Obama & Guiliani v/s Hilary Clinton

I came across this post which posits an interesting theory on Presidential brand names. I wouldn't bet on it. If what Brandnama is saying were the case, all you'd need to come up with a big brand is an exotic name. Just like Presidents are decided on the basis of their vision, the promises they make, the values they stand for, brands too stand for much, much more than a name. Yes, brand names will get your attention. But once that's done, you'll need a powerful story to keep people interested.

Guiliani or Obama might well go on to win the race. But if Clinton loses, it will be because of a lot more than just a non-exotic name. Speaking of funny, unusual names for Presidential candidates, I wonder when Arnold Schwarzeneggar is going to run for President?

Froogle v/s Frugal

When Craig Nevill-Manning was looking for a name for his 20% project at Google, he thought up Froogle. Great choice. For those who didn't know what Froogle is, what would they think of it as a name for? It sounds like Frugal. So it must be something connected with saving money? Question is, why didn't Manning go with Frugal? Because Frugal only rhymes with Google, but doesn't look like Google. And therein lies an important naming principle for brand extensions. If you want a brand extension to riff off the strengths of your existing brand, not only must the extension sound something like the established brand, it must also try and look like it.

And for those of you in the boondocks wondering what Froogle is, it's the name for shopping site run by the guys at Google. It's also proof that all it takes to come up with a good name is common sense and bit of simple thinking. It's not rocket science.

Rocky Balboa v/s Rocky 5

So I saw Rocky Balboa last night and wondered why it wasn't called Rocky 5? Hmm...would Rocky 5 have made for a better name? I don't think so. I think they got the naming game right. Rocky 5 would have riffed off Rocky 4. And Rocky 4 was shit. In fact, the last 2 Rocky movies before Rocky Balboa weren't up to scratch. Rocky 5 would have had to deal with that baggage.

Strategically speaking, to name it 'Rocky Balboa' was a good move. It took people away from the immediate associations with the previous Rocky movies and made it seem like a new product from 'The Stallion's' stable. A lesson in smart brand extension that other marketer's would do well to make a note of. That apart, the name Balboa has a good ring to it. It's got some strong 'B' sounds and a nice 'aa' to end it.

Never thought Rocky Balboa would make for a marketing case study, did you? Well, if you think about it, why not? Agreed, Rocky Balboa isn't a terribly inventive name. But it doesn't have to be. The brand had some old equity going for it in the form of an already established brand name.

ytivitaerC v/s Creativity

When I was looking for a name for my Creativity School, I racked my brains and that's what I came up with. What do you think? I think it's pretty creative. It's a fine way, I think, to reflect what my product is about, i.e. creativity. Of course, it doesn't adhere to all the necessary naming priniciples I've been yammering about here, but it does reflect the one thing that I've always tried very hard to be: Original. I believe creativity is about looking at things differently and I thought this was a pretty different way of looking at the naming matter.

Of course, the damn thing is nearly impossible to pronouce, very hard to spell and seemingly meaningless...at first. But once you get it, it comes. In other words, it's a lot like creativity. Good choice Über.

Khosla ka Ghosla v/s Khosla ki Zameen

Why is Khosla ka Ghosla a better name than Khosla ki Zameen? Exactly. That's right. You've got it. You've been listening. You've learnt a bit from all my posting. And now you're ready for some cool branding.

It's okay to come up with long brand names. The only thing you must keep in mind when you're coming up with longer names is making sure they have a few memory helpers. Rhyme is one of the most basic and most powerful memory helpers. Thow in a bit of metaphor and it'll make it even better. Trust a bunch of advertising guys to come up with a cool brand name for a movie.

Who says all movie names have to be unimaginative? In fact, they can't afford to be colourless when they don't have any big brand names built into them. The name Khosla ka Ghosla is a reflection of this principle of movie naming: If you don't have the big names, you need a cool name. What movies also need are more guys from advertising.

Advertising may be one of the more reviled professions in the world, but it does have some of the most interesting and sensitive people in the world, too. Dibakar Banerjee, Jaideep Sahni take a bow.

Reebok v/s RBK v/s RBK's

What made Reebok change a memorable and easy-to-pronounce name like Reebok and opt for a non-word? Initials that are brands tend to be two-initial brands. 3 initials rarely work as brand names. Initials that are brands, most memorable ones, can be pronounced as words. RBK can, but only with some difficulty. So why did they do it?

Maybe they expected people to say Aar-B-Kays, which doesn't sound that bad. In which case they should have rebranded themselves as as RBK's. If you want to be an initial you might want to consider being a plural. Plural initials are easier to remember because they're easier to belong to.

