Today’s Tip
Best Practice: Creating a related company name takes the known positive associations of a word and connect it to the company.
Arrow is a word people can relate to, it is a known
Today’s Article: Creating a Related Company Name
Related names take the existing meaning of a word or qualities and connect it with the company. Examples: Jaguar (car company associates with the qualities of the animal: speed, streamlined body contour, regal look, etc.). Amazon ( The Amazon River in South America is the “largest river” in the world. Amazon.com launched with the tagline “Earth’s biggest book store” ) Apple (According to Steve Jobs, Apple computer came from “on one of my fruitarian diets” and had just come back from an apple farm, and thought the name sounded “fun, spirited and not intimidating.”).
Pros: People already have a built-in association with the word(s) and can easily connect with those positive associations with the company. Makes it easier to create a logo using the image associated with the word.
Cons: May be difficult to find an available matching domain name without a hyphen and trademarking may be more challenging.
Other Examples:
Acorn Energy, Anchor Bankcorp, Arrow Electronics, Arrowhead Research Group, Artic Cat, Badger Meter, Barracuda Networks, Beacon Roofing Supply, Blackberry, Black Box Corporation, Black Hawk Network Holdings, Blue Rino, Carriage Services, Caterpillar, Cheetah Mobile, Cloud Peak Energy, Compass Minerals International, Cracker Barrel Old County Store, Croc’s, Crown Media, Cypress Semi-Conductors, Diamond Resorts International, Eagle Bulk Shipping, Five Oaks Investment Group, Foot Locker, Glacier Bankcorp, Headwaters Inc., Horizon Pharma, Jack in the Box, Juniper Network, Ladder Capital Corp., Learning Tree, Lending Tree, Monarch Financial Holdings, Nautillus Group, Oasis Petroleum, Peregine Pharmaceuticals, Pier 1 Imports, Pinnacle Financial Partners, Raven Industries, Red Hat, Red Robin Gourment Burgers, Redwood Trust, Riverbed Technology, Roadrunner Transportation System, Silver Bull Resources, Six Flags Entertainment, Stag Industrial, Summit Financial Group, Tallgrass Energy Partners, Treehouse Foods, Wave Systems, Wired Mouse, Zebra Technologies
Brand Name Filter
The brand name filter below will help you objectively evaluate how available and good a name is.
Number System: 0-poor, 1-fair, 2-good, 3-excellent.
___ Easy to Say and Pronounce
___ Easy to Remember
___ Easy to Spell
___ Name is Web-Ready: Exact Match Domain Name with no hyphen (Domain Search)
___ Trademark is Available (Trademark Search)
___ Available in Your State (Online check with your State Department of Incorporation)
___ Social Media Identity Availability (Example Facebook (B2C), LinkedIn (B2B), etc.)
___ Stands out from the Competition in a Favorable Way
___ Has no Negative Meanings (Example: when translated to a foreign market’s language)
___ Name Allows You to Add New Services or Products in the Future
___ Number of Points
Action Step: Make a list of related words that take the existing meaning of a word or qualities that you want to associate with the company. Take the list of words and start combining them until you come up with 1-3 that you like. Next go to the name filter above to evaluate them.
Note: If you are having trouble coming up with a name that you like and is rated high by the brand filter, it may be time to look for an outside source to help you i.e. Ask the Expert.
Recommendation: In a branding process, it is important to look at name possibilities in different name categories: Literal, Attribute, Legacy, Initials/Numbers, Word Combination, New Invented, Alliteration or Rhyme and Inquiring. This helps you expand they way you look at your company, to find the best name to connect with your target market, that stands out from the competition and reflects your brand position.
Additional Resources
Return to Company Naming Return to Brand Library Return to Brand Yourself
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