Naming

Identity aligning with purpose so potential customers understand your value.

What you need to know before starting

What types of companies do I work with?

Short Answer: I work with Owners of small, privately-held businesses between 1 to 500 million in revenue

Medium Answer: New companies looking to develop their brand and Legacy companies that over time have become something different than how they started and need a realignment of their identity to who they have become.

Long Answer: Business Owners need someone from the outside looking in (rather than the opposite) to reassess how they are being perceived in the marketplace and eliminate misconceptions and miscommunications about who they are and why customer should care.

What to look for in a naming company?

1. Look for a company that handles naming projects on a regular basis. All creative professionals (web shops, design studios, ad agencies) will say they can name a company. Like, how hard can it be?

2. If the company focuses on naming only (heavily verbal), do they understand branding, design, your vision, and how the new name will lend itself to marketing messages?

What about all the other items to consider of an identity and brand?

When naming, it is beneficial to keep in mind: tagline, positioning, marketing message, customer expectations, ability to be trademarked, available URLs, and any possible unintended foreign words conflicts in the regions it will be marketed.

All items should reinforce and align with the company’s purpose, vision, and mission. The purpose guides the process and the decisions. Purpose is the foundation.

What are the major misconceptions about renaming?

1. If I rename my company, I will lose my clients.
2. I want a name that says everything about what I do.
3. The naming process will only take a week or so.
4. I will worry about filing a Trademark later.

Process

DISCOVERY Brand Workshop to define and clarify purpose

DEVELOPMENT Positive Semantic Vocabulary List

COLLABORATION Brainstorming Sessions

REFINING Choose a few favorites

VERIFY Trademark and URL Availability Search

TESTING Qualitative feedback

DELIVERABLE Final Naming Document

Naming Document

Purpose Statement
Messaging/Brand Story
Tagline/Positioning Statement
Defining the “Why” of Your Business
Recrafted Vision & Mission
Belief Statements
Brand Essence Graphic

Examples

Naming Process Document

Brand Workbook

Naming Samples from Past Clients

Naming on Purpose Workbook

Time & Cost

Brand Discovery Process
1–2 Weeks
Kick-off Meeting
Brand Workshop: 8 Brand Exercises
Clarify Purpsoe, Mission, Vision
Define Positioning
Delivery of Verbal Brand Document
—
2–3 Weeks
^$4,000 — ^$6,000

Naming Process
Complete Brand Discovery Process
Create Vocabulary List
Generate Name Ideas
Refine & Evaluate
Create Naming Documents
—
3–6 Weeks depending on industry, National, or International Trademark
^$6,000 — ^$45,000

“Our new brand has given us a much better platform from which we can tell our story. It more accurately aligns with our both our culture and capabilities, so it has positively affected our organization both inside and out.”

Dennis Riggs, CEO, Promotional Spring

Cover of Branding on Purpose Workbook and Power of Purpose

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