founders institute naming talk june 2 2009 slideshare version
DESCRIPTION
I presented these slides at TheFunded Founder's Institute at Stanford on June 2, 2009. It distills my thinking and suggested approach on building and analyzing a brand and name for your company or product. Have to attribute much of the concrete thoughts to Igor International. Hope it helps you kick a**!TRANSCRIPT
About Jay
Co-Founder & President
English learning for children everywhere
Venture-backed, pre-launch
About Jay (pre-start-up)
Employee # 17146 PC on every desk, in
every home Public, $60B in revenue
Why is naming important?
Experience & lessons learned
Specific advice & tips
Show & tell
Not in scope: domain-hunting
Names matter
It’s all the marketing you’ve got (for now)
It sets your position relative to competition
It’s EVERYWHERE you are
Experience & Lessons #1 -- Bad
Lessons
CUSTOMERS
Less is more
Have a decider
Pass the “Human” test
X
Experience & Lessons # 2 -- Good
Lessons
Learn about naming
Run through Igor process
Work fast, i.e., 3 hours
Pass the “Human” test
http://www.igorinternational.com/process/igor-naming-guide.pdf
Advice & Tips
4 Types of NamesName Types
Example Pros Cons
Functional
Betonline.comBetus.comSportsbook.com
Know what it is Not distinct
Invented
AgilentAquientOreoGoogle
Easy trademarkMemorable (or not)
Difficult to know what you’ve got
Experiential
NavigatorExplorerSafari
Make sense to consumer
Becomes common
Evocative Virgin (v. BA)Apple (v. IBM)
Strong for positioning Non-linear
Source: Igor International
Igor’s Process (Adapted)
1. Analyze company names from your
space
2. Establish your differentiation &
positioning
3. Brainstorm potential names
4. Assess potential names
5. Check GoDaddy.com for availability
Step 1 : Look at Company Names Types
Functional
Invented
Experiential
Evocative
K12.com Baby Einstein
Leap Frog
Cappela University
Head Sprout
Berlitz
Kumon
Step 2: Our Positioning Connected to a world beyond the
horizonGlobalFunForward-looking & ambitiousHumanConfidentAspirational Different
Step 3 : Brainstorm namesLeapfrog (reference)LearnNowCumlaudeGlobal EdgeMoonshootBoostSunrayCamoOrbitYokoButterflyeffect…
Write them all down
No matter how embarassing
9 factors for scoring names1. Appearance2. Distinctive3. Depth4. Energy5. Humanity6. Positioning7. Sound8. “33”9. Trademark
10 point scale for
each category
Source: Igor International
Step 4: Score names
NameLeapFrog 9 8 8 9 9 9 9 6 10 77Moonshoot 9 10 9 9 9 7 8 8 5 74Boost 9 8 6 9 7 6 10 7 5 67Sunray 8 8 7 8 8 7 7 7 5 65Camo 7 9 8 7 7 4 9 8 5 64Orbit 8 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 5 61Yoko 8 8 5 6 8 3 9 6 5 58CumLaude 7 7 7 7 7 6 6 5 5 57butterflyeffect 6 7 7 5 7 6 5 8 5 56Global Edge 6 7 7 6 6 9 5 5 5 56LearnNow 3 1 3 3 3 3 5 3 5 29
Source: Igor International
