CHAPTER 8

Guardrails for Groups

You will have much more success getting a group to reach agreement if you adhere to my process for reviewing names rather than doing it haphazardly.

Guardrails for Groups How to Present the Names

While it sounds counterintuitive, the key to building consensus is to avoid, initially, discussing the names in a group. Instead, distribute the name list to individual stakeholders, so they can review the names independently. This allows the team to enjoy the names without the trepidation and intimidation that can occur during a group presentation. This way, everyone can have a fair say. You can meet as a group after everyone has had a few days to review the names. Reviewers will come prepared to champion their favorite names instead of shooting down the ones they don’t like. (See Rule 3 on page 122.) How civil!

7 Tips for Reviewing Names

You will have a greater chance of getting approval for your names if you follow these seven tips.

TIP 1 Make sure you have a few dozen names for the group to review. It may seem like a lot, but with multiple people to please, you will greatly increase the odds of getting agreement and trademark clearance. (Don’t screen your names for trademarks yet, as some that would get knocked out could spark more ideas. For instance, when we couldn’t get Golden Ladder for a reverse mortgage product, we came up with Golden Bridge, which did clear trademarking.)

TIP 2 Next to each name on the list, write a few words of rationale to explain why the word is right for the brand and to help sell it: for example, Spoon Me (playful, evokes happiness, merchandise opportunities).

TIP 3 Show how the name might be used in a sentence: for example, Spoon Me is a new frozen yogurt franchise where all the cool kids hang out.

TIP 4 Print the list and circulate a hard copy for each person to review on paper instead of viewing it online. (It’s less exhausting to review names this way.)

TIP 5 Suggest that everyone review the names multiple times over a few days. (Considering the lifespan of your brand name, this isn’t a process that should be rushed.)

TIP 6 Include the SMILE & SCRATCH test to help support your names and eliminate any troublesome ones that may be suggested by someone who isn’t familiar with this 12-point name evaluation filter.

TIP 7 Include your approved creative brief to remind people of the goals you all agreed to.

10 Rules for Reviewing Names

While most rules are meant to be broken, these aren’t.

RULE 1 As tempting as it is, do not share your name list with outsiders. (Imagine if Richard Branson had sent a SurveyMonkey to his mates asking what names they liked. Virgin may have never flown.) Only the members of your internal review team have the knowledge and criteria to properly evaluate your names.

Asking outsiders to weigh in shows a lack of confidence and is an invitation to criticize. Rather than being the founts of wisdom they think they are, outsiders often spout absurd reasons why they think perfectly good names suck. And despite knowing what makes an awesome name, you may second-guess yourself and believe them. One by one, the best candidates on your list will be killed off until the only one left is mediocre. The name you end up with won’t be the right name. It will be the name that’s met with the least opposition. No one will be crazy about it. You may even hate it. And you may hate yourself for not advocating for a better name.

RULE 2 Have an open mind and be objective. The essential question to ask when reviewing the names is not, “Do I like it?” which is subject to personal bias. The better question to ask is, “Is it right for the brand?” which is much more objective and effective.

RULE 3 Refrain from negative comments. You will have more success finding a name everyone can agree on if you focus strictly on what works. Negative comments are never helpful in building consensus.

RULE 4 Keep in mind that a name can’t say everything—it can hint at what your brand does or evoke a positive brand experience, but it should not be expected to say it all.

RULE 5 Review the list multiple times, top to bottom and bottom to top. Give yourself a few days to live with the names. Names that you may not have appreciated the first time you saw them will grow on you.

RULE 6 Keep your list to yourself and don’t discuss the names with anyone on your team until the name review meeting. You don’t want others to influence your thinking before you are able to express your thoughts. Make a pact not to discuss the names with one another.

RULE 7 Consider that your name will rarely appear naked—it will usually be in context with your logo on a website or within your sales materials. A helpful way to review company names is to imagine each one on a name badge, website, or business card. Imagine product names on the product itself, on a sales sheet, or on a store shelf.

RULE 8 Refrain from looking up domain names this early in the process, as you don’t want to eliminate any good ideas. (If you like a name and can’t get the exact matching domain name, you can simply add a modifier word.)

RULE 9 Ask each reviewer to select 10 to 20 names from the list. Set expectations. Not everyone will have 20 “OMG, I LOVE IT!” names, so ask reviewers to choose names that feel promising as opposed to ones that are perfect.

RULE 10 Don’t fall head over heels for any name until after you have conducted the initial trademark research. (I suggest using a professional trademark screener. See the Resources section for recommendations.)

The more creative the industry is, the harder it is to find a name that passes the SMILE & SCRATCH test and clears trademark screening. Advertising agencies, design firms, and gaming companies are clever, making those areas extremely challenging. Conservative industries such finance and insurance are saturated with pedestrian names and have plenty of room for creativity.

How to Make Sure You Choose the Right Name

After everyone has had a few days to review the names, collect and sort the names to see where you reach initial consensus. Then meet as a group to discuss the attributes of the top contenders. Let individuals champion the names they feel are right for the brand. Voicing the merits of names will help other stakeholders see what they may have missed when they initially reviewed the names. Heads will nod in agreement and like the row of cherries aligning on a slot machine, the winners will fall into place. Rank the names in order of preference and start the trademark-screening process. Remember, do not ask everyone for their opinion. More on this in the next section.

Don’t Kill Good Names with Focus Group Testing

Just as I don’t recommend asking your friends and family for their opinions on the names, I strongly discourage you from doing focus group testing. Polling strangers is asking for trouble. Without fail, a focus group will collectively water down name choices to the safest name instead of the strongest name.

Here are 10 brand names I believe would have been killed if they were presented to focus groups and what I imagine some participants might have said:

Fossil (“Sounds like a dirty old relic, brittle.”)

Lush (“A passed-out alcoholic.”)

Coach (“The worst place to sit in an airplane.”)

Shady Eyewear (“Untrustworthy.”)

Skinny Cow (“Implies that if I buy this ice cream, I am fat.”)

The Body Shop (“Gross, makes me think of a greasy auto body place.”)

True Religion (“Blasphemous!”)

MAC Cosmetics (“Makes me think of Big Macs and

Ronald McDonald.”)

Spoon Me (“Too graphic, leads to teen pregnancy.”)

Sweet Jesus (“Sweet Jesus!”)

Congratulations!

You now have the knowledge and resources to create brand names that make people smile instead of scratch their heads.

Once you settle on your final name, make sure to protect it by registering the trademark. (You can educate yourself on trademarks at USPTO.gov.) Please do not wait to do this. It’s worth investing in a trademark now rather than having to pay the price later.

I also suggest hiring a talented graphic designer to create the visual identity for your brand. See the Resources section for recommendations.

I would love to hear about new brand names you create as a result of reading this book. Please share your story with me. I may write about you in the next edition.

Kickin’ Ass and Making Names,

Alexandra Watkins

P.S. The nicest thing you can do for an author is to write a review of their book on Amazon. (Anyone with an Amazon account can post one.) So if my book helped you create an awesome name, prevented you from a naming disaster, supercharged your brainstorming, or made you laugh so hard you snorted milk out of your nose, please don’t keep it to yourself. (Well, maybe the part about the milk …) Thanks in advance for sharing the love. You are awesome!