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Strategies For Product Naming
Sure, it may sound fun and exciting, but product naming is one of the more difficult tasks for marketers. Gone are the days when a product manager could recruit a group of colleagues to a lunch meeting in a conference room, bring in a few pizzas and crank out the new product name!
There is nothing linear about this creative process. Of course, there are guidelines and disciplines but at a certain point marketers will inevitably stray in search of the “perfect” name. Great product names are grounded in the product positioning because customers will see and hear the product name in the context of many forms of the marketing mix. So, the first stop is to really nail the product positioning. If this is not done first, the naming exercise is destined to be frustrating and maybe even futile.
There are some basic and well-known naming considerations. For example:
- Be easy to pronounce and spell
- Make it memorable
- Don’t pigeonhole given future line extensions
- Be aware of foreign language translation issues
- Avoid alienating any group (race, religion, etc.)
- Search for trademark conflicts
But the plot thickens when other issues must also be considered. How does it work on the package? Is the web domain available? How does the name distinguish itself versus competitive offerings?
Focused brainstorming is always a good place to start once the product positioning is nailed. What exactly does this product do? What does the industry segment offer? Why will prospects consider this product? What makes this product unique? What is some of the industry lingo?
With brainstorming done, the product naming task continues with such tools as synonym search, word combining, pruning, play on words, metaphors, misspellings, numeric additions, etc. Sound like fun yet?
At Buster Creative, we have helped our clients develop many names over the years. While it’s never easy, it’s always rewarding when at some point in the process we inevitably say, “That’s it!”
Too Many Lost Presentations
We’ve all been there…subjected to a lengthy PowerPoint presentation that is dull and uninspiring.
But despite the many points-of-view on why such presentations are a menace to corporate success, the fact is that PowerPoint is as popular as ever. And yet most presentations can be far more inspiring and actionable.
At Buster Creative we help clients enhance their presentations for the impact they need. To get a flavor of how a presentation can come to life…
Frustrating to many business managers, smart ideas can quickly get lost in the boring, text-heavy templates we all seem to have seen before. Perhaps it is a new product idea…lost. Perhaps a HR team-building idea…lost. Perhaps a sales incentive program…lost. Perhaps a manufacturing idea…lost. Not lost because a hard drive failed or because a key decision-maker did not show up. Rather, lost simply because colleagues and stakeholders were not compelled to grasp the idea and realize it’s impact for their operations.
Smart managers today understand presentations must be exciting and compelling tools. The use of animation, the insertion of video clips, the sharing for out-of-office attendees, the addition of photography and the inclusion of professional graphic design are all critical. And such enhancements can mean the difference between one idea being lost versus another idea gaining the traction it deserves.
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