15 Brand Name types to consider when naming your Brand 📌📌📌
- Shweta Patel
- Dec 7, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: Feb 9, 2024
Understand popular types of Brand Names with their Approach and Construct.
🤔 What comes to mind when you hear names like Da Milano, La Opala, Peter England, Louis Philippe, or Monte Carlo? What thoughts or emotions do these names evoke about their origins?
Take Da Milano (akka airport brand) for instance. Does this Italian-sounding name convey that these products are crafted in Milan? But sorry to burst your bubble, the brand that offers leather goods including handbags, wallets and other accessories actually originated in New Delhi.
Mr. Malik, the founder, astutely recognized that there is a potential market for leather accessories in the organized market of retail store chains. By giving his business an Italian-sounding name, he strategically associated it with sophistication and elegance, aligning with the Italian luxury market.
And, this illustrates how perceptions are built, and associations are formed in our minds when it comes to brands and brand building. Selecting the right brand name is crucial for communicating who you are and what your brand represents.
Let’s explore some popular types of brand names, their construct and approaches, so you can make an informed decision about which might be most beneficial for your brand.
💎 Descriptive Brand Names (Approach)
Descriptive brand names explicitly convey the product, service, or purpose of a company. This is especially beneficial for new or niche businesses aiming to educate customers about their offerings.
Eg. BookMyShow, Hotels.com, Holiday Inn, YouSendIt
⚙️ Abstract Brand Names (Approach)
Comprising words or phrases unrelated to the business, abstract names can be memorable and allow for creative branding. These types of names are on the opposite end of the naming spectrum to descriptive names, which usually include specific references to what a company does or offer.
However, they may not immediately communicate what the business does.In fact, around 72% of the top 100 brands in the world all have “abstract” names.
Eg. Xerox, Vivo, Kodak, Oreo
❤️ Evocative Brand Names (Approach)
Companies often choose evocative names to convey a specific idea or feeling without being too obvious. These names are creative and unique, providing a starting point for a powerful brand voice.Most companies choose evocative titles when they want to convey a certain idea or feeling, without being too obvious.
Evocative names are often creative and unique, and can be the starting point for a powerful brand voice. Because they leave some room for interpretation, evocative names let you tell a powerful brand story, creating a brand that’s bigger than just the products or services you offer.
Eg. Virgin, Apple, Blackberry, Amazon
👩💻Invented Brand Names (Construct)
Completely made-up words offer the advantage of creating a unique, ownable word that competitors cannot claim.Fabricated or invented brand names are completely made-up words that have no prior meaning before becoming a brand name. Made-up names are distinctive and might be easier to copyright.
Eg. Google, Tumblr, Ikea, Pixar
🔔 Lexical Brand Names (Approach)
Relying on wordplay for memorability, lexical names use puns, phrases, compound words, alliteration, intentional misspellings, and foreign words.Lexical names rely on wordplay for their memorability.
Puns, phrases, compound words, alliteration, onomatopoeia, intentional misspellings, and foreign words are all styles of this popular naming type.
Eg. - Dunkin’, Coca-Cola, Burger King, Zomato
📌 Acronymic Brand Names (Approach)
Acronymic brand names are formed from the initial letters of each word in a company's full name.The use of acronyms has traditionally signalled large, established corporations, conveying a sense of scale and legitimacy.
Eg. HP, HBO, NASA, UPS
🌏 Geographical Brand Names (Approach)
Derived from cities, states, countries, or regions, these names tap into associated imagery and consumer perceptions, creating a sense of authenticity and quality.
Eg. Air India, Hindustan Times, Delhivery, Timberland
🦸♀️Founder Brand Names (Approach)
Naming a brand after its founder leverages the heritage and backstory of the brand's origins, benefiting from positive associations people have with the founder.
Eg. Adani, Chanel, Paul Smith, Walt Disney
👑 Compound Brand Names (Construct)
These types of business names are designed by bringing two different terms together to form a new word.In certain circumstances, it may also be possible to combine one full word with a portion of another term to create something new. For example, “Pinterest” is a combination of “Pin” and “Interest.”
Eg. FedEx, Doordarshan, Netflix, Instagram
🌈 Playful Brand Names (Construct)
A playful brand name is a title specifically chosen to convey something important about the identity or essence of the company. The name is often chosen to make the company seem more youthful and playful, while still giving it a distinct sense of meaning. In a lot of ways, playful company names are similar to evocative names, as they intend to elicit a certain emotional response from an audience.
Eg. Yahoo, Mailchimp, Junglee Rummy, Chumbak
➡️ Alphanumeric Brand Names (Construct)
Alphanumeric brand names are unique in their ability to combine both words and numbers into a new title. Usually, these names are more common in identifying products, particularly in the automotive world. An alphanumeric brand name is a company name that combines well-known words with numbers.
Eg. 7Up, Forever 21, i20, 3M
📣 Metaphor Brand Names (Approach)
Reflecting symbolic imagery and meaning, metaphorical names use well-known metaphors to evoke specific ideas or images in the audience’s mind.
This type of brand names is great for saying something important about your company, without being too obvious. As one of the most common examples of evocative names, metaphor brand names are excellent for telling a story.
They often provide an insight into the characteristics or qualities of your company, or help to highlight your values to new customers or people who haven’t interacted with you before.
Eg. Mars, Casper, Safari, Dove
♻️Technical Brand Names (Approach)
A technical name aims to have a modern impact on an audience, while telling us something about the specific tools that go into creating a service.Most of them are a combination of compound or evocative terms, intended to make people think of something technologically advanced.
Eg. Microsoft, Dell Technologies, Panasonic, Pepsi
⚜️Historical Brand Names (Approach)
Historical brand names are useful in many industries for giving a company a sense of heritage and depth. Used correctly, they can make a company seem as though it’s been around for a significant amount of time, which gives the brand a sense of stability.In some cases, they might be linked to a significant historical figure, which helps to share some useful information about the brand.
Eg. Tesla, McDonalds, Starbucks, Johnson & Johnson
📌 Modern Brand Names (Approach)
The modern brand names focus on making a company appear as “cutting edge” as possible.The purpose behind a modern company name is to make your business look new and up-to-date, even if you’ve already been around for several decades in your chosen industry.
Eg. Uber, Dunzo, Tinder, Zomato
So, the next time you have the opportunity to name a brand, keep various brand naming approaches in mind to come up with a killer brand name. Feel free to shoot me an email with your brand naming adventure.
P.S - Due to their approach and construct, some types of brand names may overlap. For instance, metaphor brand names fall into the same category as evocative or lexical names. 💬 💬 💬
📣📣 Oooppsss …you have still not subscribe to my newsletter?
Trust me! I will not overload your inbox with unnecessary mails.
Subscribe to my monthly newsletter or drop a mail at connect@shwetapatel.me to get the FREE naming Toolkit with templates, and tools to improve your naming process. 🛠️🛠️
Comentários