How to Write a Naming BriefA practical guide forbranding professionals

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1. About the brief

2. The naming process

3. Creating the brief

4. What to include

5. About this guide

6. Naming brief template

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Contents_

About the briefA naming brief is a relatively short document that

outlines objectives and parameters for the brand name

to be developed. Brainstorming name ideas without first

articulating what the ideal name looks like is a recipe

for disaster—especially when a group of decision-

makers is involved. The brief forces everyone to align on

what the name should convey, what kinds of names to

consider, and what’s in and out of bounds.

This guide contains background information on how to

create a naming brief for any naming project. Whether

you’re a consultant or in-house, working individually

or on a team, and regardless of what you’re developing

a brand name for, this guide will help you create an

effective naming brief.

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Brainstorming name ideas without first articulating what the ideal name looks like is a recipe for disaster.

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1. Brief

A short document—a naming brief—is created, outliningthe parameters for the name to be developed.

2. Generate

Based on the brief, one or more namers create multiplename ideas (typically hundreds, if not thousands) and keeptrack of them in a master list.

3. Shortlist

Namers select a subset of name ideas in the master list tomove forward through the rest of the process.

4. Screen

Shortlisted names are subjected to linguistic/culturaldisaster checks and/or preliminary trademark screening.Only the less “risky” name ideas continue in the process.

5. Present

Name ideas are presented to decision-makers,who select a smaller group of ideas to go through fulllegal searches.

6. LegalAn experienced trademark attorney performs a full legalsearch—a deeper assessment of legal availability and/orrisk associated with each name idea.

7. Select

Decision-makers choose the final name from those ideaswith an acceptably low level of risk.

The naming processWhile individual agencies and consultants may take

slightly different approaches to naming, most experts

agree on a general process. These steps can differ

from project to project, but the naming brief usually

comes first. Ideally, every decision-maker reviews and

approves the brief before a single name is generated

(step 2). When shortlisting (step 3) and reviewing name

candidates, the brief should be used as a guide to ensure

ideas are considered as objectively as possible. In other

words, the naming brief allows a team to evaluate names

with reactions such as, “This name does an especially

good job of expressing an idea from the brief” or “This

name doesn’t match the tonality described in the brief,

because…” rather than more subjective, less useful

reactions, like, “I don’t like that name."

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Ideally, every decision-maker reviews and approves the brief before a single name is generated.

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4. Present “reality check” names

This step is not always needed but can provide deeper insights into whether the brief will help lead to a satisfactory name. Reality check names are simply name ideas that fit the naming brief but have not been screened for legal or linguistic challenges. Presenting reality check names can be risky—to avoid letting a decision-maker “fall in love” with a potentially unavailable name idea, it’s critical to clearly state that ideas presented at this stage are for illustrative purposes only. They may not be—and in

many cases, probably aren’t—available for use.

5. Revise and finalize

Based on reactions and feedback, iteratively revise the brief until all decision-makers approve its contents. In some organizations, it may be important to share drafts of the brief with increasingly large teams or senior decision-makers, moving “out” in concentric circles or “up the food

chain” as you revise.

6. Secure approval

Ensure all decision-makers have reviewed and approved the brief prior to commencing name generation. Some situations call for written approval or signoff, while others allow for a less formal go-ahead.

The approach to creating a naming brief can

contain some or all of the following steps:

1. Conduct research

Writing a useful and accurate brief requires knowledge of what’s being named, the target audience(s) for the name, and names used by competitors and peers.

Research could include reviewing marketing materials, business strategy documents, survey data, or any combination thereof. Often, a handful of one-on-one interviews (e.g., with company leaders or product managers) and some reviews of relevant websites is enough to get started.

2. Write a first draft

Using the blank template in this guide (page 16) or another format, create a draft of the naming brief. Use enough text to explain ideas clearly, but try to keep it succinct and avoid providing redundant information.

3. Share the draft

Seek reactions to the brief from others. If you’re working alone, it’s useful to get outside perspective. If the final name has to be approved by a team, the whole team should review (and eventually approve) the brief. Depending on the project and team, you can share the brief via formal presentation, perhaps along with “reality check” names (see next step), or simply send it via email.

Creating the brief

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Agencies and namers typically have their own, preferred

formats for naming briefs. Agency-specific and project-

specific differences aside, however, most naming briefs

contain the same, basic information.

