Landor Perspectives 2008 - How not to name

Anthony Shore gives his six tips on what NOT to do when naming a company or product. These include: waiting until the last minute; be sure the new name is descriptive, begins with the letter A and has no negative connotations; develop names that have no meaning; invite the entire company to brainstorm; have a contest; and have a focus group to pick the winner.

Perspectives 2008 - How not to name

Anthony Shore

At some point in your career, you may face the daunting prospect of naming a company or product. The path to a trademarkable brand name is steep and treacherous. Curvy, too. Fortunately, help is here. The six tips below offer suggestions for what you shouldn’t — and most importantly — what you should do to get on the most direct path to a winning name.

1. Wait until the very last minuteNaming is easy and takes almost no time at all. There’s no need for any up-front thinking about strategy,...

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