Via The Washington Post: “The majority of U.S. Irish pubs include a first or last name — Murphy’s Pub, Kelly’s Tavern or Molly’s Pub & Carryout, for example. The remaining 43 percent of pubs that lacked a first or last name are a bit of an amalgamation. References include:

• Irish landmarks (Blarney Stone Pub, The Killarney, Stephen’s Green)
• Irish words or objects (The Harp Irish Pub, 3 Kilts Tavern, Paddy Wagon Irish Pub)
• Stereotypical names (Shenanigans Pub, The Shamrock, The Crazy Leprechaun Bar & Grill)

A smaller minority also referenced:

• Gaelic words (Fadó, An Seanachi Irish Pub)
• Irish history and folklore (Boudicca’s Celtic Pub, Napper Tandy’s)

But people’s names are far and away the defining characteristic of the U.S. Irish pub name, with two of the most popular — Murphy and Paddy, short for Patrick — topping the list.

Read the rest of The Washington Post article.

ASSOCIATIONS + SLOGANS SCORE

Let’s say you’ve got two names under consideration for your new computer company, Apple and Strawberry. Both names meet your baseline brand positioning criteria:

Simple, warm, human, approachable, organic, disruptive.

Half your team champions Apple, and the other half loves the name Strawberry. It’s pointed out that the names couldn’t be more similar—they are both red fruits. So why not flip a coin and move on? The Chief Obfuscation Officer calls for a month of testing, reliably in the unreliable form of crowdsourcing or focus groups.

At this point you become the hero by jumping up and shouting, “I demand an A.S.S. test!”

A test that takes minutes to complete.

When leading name contenders are locked in a battle, tallying up the number of associations each have in our collective consciousness – in stories, legends, idioms, songs, culture, history, mythology, etc, tells you how emotionally connected people are to them. The more the better.

It reveals what each brings to the table for marketing, branding, and advertising campaigns.

Apple

• • Garden of Eden (apple w/ bite logo)

• • Issac Newton (product name)

• • William Tell

• • Snow White

  • The Tree of Life

• • McIntosh (product names McIntosh, eMac, iMac, Power Mac, MacBook, Mac Mini)

• • One smart apple

• • A bad apple

• • Easy as apple pie

• • An apple a day

• • Apple of my eye

• • Apple polisher

• • Big Apple

• • Apples and oranges

• • How ’bout them apples?

• • Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree

• Upset the applecart

 Strawberry

• Strawberry Fields

• Strawberry shortcake

• Strawberry blonde

Sometimes the positioning of the name your looking for is simply a single big idea – an iconic, definitive name that captures the imagination.

This was the case for a B2B software startup we named, so the first and winning tactic was to find a name with the most cultural connections that were really big ideas. The clear winner was Seven:

 Seven

• Seven wonders of the world.

• Seven musical notes.

• Seven seas.

• Seven days a week.

• Seven continents.

• Seven deadly sins.

• Seven virtues.

• Seven colors of the rainbow.

• Seven chakras.

• Seven years of bad luck.

• Seven visible planets.

• Seven heavens.

• Seven dwarfs.

• Seven Samurai.

• On the seventh day god rested.

• Lucky number seven.

Of course, there are many more, but you get the idea. Before we presented Seven to our client, we needed to determine if Seven could possibly be trademarked around the world, given the 700,000+ trademarked software names globally. We came up with a strategy, and Seven is trademarked worldwide. The ability to legally finesse a name like Seven is critical because naming is not simply about finding the best name for the job; it’s about finding the best name for the job that you can legally use.

Apple vs. Strawberry isn’t a fair fight. But it’s not always so lopsided. If the A.S. portion of the test doesn’t produce a winner, move on to Slogans. Put two names side by side and see which inspires the most taglines that play off the name.

Of course none of the taglines anyone can remember actually play off the company name, they’re too expected and make the name one-dimensional. Imagine, “Virgin, A Brand New Experience” or “Apple, Easy as Pie”.  Deadly.

However, the exercise does reveal the power, connectivity, and relevance of an unexpected name.

In this example, let’s say we’re naming a creative agency and a leading name contender is:

 Igor

• Igor. Bringing Your Vision To Life.

• Igor. Get Over The Hump.

• Igor. A Few Spare Parts and a Good Storm.

• Igor. Throw The Switch.

• Igor. A Moveable Beast.

• Igor. Own Your Shadow.

• Igor. No Job Too Horrifying.

• Igor. The Other White Meat.

• Igor. Never Say Die.

• Igor. A Good Brain Is Hard To Find.

• Igor. Alive!

• Igor. Better Living Through Science.

• Igor. Building The Perfect Beast.

BOTTOMLINE: The number of ASSOCIATIONS or SLOGANS that potential metaphorical brand names generate tells you how emotionally connective each name is and how much branding, marketing & advertising ammunition they contain.

More on the existential hell of a naming agency naming itself.

Are your brand name brainstorming attempts long on storm and short on brains? Igor has plenty of brains in stock, ready to help you name whatever needs naming.  Most have very low mileage, are hardly ever driven during the week, and are used only sparingly on weekends to scan refrigerator contents and such. Jump in and pick our brains!  

Tips for picking a brain:

•  Do not pick if the skin is too green–it’s not ripe yet.
• The brain should be viscous and phlegmatic yet hold up to a good thumping. Not too firm, not too soft.
• The end twisted from the brain stem should be pliable when you poke your thumb through the outer membrane. If you can’t break the membrane with your fingernail, the brain was picked prematurely.
• Smell is the most reliable indicator of freshness.
• Have fun with it, but keep it platonic.

Our collection of brains can be picked through right here, at the Igor Brain Depository:

The Brand Naming Process

125 Articles About Naming Products & Companies

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Beware The Happy Idiot

The Igor Brand Naming Guide

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75 Brand Naming Case Studies

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