Naming & Branding Articles
The Knowledge Base

The following insider articles are provided to enlighten and entertain all those wishing to learn more about names, brands, branding and trademarks. Gain an insider's knowledge of this fascinating, creative art and science so you can help your business prosper.

Naming Hints and Articles:

A Small Business Branding Case Study	Yosemite Gifts show you how to brand a small retail gift and jewelry store the right way. A complete and active brand promise of a great experience every step of the way.
Back to Basics: The Communications Pyramid	Where do names and taglines fit in the communications messaging world. This pyramid idea helps summarize it for most companies.
Top 10 characteristics that make names memorable	Not all names are memorable. In fact, the majority are not. And a name can only do so much for you. Your business still has to execute successfully. But at least know what style names you are considering, and see their chances of being memorable.
Naming Protection via Incorporation	How you register your new company name will affect what implicit name protection rights you have. Legal issue can be expensive, but marketing and business changes are worse if you have to change later.
Pragmatic Naming: Full Product Name Development	This is a full in-depth article for product managers to help them understand their role, and the major relevant issues, in product naming. A brief overview of the full process is provided to help bring them up to speed.
When to change a name?	Before you rush to change, make sure there is a problem or a major upside. Why not do your own name audit or bring in professionals to do one? Much quicker and better payoff than general market research.
Want to be heard? Break from the herd.	How come so many people don't study competitor names before they think of their own? This is the first of two articles showing how having a different style name is a big plus.
Does your brand have a high thread count?	These two classic examples can help you revisit and rethink your brand promise and experience.
Top 10 ways to find a free .com name	.com names are disappearing at the rate of one million a month, so if you are just waking up to the big shortage, things have changed.
Brand basics for the little guy	Consistency is somehow only for the big guys and those we consult with. Not for ourselves. No... it is the proper start for little guys too.
The difference between a name and a brand	A name is not a brand. So what is a brand? What are its key characteristics and what is the delivery promise?
Software product naming challenges	Fast moving products in a fast evolving world, with independent engineers, make naming software an extra challenge.
Why naming is like drug discovery	See how these two processes parallel each other in many regards - other than time.
What is a brand?	At the heart of it, a brand is a promise of an experience. What are the most important factors in developing and preserving this promise?
Naming during a merger or acquisition	How to handle naming issues during a merger or acquisition, or creation of a new partnership or entity.
WOM: Word of Mouth Branding	So powerful, but what is the word?
Market research can ruin a good U.S. name for any brand	The conservative US constituents are more likely to drop your great name down to the lowest common denominator instead.
Why a name costs 10 times more than a logo	Online logos shops turn them out for $500. Why can't namers do the same? It's all about availability.
Protecting your product name	Company names get registered with your state or county. But how do you protect a product or service name?
Do name generators work?	Can they help you name your company or new product line?
Ambushing famous name roots	Is it safe to "ambush" part of some major brand name?
Why your name is not your brand	A brand is not a name, a logo an identity. It is so much more. But what then is it?
Creating new business names	Some basic hints on how to get creative and coin some very English-like names of your own.
Measuring your brand touch points	A simple, formal method to measure and rate your brand touch points and efforts.
Nothing But Initials. Lost in the alphabet soup	Should I give my company a longer name that quickly gets abbreviated? Definitely not - read why.
Where is Silicon Valley and how did it get its name?	Famous as the major technology hub of the world, where is it actually and where does the name come from?
What makes a name cool?	Why do we find some names are cool (or even co.) and others are not?
Diamonds in the rough	Why finding the right name is so similar to finding the right diamond.
Brands of emotion	A name is the most common shorthand for your brand. Is there an emotional connection?
Top 10 characteristics of a good name	See what the pros think are the most important factors of a good name. Use these as a guideline for your next naming project.
Why your name should NOT be front of the alphabet	Why do people still mistakenly think their name should start with a letter at the beginning of the alphabet?
Saving money with a naming agency	Why a naming agency will save you a lot of money and headaches! Everything you wanted to know about naming but didn't know who to ask.
I have a new name. Now what?	Check list of steps to establish and use your new company name.
The name effect	What effect will your name have on your prospective audience?
Big brand name origins	Ever wondered where that name came from? Somebody picked them all. But why?
Famous name changes	Many famous brand names are actually the result of a name change. See how many of these you know.
Naming biases and influences	Every person has their own naming style. Everyone is influenced by their environment. How to avoid having a faulty bias in your name.
Save $6,000 in trademark legal fees	This is what many companies pay on average for basic corporate trademark searches. Don't waste it all.

Trademark Articles:

9 Steps to file your own Registered Trademark	You can try it at home if you are a small business.
Trademark vs Tradename	The differences between a trademark and a tradename.
Where are the Trademark Police?	Your trademarks are very valuable. Who will police and protect them?

All articles copyright Brighter Naming. You are welcome to link to these articles, but not to put them on other sites.

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See also
Name Awards

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