beginning the brand name with the letters “Q” or “J”—These letters are supposed to convey the image that the brand is something special, for example Infiniti’s Q45 and J30 lines of cars.
• Beginning the brand name with the letters “se,” particularly if you want the brand to sound sexy—Delano says the letters “se” carry a sensual overtone as in the examples of Gillette’s Sensor razor and Secret deodorant.
• Incorporating the letter “z” in the name—Delano maintains that the letter “z” conveys the image of advanced technology, scientific breakthrough, or superior performance. An example is Zantac, the antiulcer drug.
• Using only one syllable and three or four letters—Shorter names like Fab and Tide detergents are easier to remember. However, adds Delano, a name with multiple syllables and nine or more letters, such as Primerica or Microsoft, can convey stature and importance.
• Combining two words—For example, FedEx is a better name than Federal Express.
• Using a name that sounds like the product’s generic name—Examples include Duracell for a battery cell and Ziploc for a plastic storage bag.

What Doesn’t Work

• Using a syllable in a brand name that can be spelled in more than one way—For example, sym can be spelled sim, cim, or cym.
  
• Ending the name with the letters ”is”—Delano notes that the names of most illnesses end with these letters. If you don’t want your product associated with such things as syphilis, gingivitis, halitosis, and so on, then don’t end the name with “is.”
• Names that sound like a curse word—Delano notes that the makers of a brand of jams and jellies faced this problem head on with an inventive ad campaign that went, “With a name like Smucker’s, it has to be good.” However, it is preferable to avoid this problem if possible.
• Names that try to be cute—Examples include names like Cow Chip Cookies or Dog Poo Shampoo.
• Overused words and symbols—Delano notes that names of over 1,600 banks in the United States begin with the words “First National” and another 584 start with the word “Farmers.”