Description of what’s being named

This could—and probably should—be a simple, layperson’s explanation of the product or company to be named or renamed. A few bullet points may be enough. More complex offerings might require images and/or a few paragraphs

with links to a Wikipedia page or other websites.

Ideas to convey through the name

Should the name make people think the product is fast? Premium? Are you trying to convey a more abstract concept like connectivity or expansiveness? Virtually every brand name expresses some underlying idea or emotion related to the product or organization it represents, even if only in a tenuous way.

Naming criteria (approach and construct)

Naming approach ranges from descriptive (“The Container Store”) to abstract (“Starbucks”). Does one end of that spectrum make more sense for this name? The naming construct could be real English words, compound names like “JetBlue” (sometimes referred to as “composites” or “double-barreled names”) or coined/invented names, like “Dasani.”

Naming criteria (continued) The brief should also specify any additional words to be “attached” to the name (e.g., if it must be preceded by a parent brand name or followed by a descriptive modifier, like “Technology”). This section of the brief can also exclude constructs, e.g., “no alphanumerics” or “no Latin words.”

Name tonality Related to brand personality, tonality is the feeling the name should evoke. For example, “Javelin” and “Zippity” could both suggest a fast product brand, but the latter name is more playful than the former. Even with coined words, sound symbolism can be used to evoke a tonality.

Description of target audience for name What do we know about the people who’ll be seeing or using this name?

Competitor/peer names What names might be seen “near” this name? To avoid confusion (and trademark challenges), it’s important to know which names ours will compete against, as well as partner names, vendor names, or even client names that could cause confusion or other problems.

What to include

Real word

Abstract

Descriptive

Suggestive

Compound Coined

C O N S T R U C T

APPROACH

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• Project overview(e.g., timeline, milestones)

• Previously explored/rejected names

• Other brand names (in or out of category)the decision-makers like, and why

• Domain name requirements

• Lists of concepts, words, or word partsto explore or avoid

• Other brand strategy documentation (e.g.,a brand platform or brand positioningstatement)

• Company naming guidelines

• Preliminary trademark screening criteria(e.g., which International Classes toscreen against)

• Linguistic/cultural disaster checkcriteria (e.g., which countries/languagesto review)

• Additional materials/links to review forbackground information

Optional informationMany naming briefs also include some of the following,

optional content:

About this guideThis guide was written by Rob Meyerson, creator of

How Brands Are Built, a podcast and blog for branding

professionals. Ideas and insights from the following

naming professionals—all of whom Rob has interviewed

for the podcast—may have been incorporated into the

guide:

• Eli Altman, A Hundred Monkeys

• Jonathan Bell, Want Branding

• Clive Chafer, Namebrand (and freelance namer)

• Shannon DeJong, House of Who

• Scott Milano, Tanj

• Amanda Peterson, Milwaukee Art Museum(formerly Head of Naming at Google)

• Steven Price, Tessera Trademark Screening

• Anthony Shore, Operative Words

• Laurel Sutton, Sutton Strategy (and co-founderof Catchword)

To get in touch with any questions or comments, please

visit howbrandsarebuilt.com.

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The following pages contain a blank naming brief you

or your client can complete prior to commencing name

generation. A few notes to consider when using the

brief template:

• Hold your mouse cursor over the icon next to each

section heading for instructions or more information.

• Some sections are marked as “optional.” All other

sections should be considered too important to omit

from the brief.

• Of course, it’s impossible to create a template that

works perfectly for every project and situation. Feel

free to add details or links in the “Additional notes/

materials” section or add pages to the brief as needed.

• Get in touch and let us know how the brief worked

for you! We’d love any feedback and we’re happy to

answer questions.

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Naming brief template

Project overview (optional)

What we’re naming

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Description of target audience

Ideas the name should convey

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Naming approach and construct (continued)

Real word

Abstract

Descriptive

Suggestive

Compound Coined

C O N S T R U C T

APPROACH

Naming approach and construct

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Competitor/peer names Previously explored/rejected names (optional)

Name tonality

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Explore and avoid (optional)

AvoidExplore

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Brand names for inspiration (optional) Additional notes/materials (optional)

Screening/domain requirements (optional)

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How Brands Are Built

www.howbrandsarebuilt.com

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Version 2.0, May 2019© 2019 Heirloom Agency LLC. All rights reserved.