7 Tips for Developing a Great Product Name

Developing a Great Product Name or Service Name

Are you looking for an all-powerful product name?  You know, the kind of transcendent product names that stands out from the rest? Our naming pros share the top tips for product naming and secrets to finding a winning product name.

Company naming, product naming and service naming follow similar developmental processes. But there are some unique challenges when it comes to the naming a product and a service.

In product and service naming, consideration must be given to congruity with the brand line, product line, and the organization as a whole. And the product name should support the overall strategic planning decisions of your firm.

Especially relevant for product naming, it is not necessary that the product name be the same as the company name.  Of course, the exception is if your firm only offers the one product and you don’t ever plan on expanding.  And for a single product company, we recommend that the product name, company name and the domain name all be identical, in a way of streamlining your operation.

In general, a product is a tangible good – something that you can feel and touch – whereas a service is intangible. There are hybrid goods where the company provides a customer with both a physical good and an intangible service. For the purpose of simplicity, we will use the term “product” in reference to both goods and services in our tips for naming a product below.

7 Characteristics of a Great Product Name

#1 – Product Name Availability: One of the biggest challenges facing product naming professionals is the issue of availability. Over the years, the team at Brandings™, has created tens of thousands of great names for products, only to find that the name can’t be used. With billions of products on the market, and more launched each year, there is a very high likelihood that a product name choice is in use somewhere around the world.  With that said, just because someone is using your product name idea, DOES NOT mean that you can’t.  Get familiar with how the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) works and how they divide products in different “Classifications of Goods and Services.”  As long as your product is not “Confusingly Similar” to another with the same industry, you may be able to use the same name.  Learn more about how the USPTO works here.

#2 – Dot-COM Domain Name Availability: It is essential that the dot-com domain name be available for the product. The product name and the domain name must be identical. For example, Proctor & Gamble must own Tide.com for their laundry detergent Tide. This is a key consideration when choosing a product name.  If you can’t procure the domain name for your product you MUST move on to another name.  Using a Domain Name Extension that is not the dot-com will only lead your customers to the wrong site, and this just may be your competition.

#3 – Product Name Length is Important:  When an entrepreneur chooses a name for their product, they must consider the length of that name. In most cases, a successful name for a product is fewer than 11 characters. The entrepreneur will want to ensure that their name is tightly focused. The longer the name, the greater the chance for confusion, mix-ups and misspellings.

Tip for Naming a Product #3 – Name Length Matters

#4 -Texture of the Product Name:  This is the “art” side in the creation of a winning product name. The name selected should roll off the tongue and have a pleasing sound and texture. The best names for a new product are clear when vocalized and easy to pronounce. A good product name should also have a visual design that is consistent with the overall strategy of the firm. Design considerations should be undertaken in conjunction with product name creation.

#5 – Spelling of a Product Name:  Our research has showed, the best product names are easy to spell. Ideally, the perfect name should have only one spelling option; as in is only one way to spell your product name. The more alternatives there are in the spelling of a prospective product name, the more likely a firm is to confuse or lose customers.

Moreover, in our global marketplace English has emerged as the clear language of choice for global businesses. The dot-com domain extension also emerged as the domain extension of global business. The best names for a product may be in the preferred language of a region but should have a clear English translation.

Naming a Product Tip #7 – Consider the Global Implications of Your Product Name

#6 – Alphabetic Characters:  When creating a name for a product, the selection SHOULD NOT contain numbers or hyphens. There are a few isolated cases where hyphens and numbers can be used effectively but in general hyphens, numbers and other characters like &^$#@* pose challenges and careful design to avoid consumer confusion. For example, picture two people talking about your product name?  One person is trying to explain where the ampersand goes in the name, or is trying to explain that the dollar sign really represents an “s.” It’s just going to confuse people.

#7 – Global Implications:   If you are planning on selling your products outside of your home country you should consider the universal appeal of your product name. The best names for global products should have a global appeal and be culturally non-offensive.

We hope these tips for naming a product article was both helpful and useful. Please keep these tips in mind as you create your own name for your new product. We welcome your comments and suggestions and we’re available to help you in your product naming activities. Our naming specialists can help you select the right name for your product. A great product name is just a call or click away.

Finally, these tips for naming a product aren’t the only tips we have. While below, you’ll find links to other tips that our team has pulled together, we’d like to highlight the following resource. Our Tips & Traps of Naming a Business page is well worth a read. Here, our team has pulled actual questions from our past clients and other questions posted on our blog. We give brief concise answers to the questions and links to resources were one could get more information. Check it out.

As always, if you have any question, post them below or reach out, we’ll be glad to help.