Having been a part of many a meeting on new brand launches, I
have seen a lot of conversations on the name to be selected for the brand.
"We need a name that conveys the brand's identity".
"You see, the name does not signify the depth of the brand's ethos".
"This name is just there, but not quite! The brand persona is not accurately captured".
And perhaps the best of all - "The brand name should convey the brand values, its promise, what it stands for. It needs to mean something to the consumer”
Earlier, I too would enthusiastically participate in those intellectually stimulating discussions. I must confess I still do, but with reservations on their intellectual stimulation.
Ceasefire had one of the most apt Brand Names. Does anyone remember it?
"We need a name that conveys the brand's identity".
"You see, the name does not signify the depth of the brand's ethos".
"This name is just there, but not quite! The brand persona is not accurately captured".
And perhaps the best of all - "The brand name should convey the brand values, its promise, what it stands for. It needs to mean something to the consumer”
Earlier, I too would enthusiastically participate in those intellectually stimulating discussions. I must confess I still do, but with reservations on their intellectual stimulation.
I mean,
how does a brand mean ‘something’ to the consumer when s/he has never even heard
about it?
And does
having the ‘brand ethos / persona / values / promise’ in the name necessarily
mean that the consumer would take it?
A quick
glance at the most successful brands over the years tells me that the brand builds
the name, and not vice versa.
Consider
Godrej. The most trusted name for locks, FMCG products, furniture and what not.
There is absolutely no meaning except that it is the surname of the owners.
Some other
large Indian brands that come to mind - Bajaj, Parachute, Amul, Fevicol, Nirma,
Parle, Hawkins, Dalda, Patni, Infosys, Wipro, CavinKare...
Can’t
link any one of these brands to pre-defined values, persona or promise. In
fact, most Indian brands are just family names, and the brand value has evolved
over years of building trust with consumers.
Perhaps
the best example of this is Tata. I believe it is their trucks that have led to
the ubiquituous Indian greeting - ‘Ta Ta, Bye Bye’.
Even
worldwide, which is where we tend to look for inspirations, most well-known
brand names did not really convey anything initially.
Consider
Google – a brand brought about due to a misspelling.
Or
Virgin – because no one was one!
Or Apple
– a fruit?
McDonalds
– another family name.
As I
mentioned earlier, brand value evolves over years of building trust with
consumers. A name is just an identity, and no more.
It is just
like selecting a name for a baby. One needs to choose a name that does not have
any negative connotations. And if it has a positive one, that’s great.
But
beyond that, invest in building the brand itself. All other connotations will
evolve with time.
Ceasefire had one of the most apt Brand Names. Does anyone remember it?
