How to pick a name

By on June 24th, 2009 In Advice

Are you in the market for naming your new agency or service?  It’s one of the most difficult tasks because it means putting a stake in the ground and committing to it.

The Russell Mark Group develops names, naming systems, taglines and other language for the business world.  Susan Russell founded the company in 1996, and they focus on B2B, with an emphasis on technology, health care and financial services.

They’ve helped out companies like Visa, McAfee, Blue Shield of California, and Procter and Gamble. 

“The process typically takes about a month,” says Susan, “and includes a discovery phase, a creative brief, two rounds of name generation, preliminary legal searches, and linguistic screening for negative meaning.”  (The famous Chevy “Nova,” which means ‘no go,’ comes to mind, even if it supposedly is an urban legend). 

I asked her about the dilemma that PR practitioners face when choosing a name for their agency or consulting business.  Should you choose your own name, or come up with one? 

If you choose the founder’s personal name:

- there are no trademark availability issues

- for the small firm, the founder’s time and expertise are exactly what the client is getting

- a personal name doesn’t say anything else about the firm, however,  personal names can be unmemorable, and sometimes personal names can be hard to spell or pronounced (like VandeVrede)

If you choose a more memorable name:

- this is a good route if the firm has more than one partner, expects to grow significantly, or wants a more suggestive name

- the downside is that names like this are harder to develop, and the name you like may not be available

How do you evaluate what is a good name?

- legally available

- free of negative meaning

- easy to say and spell

- short

- proprietary

I agonized over the name for my consulting business.  I wanted something memorable, but could not come up with anything, so I fell back to VandeVrede Public Relations.   Amazingly, the url was not taken!  Spelling it, however, has proved to be a challenge for most people, particularly Arizonans who are used to (Camp) Verde, not Vrede.   And one of my business friends warned me that I should use a suggestive name instead, because “it’s easier to sell your business that way if it’s not tied to your personal name.” 

If you want the help of a pro, contact Susan at srussell@russellmark.com, 510-231-2463

 

 

Comments

Leo Bottary Says:
June 24th, 2009 at 8:12 am

I think your agency name is fine. Apparently, the Russell Mark Group fell back to its name as well. That said, I think the post offers some great advice. Thanks!

Pat Elliott Says:
June 24th, 2009 at 8:15 am

Great advice, Linda. I’d just add that for those with a name that’s often bungled you may want to add the misspellings as keywords. Here’s what I use on LinkedIn:
Common misspellings of my name : Pat Elliot, Pat Eliott, Pat Eliot, Pat Elligott, (and the list could go on and on!)

ScribeDevil Says:
June 24th, 2009 at 11:22 am

I’ve given this topic quite a bit of thought over the past few months. I feel my name, Matt Simpson, is about as close to Joe Smith as you can get. So, I decided to develop my brand around “ScribeDevil”. ScribeDevil is now my blog URL, my Twitter handle, etc. (I’m a big ASU fan and I do a lot of freelance writing.)

Right or wrong? Only time will tell!

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