You need help choosing a brand name, but you don’t know where to go. So you type “buy a brand name” or “brand name ideas” into your browser search bar. The top results make naming your brand sound as easy as clicking a button to generate options, picking your favorite, and handing over your credit card numbers. Mission accomplished! Right?
The reality is that a computer-generated name can sound fitting and catchy while still utterly lacking context and imagination.
Name Generators Recycle Rather than Invent
Name generators are excellent at regenerating the same stuff that’s already out there, but they’re terrible at creating anything novel and groundbreaking. That’s because the process is too literal. The generator pulls synonyms and mashes them together to varying degrees of effectiveness.
For instance, a computer would never have come up with Google for a search engine or Nike for an athletic apparel manufacturer. If those brands had used a generator or bought a list of ready-made names, they might have ended up with completely colorless names like DataPortal or AthletiShop. Would they play as big of a role in their consumers’ lives if they had? Of course not — because name generators lack the human imagination that gives names power.
Name Generators Don’t Ask the Fundamental Questions
It’s not just about imagination. Before the creativity happens, you need context. The first questions we ask our clients are 1) Who is your target? and 2) What do you want your name to accomplish?
Your brand name should hint at your industry and products without being a name that any company in your industry could use. An interchangeable name is not a good name.
For example, we were recently tasked with creating a name for an ergonomic chair. Whereas a name generator or ready-made name list might have yielded something generic like “Ergochair,” we dug deep into what made the chair unique. One of its key features was that it mirrored the human body, adjusting to the user’s position and movements to maximize comfort. After we came up with a list of ideas that hinted at this key feature, we still had work to do. We subjected our top name candidates to thorough trademark screenings. We gleaned feedback from the client’s global offices to see which names transcended cultural differences to communicate something truly special. And in the end, our client chose Mirra, a name we created to be unique, intriguing, relevant, and elegant. Could an automated list of names accomplish that?
Why Work with NameStormers?
We understand the appeal of simplicity and accessibility. In fact, we helped pioneer the process of computerized name generation in the 1980s! The idea of popping keywords into a box and receiving a list of names sounds amazing in theory. But we’ve spent the last 30 years perfecting our process, and we can say with full confidence that putting a few bright minds together yields much more powerful results.
Naming your brand is arguably the most crucial business decision your company will make. An ineffective, forgettable name makes building brand awareness much more difficult, meaning you’ll need to devote a larger budget to getting the name to stick in the minds of your target audience. Don’t position yourself to fight an uphill battle for brand equity.
When you buy brand names from an online generator, you’re selling yourself short, limiting your potential, and missing a chance to impart a lasting impression to your audience with just a single name. Our team of naming experts will make sure you don’t miss that opportunity for a splashy, meaningful first impression by customizing name candidates to the goals and personality of your brand. Get in touch with us today to get started.