• Marketing
  Strategy
• Branding
  Strategy
• Website
  Design
• Search Engine
  Optimization
• Graphic Design
  /Logo Design
• Research
  Techniques
• Download
  BIG Brochures

Corporate Naming

Corporate naming: a foundational aspect of your company’s overall brand strategy

As a company who cares about crafting its brand presence to connect with your market, you spend lots of time and effort creating the perfect logo, tagline, design language and tone of voice for your marketing vehicles. But perhaps more important than the content of any of those pieces is your corporate naming.

Think of corporate naming as the seed of your brand. All other aspects of your company branding are expressions of that name. Your corporate naming sets the tone for both your company’s short-term appeal and long-term credibility in the market place. It can differentiate what would otherwise be just another flower shop in town as an expert in creating special arrangements for customers who care about quality and details.

The right corporate naming strategy involves not only choosing something that rolls off the tongue and is catchy and memorable. It must also reach deep into the emotional gut of your market and connect with something your competitor’s haven’t.

Take the flower shop example again. “Jen’s Flower Shop” doesn’t evoke nearly the same kind of instant impression as “Exquisite Creations Floral Boutique.” The latter says, “this must be a special shop that does better arrangements and has fresher flowers than these other shops around here.” Whether or not that impression proves accurate or not is up to the flower shop owner, but the name has done its job of elevating the brand of the flower shop above the fray of the competition from the start.

That’s the power of a name. In just one or a few words, a brand image can be clearly communicated to the market. Why is this good? A few reasons:

1. Less is more. In an era when people are bombarded by countless messages trying to get their attention and money, a simple, catchy name that conveys a clear and unmistakable statement about who a company is and what it does can cut through the clutter. A solid corporate name can do that and set the tone for the entire branding strategy.
2. Easier and cheaper to explain. Especially for companies who are just starting out, or haven’t nailed their brand image, a corporate naming strategy that “says it all” can be one of the best marketing investments they can make. This is especially true for businesses in service sectors. Since a service is somewhat intangible, it’s the name of the company behind that service that matters. A good example of this is Fidelity Investments. Fidelity is a word that connotes trustworthiness, a very simple concept, but one that carries a lot of weight when people are considering who they’re going to trust with their retirement savings. Therefore, whatever sort of mutual fund or IRA product Fidelity comes out with…if it has the Fidelity name, it has a positive brand image in the marketplace from day one.
3. Over time, corporate naming lends instant credibility to whatever product a company comes out with. A fantastic example of this is the L.L. Bean Company. L.L. Bean was actually a man, who, in the early part of the 20th century, set out to make a waterproof hunting boot—a revolutionary innovation for the time. For a while, that hunting boot was all Bean made, but everyone knew that Bean’s boots were extremely reliable and that their feet would always be dry after a long day of traipsing through the woods and marshes. Unknowingly at the time, Bean was building his name into a brand. The L.L. Bean name became known for quality construction and comfort built for the outdoors. Bean eventually leveraged that brand image into numerous other kinds of outdoor equipment: clothing, kayaks, tents, sleeping bags, backpacks…you name it, Bean makes it if you’re going to wear or use it outside.

As you can see, there are several compelling reasons why you should consider your corporate naming strategy a primary part of your overwhelming brand strategy. However, there’s a good chance that you might be wondering if your organization has the proper competencies and creativity to take on the responsibility of tackling your corporate naming. No problem. At Brand Identity Guru, our brand naming experts have worked their magic for many companies in your same situation. Give us a call at 617.504.2305, or email swhite@brandidentityguru.com to find out how we might be able to help you.