The greatest pitfalls in naming aren’t the creative ones – they are in the naming strategy and the decision-making. But all three are important to be mindful of. We’ll break them down here.
Creative pitfalls
The Thesaurus crutch
Thesauruses appear to be tailor-made tools for naming. Don’t use them. Here’s why: anyone can type a word into an online thesaurus and get a list of perfectly acceptable substitutes. While those names will be in the neighborhood of the word you’re trying to find, they will at best be pale substitutes of that word, and at worst anachronistic interpretations. Use the thesaurus to gain a little bit of traction when you find yourself stuck in a rut, but quickly move on when you’re back on the road.
Literal thinking
Taking a creative prompt too literally can lead you down a path that quickly dead-ends. While English is a rich language, there are only so many ways to say the same thing, and you can develop real-word myopia. Good naming is about “unfocusing” your mind and reaching for associations, metaphors, tangents and parallel tracks. Whenever you find yourself stuck, think of the spokes of parallel thought around the creative territory, not the territory itself.
“Traditional” Brainstorming
There’s a myth that if you put a lot of smart, creative minds in a room, then ideas will naturally bounce off of each other to create an alchemy of genius. More often, those brainstorms result in a narrowing of thinking as ideas begin to behave like they’re part of a herd mentality, resulting in naming criteria that tends to promote the least-bad names, not the best. It’s best for everyone to do individual name ideation and bring that into a build session, so namers can use the best ideas to springboard into promising new directions.
Strategic pitfalls
Lack of a clear value proposition
If you aren’t clear about what a company or product is or does, it is unlikely you’re going to find the right name for it. Too many products come with a set of attributes that are easily duplicated: speed, scale, size, etc. Defining what value your product or service really delivers is key to homing in on a great name, and will help you evaluate the names you ultimately present.
Nonspecific creative territories
Naming territories should be expansive enough to give namers leeway to explore different kinds of names, while specific enough to provide a solid leaping-off point. Be sure to push your naming territories into demonstrably different directions and provide enough context for your namers to be creatively focused.
Primary Brand clarity
When naming a product or service within a portfolio, be sure you have clarity about what Primary Brand it belongs to. Primary Brands communicate equity of their own, and will assuredly influence how you name the product or service. There is a world of difference between something branded at the corporate level (e.g., Amazon) and something branded within a product family (e.g., Kindle).
Decision-making pitfalls
It's the decision-making pitfalls that are often the most intrepid in a naming project. Be clear in your process and in guiding your team to help to avoid these pitfalls – or else risk entering into a round 3, 4, or 5 before landing a name that, at that point, folks adopt half-heartedly.
Unclear roles and responsibilities
The client is the most important member of any naming team: they’re the ones with the most product knowledge and they’re the ones taking the risk with the selected name. The client should be clear as to their role in the naming process to ensure success. And the client should always know what stage of the process a naming projects is in and what feedback would be most helpful.
Stakeholder transparency
In nearly every naming project, there’s not just one client making the decision on a name. There are many other stakeholders, such as supervisors, boards of directors, investors, and others, who need to understand the strategic rationale for a naming decision. Looping these stakeholders in at the appropriate moments is critical to the success of a naming project and the primary client should clearly communicate with the decision-makers they work with.
Blackboxing or the Tada moment
Most successful naming projects are ones in which the client is brought along at key moments and also given a peek into the creative process and strategic thinking that led the naming team to the choices being presented. These moments provide context for client feedback and help everyone feel invested in the process. Doing too much work without these moments – creating a “black box” of naming work that the client can’t see – results in naming presentations that can feel underwhelming, or off-base.
Rare is the name that is so perfect, appropriate and available that the client falls in love with it sight unseen.
Increase naming success by avoiding common pitfalls
Navigating naming requires an awareness of the potential pitfalls. By avoiding over-reliance on tools like thesauruses, steering clear of literal interpretations, and rethinking traditional brainstorming methods, you can foster more original and effective names. Strategically, a clear value proposition, well-defined naming territories, and understanding the primary brand can keep you on the right track. Finally, transparent decision-making, clear roles, and stakeholder engagement in more than just the end review ensure the chosen name resonates with all involved. By being mindful of these challenges, you can avoid common naming pitfalls and achieve a result that is both meaningful and successful.
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