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How To Come Up With A Name Your Brand

How To Come Up With A Name Your Brand

Can’t decide on a name for your brand? Afraid it won’t quite capture what you’re all about? Fear not. In this blog post, I’ll be revealing my MECCA method which makes it a whole lot easier to come up with potential killer names for your brand. I’ll also be talking about the DSAL method which you can use for creating ideas. 

A brand name is an important first impression! You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. It’s a problem when the name doesn’t fit the brand. Let’s make sure you razzle-dazzle anyone who crosses paths with your brand by nailing your brand name. Read on.

MY MECCA METHOD

M  Meaningful

Deep meaning behind the name

E  Expressive

Fun to say and easy to remember

C  Concise

Short, simple, and quick to say

C  Charismatic

Charming, likable, and original

A Applicative

Easily applied to different touchpoints

Meaningful

Nike → Greek word for the goddess of victory

Names that have meaning will impact customers and internal company culture.


Expressive

Pringles → Fun to say and easy to remember

Great brand names have a great mouthfeel, it should be easy to pronounce, spell and remember.


Concise

Netflix → Short, simple, and quick to say.

Keep names below four syllables. If you don’t keep it short, clients will go ahead and shorten it for you anyway.


Charismatic

Starbucks → Charming, original, likable and different from its competitors

The best names have a personality behind them which gives it more depth and provoking thought.

Applicative

Disney → Easily applied to different mediums in different ways

Find a name that can be easily applied to different marketing touchpoints, websites, content, merchandise, prints, and so on.

It’s pretty straightforward. Now, naturally, you might’ve already come up with names or have started to think about them. See if you can apply them to any of the four categories of my MECCA method. And if you still don’t have any ideas at the moment, no worries! There’s a second method that can also help you brainstorm some ideas. Let’s have a look.


THE DSAL METHOD

D  Descriptive

Names that describe what the company does like Snapchat, PayPal, DirecTV, PlayStation, and Toys R Us

S  Suggestive

They set an evocative mood for the brand like Apple, Sky, O2, Red Bull and Uber

A  Abstract

These are made up of words that have a strong memorable sound and have the potential to gain new meaning like Google, Skype, Kodak, Yahoo, and Rolex

L  Legacy

These include founder names, nicknames, and organization acronyms that may be in use, even if not officially, like Ferrari, Chanel, Adidas, IBM and H&M

The DSAL method is another way you can come up with names for your brand. Just get your ideas down on paper! 
It doesn’t matter if it makes sense or not. As you can see, some of the greatest and biggest names are made up of imaginary words or have simply put two words together to create their own. I would argue it’s more challenging naming your child than naming your brand. So if you’ve come up with names for your children, you already have an upper hand here! Anyway, let’s move on.

GO NAME YOUR BRAND

To summarize, you now know two different methods which are simple and effective in coming up with kick-ass, memorable, and punchy names for your brand. 

Here’s what you need to do next:

  1. Create a google doc with a 4 x 2 table and another table that’s 5 x 2 
  2. Write down all the words related to your industry, play with them, and put them into the four and five categories
  3. The 4 x 2 table will be for our four categories using the DSAL method:

Descriptive Suggestive Abstract Legacy
Snapchat Apple Google Ferrari
PayPal Sky Skype Chanel
DirecTV O2 Kodak Adidas
Playstation Red Bull Yahoo IBM
Toys R Us Uber Rolex H&M


The 5 x 2 table will be for our five categories using my MECCA method:‍

Meaningful Expressive Concise Charismatic Applicative
Nike Pringles Netflix Starbucks Disney

Brainstorm as many ideas as you possibly can into each category.

  1. Using my MECCA method and the DSAL method, make a large list of name ideas (at least 20). Once you’ve compiled a large list of ideas, choose your top 2 in each category.


Challenge each of your 18 name ideas

  • Will they appeal to your target audience?
  • Do they fit your brand voice?
  • Are they easy to remember?

Pick your favorite 4 from the 18, then ask for immediate feedback from people who fit your target audience profile. 


Ask them 

  1. What was their immediate thought?
  2. What do they picture in their head and what feeling does the name give them? 

I’ve spilled all the beans when it comes down to thinking of names for your brand or company using the MECCA and DSAL methods. All you need to do now is start thinking and start writing! If you keep brainstorming name ideas, one of them is sure to stick. No doubt about it. How long should it take you? Realistically, not too long. Don’t spend an eternity on this! It’s easy to get trapped in analysis paralysis when you’re thinking “what if it’s not good enough?” or “what if I don’t capture the essence of my brand?” among other disruptive thoughts. 

That’s why you just write and seek feedback. You’ll know when you’ve struck a winner. How? You’ll feel it in your gut. Intuition is quite real! 


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