In a category like sporting and lifestyle products, the belonging factor can add a lot to building brand equity. If they had come to me, I would have asked them to tag the apostrophe 's' to the initials. The apostrophe would have created a memory cue by way of the visual disruption it causes and the possessive 's' would have engendered a feeling of belonging.

Thankfully for RBK, they didn't go and change the logo. Unfortunately it looks like ADIDAS is going to kill the brand. They shouldn't. What ADIDAS should do is reposition it as a cult, alternative brand.

Lynyrd Skynyrd v/s Lehnerd Skinnerd

Now I've often said vowels in a name make for a good brand name. So how come a name like Lynyrd Skynyrd that's so hard to spell, so hard to pronounce and without any vowels is such a great name? Apart from the fact that they made great music, something which came after the name, what else does the name have going for it?

Well, you don't have to have vowels in a name to make it a great name. Hang on, a second. Did I just contradict myself? Yes and no. A name made up of only consonants in which one or more of the consonants is pronounced as a vowel sound doesn't need vowels because it has consonants. Come again? Most certainly. The thing about Lynrd Skynrd is it has two vowels in each word. 'Ly' is a vowel sound. 'Nyrd' has a vowel sound built into it. What else does it have going for it? Repetition. Come again? Precisely. Visual and aural repetition, that's what the words Lynyrd and Skynyrd enjoy.

Words without vowels look odd and when you make up two odd-looking words that look and end similarly - with hidden vowel sounds - you've got yourself a complex admixture of memorable naming principles which throw up a mind-blowing name. Less interesting is what they would have looked had they chosen to brand themselves Lehnerd Skinnerd, minus the 4 Ys. (Though, repetition would still have stood them in good stead.)

In one way, the name Lynyrd Skynyrd is similar to another name I had spent some time analysing; Red or Dead. Also check out some of the unmemorable names they had before they hit upon Lynyrd Skynyrd. Now I hate saying this but since I did, I'll say it. As you ought to be aware of by now, repetition helps.

RuDa v/s Puma v/s Adidas

Fact of the matter is, no matter how stale an interesting fact is, it's still interesting. Jumped into this when I read this. And then, I decided to jump into a quick analysis of what if RuDa had been launched as the brand instead of Puma? Would RuDa have made for a better brand name? No. Why? Because the name Puma comes with very powerful back story that adds equity to the word. And while RuDa does sound stronger and more macho, Puma sounds classier, cooler, faster and more graceful - all useful qualities to have in this category. At the end of the day, a brand name for a fashion, sports and lifestyle product that riffs off one of the meanest cats in the animal kingdom definitely makes for a better choice than a name like RuDa, which starts without much of a back story and with not much more than a strong 'D' and an end 'A' sound going for it. My gut feel would have gone with Puma. And so would research. Put differently, would I rather have a Puma at my feet than a RuDa? Yes.

Interestingly enough, I think RuDa makes for a better name than Adidas. One reason: 'RuDas' sound way cooler than the shortened form of Adidas, which is 'Adis'. It also sounds stronger. So why is Adidas a bigger brand than Puma? Ah well, if you've been paying attention you ought to know by now that naming is not the be all and end all of good brand strategy.

Nike v/s Swoosh

Says Brandnama, "In a country like India where people are more verbal than visual, Nike's decision to drop the name in favour of just the Swoosh is a Himalayan Blunder." Is it? There's no doubt about it, Nike is a great brand name. It has everything that a good brand name ought to possess. It's short. It has a 'K'. It's has a good ring to it. It also has a perfect balance of consonant and vowel sounds. All of which makes it a memorable brand name. So why did they drop it in favour of the Swoosh?

I don't think they have dropped anything. I'd argue the Swoosh is Nike. In an attempt to simplify communication, they have decided to drop the words. The world is going more visual. Visual is the word of the day. Even literate people take a little time to get the pronunciation of Nike right. Significantly, words are easier to plagirise. Visuals make for more powerful and more integral symbols of brand ownership and memory recall than words. I don't think the Swoosh is anything else other than Nike. I do know that there are more than a few versions of the word 'Nike'. I think Nike's decision to drop the name from the Swoosh is an interesting one. I think it's a emotional step up in an evolutionary direction that makes some communication sense.

The big problem: People who don't know Nike are going to look at the Swoosh and wonder what it is. That, I think, is the biggest and the only challenge Nike's communications partner is going to have to address. An interesting debate, to say the least. Contribute.

Eklavya v/s Ghost Rider

Last night I watched two movies. The first thing I noticed about them were their respective names. And then, I wondered which of the two names is better? (I can't help it, my hobby is analysing names.)

