Picking the right brand name is very important and can have a huge impact on your business. Usually, customers associate a brand name with the value it provides them. If you need to choose a great brand name for your product, service, or business, you’re in the right place.

Overview:

A great brand name should be more than just something that sounds cool or is easy to remember. Remember when Sci-Fi tried to make its brand appear cool by changing its name to SyFy? And it turned out to be slang for the sexually transmitted disease syphilis!

So, let us make certain that you don’t make such mistakes when naming your company. In this article, the following topics will be discussed in detail  

What Is a Brand Name?

A brand name is a trading name that a manufacturer or business chooses for the range of products or services that he or she sells.

Creating a brand name entails selecting words that not only announce what your company does but also aid in creating a mental image of your company for your customers. Furthermore, a brand name is a character trait that assists customers in identifying and distinguishing one company’s product from another.

For example when people see this image, 

They instinctively associate it with the company Apple because of its logo.

Choosing a good brand name is an investment that will outlast almost any other you make in your business. Thus, picking a suitable brand name is very crucial.

How to Choose the Right Brand Name?

A sound business plan includes picking the ideal brand name. Additionally, choosing the right brand name will create a mental shortcut in your customer’s mind. Hence, a brand name ought to be distinctive and connected to the services you offer your clients. 

Here are the different types of brand names you should consider:

1. Descriptive Brand Names: This type of brand name describes the product/service. It conveys the nature of the business.
2. Founder Brand Names: This category includes those brand names wherein a company is named after its founder. Founder-based brand names are easily recognisable. A few examples of companies named after the founder are Disney, Tommy Hilfiger, McDonald’s, Gucci, and Tiffany & Co. 
3. Metaphor Names: These kinds of names make interesting mental images and can effectively convey a narrative. For example, Nike, Amazon, etc.
4. Acronym Names: They are short-hand versions of a descriptive name which would have otherwise been difficult to remember. For example, KFC, IBM, etc.

We will now provide an illustration of the reasoning that should be used for naming three different types of businesses so that you can comprehend the process of selecting the best brand name.

How to Choose a Brand Name for a Clothing Brand?

Let’s say you need to choose a name for a new apparel store or clothing company that you’re launching. Here are the questions you should ask yourself.

• What type of clothes am I selling? 
• Am I selling clothes for any particular occasion or usage? For instance, sportswear or bridal.
• What is the price point for my products?
• Who are my target customers?
• Do I have a physical store or only an online store?
• What is the unique selling point of my clothes? 
• What are the values of my brand? For instance, Quality or Zero-waste.

Consider the name Manyavar, which conjures up feelings of majesty and signifies nobility in English. The brand markets pricey men’s festive clothing. In this case, the name and the products they sell are well-aligned. Now just imagine if they were to sell affordable loungewear under that brand!

Note: Our team of experts at Vakilsearch can help you with trademark registrations as well as help you pick out the right brand name. 

How to Choose a Brand Name for Food Products?

Let’s now venture into the food industry, shall we? You should be asking the following questions before naming a food brand.

• What type of food product am I selling?
• Is it a niche product? 
• What is my price point?
• Who are my target customers?
• Where am I selling my product?
• What are the values of my brand?
• What is my unique selling point?
• What problem of my customers am I solving?
• What cuisines are my products based on? 

Come up with a brand name that is in line with your answers to these questions. Anything grossly divergent or boring will turn people away from your brand.

How to Choose a Name for Cosmetics/Skincare Products?

Here is another interesting industry we can take a shot at, the skincare industry. Let’s now look at the questions to consider before naming a cosmetic brand:

• What are the current beauty trends?
• What are the social values with regards to beauty?
• Who is my target audience?
• What is my goal as a brand?
• What are the values of my brand?
• What is the price point for my products?
• What is my unique selling point?

Before naming a brand under this category you should take into account how the concept of beauty is changing in the modern world. For example, ‘Fair and Lovely’ was forced to change its name after 45 years because it is no longer acceptable to say that beauty is synonymous with being fair.

Organic and chemical-free products are becoming more popular. Cosmetics are no longer just used by women. Consequently, while selecting a brand name and image, all of these factors must be taken into consideration.

Conclusion

You should now have a good understanding of how to choose your brand. Keep in mind that the name you select will be used on a variety of platforms, including your website, social media accounts, products, etc. Check to see whether it sounds and looks good and, more importantly, that it doesn’t offend anyone!

Helpful Links:

• How to Apply for a Trademark
• Trademark a Brand Name in India
• How Do I Pick a Company Name