Whether developing a company master brand or a product/service brand, start first with defining the company’s purpose in terms of the objective for the new name.

1. By Marianne Moore, Partner, Strategic Services, Stein + Partners Brand Activation
Name Game, Step 1: The Strategic Framework
In my first “Name Game” post, I outlined the following four core processes for
developing optimum names:
1. Establish a strategic framework as defined by both the company’s purpose and the
company/product benefit(s).
2. Develop a clear understanding of the target audience’s sensibilities–the key to
“connecting” with a name.
3. Undertake a competitive audit. What is the competition doing or not doing?
4. If working within an existing portfolio, conduct brand equity research to
understand what value, if any, existing names have.
Today I’ll focus on step 1: the strategic framework.
The question that everyone asks as they stare at that blank Word file, trying to come up
with a name that captures the excitement and uniqueness of their master brand or of a
specific new product/service, is how do I start? Where do I go for inspiration?
Too often, companies jump ahead to the finished house (name alternatives) without first
establishing a rock-solid strategic foundation. But the strategic foundation is an important
requisite: It becomes the road map for developing the name, the “true north” that guides
the process.
Whether developing a company master brand or a product/service brand, start first with
defining the company’s purpose in terms of the objective for the new name.
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2. Some common examples are:
Competitive differentiation
Existing positioning reinforcement
Positioning pivot
Customer engagement
Category definition or redefinition
Company merger or acquisition
All of the above
Once a clear objective is determined, it’s essential to determine the best means for
communicating the company/product benefit or positioning for the name; in other words,
what is the core essence the name should reflect? This essence is the true guidepost from
which a name is developed. Without this guidepost, naming is just a guessing game.
I’ll dive into the remaining steps in future posts.
Read more: http://www.cmo.com/branding/name-game-step-1-strategic-
framework#ixzz28FLK4FNg
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