For this argument's sake, let's take our audience to be English-speaking. The people who don't speak Hindi and with little knowledge of Indian mythology will be unaware of the story of 'Eklavya'. For such people, 'Eklavya' will be little more than a strange sounding, hard to pronounce Indian name. For them, the name 'Ghost Rider' will win the day. For them, the story of 'Ghost Rider', the comic book hero will be an instant aid for brand recall. That said, 'Ghost Rider' will not make much of an impression on people from India. In fact, 'Eklavya' will triumph in the Indian mind for almost the same reasons 'Ghost Rider' will in Western minds. Both 'Ghost Rider' and 'Eklavya' are edgy, legendary characters in their respective societies. What does this little digscussion teach you about naming techniques? Simple. Keep the stories your target audience knows in mind and then think of a name that can draw on these stories.

Now let's assume for a moment, neither of the names had any back story. In such a scenario, which is the name that is likely to make a greater impression? Without a doubt, 'Eklavya'. Why? It's one word. It ends with an 'A'. It has a 'K'. It has a 'V'. It has stronger consonant sounds. Test it. It'll prove me right. The only thing 'Ghost Rider' has going for it is 'Ghost'. Sounds, stories, breaks...these are some of my faourite pings, when it comes to better brand names.

Incidentally, the above two movie names prove what I had to say about the seeming blandness of movie names. They don't have to be exciting. The stories these movies tell make for a far more intensive, packaged, rapid-fire brand experience than any of the things we conventionally know and buy as brands off store shelves.

Googled v/s Torrented

If your brand name can turn itself into a verb, it's destined to be a winner. The secret to coming up with brand names that have a better chance of being used as verbs lies here: Choose a brand name in which the last letter is an 'E', preferably preceded by a consonant. This thought bubbled into my mind when I was trying very hard, and very clumsily, to use the brand name 'Torrent' the way I use 'Googled'.

Idea v/s Airtel v/s RIM

It's IPO season in India and one of the most high-profile IPO's is from Idea Cellular. An Aditya Birla Group company, Idea is easily the best named cellular operator in the country. Why do I think so? Well, because some things just have to be repeated. It's a word with positive associations. It's a simple word. It's a word. What else? It has a 'D' in it. It ends with an 'A' (which is one of the smarter things you can do with a name). The reason Idea is not the number 1 cellular operator in the country has less to do with the name than the fact that they were one of the last entrants in the market. And yet, it happens to be the top-rated IPO of the season. The way I see it, a good name can overcome a lot of things. Parting shot: Another top name with a 'D' and an 'A' in it.

Ditto v/s Same

If you had to choose between 'Ditto' and 'Same', which one would you go for? Ditto. Rule of thumb: When you're down to one of two brand names in which one of the two names has two letters in it, go for the one with two. Double vision scores higher points on the brand recall charts. That apart, 'Ditto' also qualifies on some of the other parameters of good brand-naming that I have referred to many a time in my other posts.

Speaking of 'Ditto' on the web, I don't think the name fits. A name like 'Ditto' would work very well for a very different kind of product; one that still hasn't been made. Sometimes, an interesting name/word can become a product idea.

David v/s Goliath

Goliath - A clumsy mover. Difficult to pronounce. Slow across the surface of the tongue. And with no hard sounds to stop-start the word. The name that's nimble, comfortably ensconced between two strong 'Ds' and with a more positive back story, David, wins this war, too. There's an advertising agency in India that calls itself David. They started off as RMG-David. And then, decided to drop the meaningless 'RMG' for just 'David'. Good choice. 'V', 'D' and 'A'; these are just some of the letters you should consider using in your proposed brand name. Don't take my word for it. Do some research on the most popular brand names in the world and you'll see.

Name gallery #23: 7/10

Great logo that adds value to the interesting name.

Edun v/s Nude

If you've been good students of brand-naming you might be inclined to believe 'Nude' is a better name for a brand than 'Edun'. No, not just because 'Nude' is nude. Leave your dirty minds out of this and put your mind to the principles of phonetics that I've been trying to hold forth on. Strong end word sounds, strong end word sounds and, that's right, strong end word sounds. There you go. See how firmly the word 'Nude' ends? Doesn't that make it a better brand name than 'Edun'. Edun is soft. 'N' is mild. 'Nu' is easier to pronounce than 'un'. Right? Wrong. Maybe. I suspect Bono was looking to subversively plant the place 'Eden' in our minds with the name 'Edun'. So which works better as a brand name, 'Edun' or 'Nude'? Tough call. Both have strong 'D' sounds. Both have interesting back stories. Both have potential. (And you thought it was easy being a thing namer.) If I had to choose between 'Edun' and 'Nude', I'd go with 'Nude'. And you? Think about it. Meanwhile, let's all thank the trivia star Brandnama for this discussion.

