Ibuprofen or Advil? CVS-brand toilet paper or Cottonelle? How do you know when you’re just paying for the name versus a better product?

According to an article on CBS News, Generic and Store Brands vs. Brand Names, generic products do sometimes offer the same bang for the buck as their branded counterparts. That being said, sometimes they don’t.

As a brand naming firm, we’re especially sensitive to this issue. Concerned customers may shy away from names that seem to overpromise yet possibly inspire their market. They don’t want to be disappointed by paying too much for just a name. Sometimes I wonder – as a NameStorming team member doing my personal shopping is it taboo to buy generic products?

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(A NameStormers’ Viewpoint – August, 2010)

Popular commercial brands generate a “positive emotional reaction from the human brain,” according to a study by the Radiological Society of North America. Does that mean consumers are inclined to just purchase those brands that we have all heard of before, for better or for worse?

This study links positive emotions to the purchase of well-known brand names while linking negative emotions to those brands that are lesser-known. Apparently, well-known brands are easier to process and activate a part of the brain associated with rewards. Conversely, lesser-known brands demand more from parts of the brain associated with memory and elicit stronger negative emotions. Maybe this means our brains view less clear, more convoluted names and messages negatively?

According to the study, the type of response depended entirely on how strong (or familiar) the brand was, regardless of what product or service was being tested.

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Talon is  the new name for Minn Kota’s fresh-to-market, shallow water anchor. We think Talon works well for a variety of reasons.

First, if you’ve ever been to a pet store, had a bird as a pet, or been freakishly attacked by one, you know that most have sharp talons that are so strong they can use them to hang upside down from tree limbs or grab hold of their next meal while flying through the air. Since the product is an anchor, this name insinuates that not only is the anchor strong but it’s dexterous – it will find something to cling to and hold tightly.

Second, it’s short (2 syllables, 5 letters, so it will really pop off of the anchor itself as well as off of any advertising), sounds strong, and is easy to say and spell.

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Society celebrates, envies, and covets creative people. So many individuals wish they were more creative – but then shy away from risky ideas. How can we both desire to be more creative and then run from the creative process?

In the case of naming, sometimes creativity can cause you to fall flat on your face. Many creative ideas are extremely polarizing. For example, take 2 minutes to try naming a new kitchen ladle. Admittedly, names like “Super Scooper” or “Easy Lift” are either too cheesy or too vague, boring, or unrelated. But what about names like “PickMeUp,” “Souper Scooper,” or “Heavy Lifter?” They may not all work, but they’re definitely more creative and interesting than the humdrum alternatives.

Creativity requires a perspective of comfort towards the unknown. Read the rest

Airadigm (Einstein Wireless) needed a new corporate brand name as it expanded its consumer cell phone business. Boasting low calling prices with unlimited-calling and customizable plans, Airadigm wanted the new company name to connect with customers in a lasting and meaningful way.

Looking for a short and catchy brand name, one of Airadigm’s mantras during the project was that “a brand name of great value doesn’t have to be boring.” It needed a standout name that would support its reputation as a local company which could readily meet all of its customers’ needs better than the big national players.

Strategizing with NameStormers produced a punchy name that conveyed a sense of exciting innovation: airfire Mobile. The new brand name linked nicely back to the Airadigm parent brand and spoke to what this cell phone business expected to do: delight Wisconsinites and take the airwaves by storm.

Our friends north of the border love to both honor and poke fun at the royal family, including Prince William. Gas King enlisted NameStormers help in creating Williwa, the royal identity for its newest frozen beverage.

In celebration of its 25th birthday, Gas King is giving away free Williwas, a delightfully tasty, frozen carbonated beverage over the Victoria Day weekend. 

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Sometimes simple really is better. Especially when it comes to complex medical challenges that require speciality pharmaceuticals and perhaps even trained medical staff to administer them.

US Bioservices is a nationwide provider of such products and services and its new contintuity of care program helps educate patients while providing clinical support and financial assistance guidance. A simple, easy-to-understand name has helped make the program a success:

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Names that have mutliple meanings tend to grab the attention of a wider variety of prospects.  They provide more points of relevancy.  Take the name Fresh Energy, for example.  What 1st comes to mind:

• A health food restaurant?
• Organic fresh produce?
• An energy beverage?
• 24-hour fitness clubs?
• A non-profit that is championing the cause for renewable energy?

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A naming architecture and brand nomenclature system offers a variety of advantages including:

• Leveraging the investment in a corporate brand across multiple products
• Helping establish immediate credibility and facilitiating new product launches
• Differentiating from the competitive set while building awareness in a distinctive nomenclature look and feel
• Establishing the relationship between multiple brand and line extension names
• Providing guidelines for future naming that continue to build off what has already been established Read the rest

Many of you may find yourselves constantly fighting to grab top of mind awareness and preference for your key brand names.  One tactic that will help insure victory is to thoroughly analyze your competitors’ names, nomenclature system and naming architecture.  Competitive brand name research can address issues like:

• Which names are driving the most traffic to each of your competitor’s web sites?
• How are competitors employing different naming strategies like master brands, endorser brands and blue granules?
• Where has “category creep” created inconsistencies between trademark rights and actual usage?
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