You have probably wondered how people come up with a name for a product and why they chose a particular name. This is your chance to think of  the things that you feel are important in naming a product. You can try different names and test them on friends and family.

We are about to provide you with a lot of information to help you name your product.  Don't feel that you have to go through all the steps to come up with a great name. This information is only intended to help you and give you some things to consider, when naming your product. Have fun with your naming activity!

[Check out some "kid's online digital information product" brand name - examples]

Will my product name be remembered?  When a name is different or unusual, it may attract attention, and perhaps arouse curiosity.

Is it something that is interesting such as,  a rhyme or humor?  A good example is: Toys-R-Us™.

When a name creates a mental picture of image.  Example:  Apple, provides an image that is easy to remember.

If the name is meaningful and fits with the product, it tends to generate higher recognition.

When a name conveys an emotion, it is more often remembered. A two-syllable word will be easier to learn than a three-syllable word. An example of one-syllable words that are easily remembered are Coke™, Bic™ and Bold™.

Will the name support a symbol or slogan?  Example:  Apple Bank - provided access to the associations of apples - something good, wholesome, and simple - and suggested a friendly, fun and somewhat different firm.

What do people think of the word?  Is there a strong association with it?  When Jell-O™ brought in the name Jigglers™, the name produced a strong visual image (of Jell-O™ jiggling in the hand) and could be associated with jolly, happy people, good times, not to mention it's a kid's word.

Is it distinct enough from other names, to prevent people from confusing your product with another?

You may want to start with some words and phrases that describe the associations that would be useful for the brand name to have.  For example, suppose you are trying to name a sports review to explain the sport and get people interested in it. Possible associations you may want to use might be:  easy read, fun, exciting, all you need to know about, or  instructional. You can expand these word-associations, by asking other people what comes into their mind, when words from the list are read. 

These associations can be used to generate a set of alternatives by:

• Combining them into phrases - Example: Sports Opinion; All You Need to Know.

• Generating parts of words and combining them - Example: SportsRead.

• Considering symbols 

• Using rhymes - Example: All Sorts of Sports.

• Using humor - Example: Mort's Sports.

• Adding suffixes or prefixes such as poly, omni, vita, ette, dyne, lite, syn, ad, ix, vita and ada - Example: My Sportsvita.

In addition, any set of words that describes objects, can be a source of alternatives.

A powerful source of a name is a metaphor.  A metaphor is the word or phrase denoting one concept in place of another, suggesting a likeness between them.  A metaphor is a way to communicate a complex idea with very few words.  Die Hard™ battery, for example, is a metaphor which suggests that the battery is like a tough person or plant that will not die.

Morphemes are a set of about 6,000 word fragments capable of stimulating mental images, even though  they have no meaning by themselves.  A good example is Compaq™ -  the fusion of com (indicating computer and communications) and paq (from compact). The paq was deliberately selected instead of pak, or pach, because it was easy to pronounce, yet catchy and unusual.

Use a name that does not have any associations.  Choose a word that you feel you can develop into a meaningful connection to your product.  It may be as simple as your first or last name,  or a favorite name and your product description.

Resource Material

The book "Marketing For Dummies" is a good source of information to help learn more about branding.