Post script: Bono does seem to know a thing or two about brand naming. He has 'RED' as the name for the campaign to make AIDS history. And now he's got 'ONE' as the name for the campaign to make poverty history. So much nicer than some tired weak line thrown in as an after-thought urging people to make this or that history. The great thing about brand-naming social causes? Brand names are easier to remember, and market, than sentences.

Taurus v/s Touareg

You'd think a zodiac sign would make for a more memorable brand name than something new, wouldn't you? Well, you're wrong. Research will prove that 'Touareg' is a better brand name than 'Taurus'. And I don't need research to tell you why. When it comes to brand names, the brakes in the name are important memory-helpers. Crisply translated what that means is that the 'G' in 'Touareg' is one of the important things that makes it a better brand name. The 'G' is a better stop sound. Try it. Say 'Touareg' and see how cleanly the name stops on the last letter. Now say 'Taurus' and then think about how much easier it is to slide off the end 'S' sound. When it comes to brand names, you need firm stop-start sounds in the name to make a greater impact. In this brand war, full marks to 'Touraeg'. Other strong stop sounds, to name a few, are 'D', 'P', 'K' and 'T'. Interestingly enough, the 'Touareg' also riffs off the existing memorability of the zodiac sign and adds value to this by throwing in a great stop sound in the end. (It also helps that the 'Tuareg' is the name of a desert tribe from West Africa.)

Agreed, the Ford Taurus and the VW Touareg are not the same category of car. But we've already seen how in competitive times like ours, names from other categories can cannibalise mindspace from one and other. All said and done, 'Touareg' has got many of the things that make for a great brand name. I repeat: A great back story, a smart feed off an existing association and a strong stop sound. Stop.

Stock tickers v/s Non-tickers

Brandnama has done a very interesting bit of digging around and come up with some memorable NYSE stock ticker symbols. I've been following the stock markets for a year now and the thing that makes for a memorable stock ticker symbol, for me, is whether it can be read and pronounced as a word. In my diversified portfolio of stock tickers brand names, the ones I remember most easily are the ones that have vowels and consonants in them and can be made into words. Stock tickers that cannot be remembered as words don't tick. Now go back and look at the list of interesting stock tickers Brandnama has compiled. Every one of them is a word, isn't it? Then, think of the stock tickers in your portfolio. The ones you can recall are words, aren't they? Thank you.

Rule number basic: Make sure your stock ticker can be spoken like a word. Rule number value add: Link it to your category.

TJ's v/s Tihar Jail

TJ's is an Indian brand of potato chips, pickles, jams, bread, biscuits and cakes made by the inmates of Tihar Jail. (Hat-tip to Bradnama for this bit of information.) Whoever thought of the name for this product has done a fabulous job. Apart from the fact that Tihar Jail would never work as a brand name for products patronised by the judgemental middle-class, TJ's also works because it looks better than 'Teejays' and has all the phonetical virtues of 'Teejays'. A strong consonant sound to start and break the name. The most common vowel sounds in the human mind to continue and end the name. The dynamic 'way' sound to cut through the clutter. And the coolness factor all initialised nicknames have.

Initialised nicknames have spaces in our mind that reference qualities of familiarity and peer-group approval. Another case of the 'TJ's-effect' is the case of 'PJ's' for an Irish pub called 'P. J' O'Reilly's' in Abu Dhabi. All this to say two things. One, if your brand name is an initial, you've got a better chance of being remembered and admired (important when it comes to a brand name). And two, if you don't want to go with initials for a brand name, at least pick a name that can be shortened and remembered as an initial. Interestingly enough, if you study some of the branding tendencies of whisky makers in India, you'll see how well initials work for them. Initials are easy to ask for. Most people don't like asking for things. And that's why you could do worse than choose an initial as a brand name.

The problem with initials: They're common. Solution: Make sure the story behind the initials is an interesting one. Interesting stories help people remember the abbreviated form better. And abbreviations are a better way to remember the story. Caveat: The second initial of your brand name must not be a vowel. Research will show you that the best remembered 'initial' brand names all end with a consonant.

Name gallery #22: 7/10

Case in point of a name being made more memorable because it has three 'i's, 'i', 'j' and 'i'. Look at it and the first thing that will strike you is how lovely the three dots look back at you. Meaning what? Meaning, how a logo is designed to take advantage of certain interesting things in the letters contained in the name go a long way in making the name more memorable.