When I tell people that I work for a naming agency, they usually pause, give me a strange look and respond with, “Do people actually hire an agency to name their baby?”. I enthusiastically respond with “Yes! Racehorses even!”. While we’re not exactly in the baby naming business- we are in the business of naming people’s “babies”—their businesses, services, and products that they want to see grow and flourish.
Wait- can’t you just get your friends together and throw some ideas up on a whiteboard over a few beers? While beer and whiteboards are certainly one delicious recipe for creativity, there is much more to coming up with an incredible business name or product name than you may realize, which is why it could be in your best interest to partner with a brand naming agency.
4 Reasons to Choose a Top Naming Agency
1. Falling in love with a name you can’t have is heartbreak.
Falling for a name you legally can’t own is like a bad break-up- it just wasn’t meant to be, BUT there’s always something else out there for you and that’s where a naming company comes in. We help you recover from the heartbreak of name rejection with perfect-fit names that are already prescreened for trademarks, web hits and domain availability. We hit you with one round after the next of exciting and diverse name options tailored to your objectives. Tinder and Bumble don’t hold a candle to that level of service.
2. Your favorite names might be your target’s least favorite.
You know the phrase “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”? Well, this certainly applies to brand naming. Clients come to us all the time with one or two names that they believe are the winning names, only to forget the most important question in naming- who is the name for? What does your target market think about your favorites names? Involving a naming firm who isn’t just creative, but also well-established in market research is the key to landing on a name that works for your target audience. After all, if you appeal to your customer, it is much easier to nail your sales forecast and growth plan.
Some top naming agencies are big believers in focus groups for name vetting, but our preference is quant research. In real life, your customers won’t sit around discussing your product with a mediator and 10 strangers for an hour before expressing their opinions about your name. You’ve got a couple of seconds to make a lasting impact on your customers. Our preference is to quickly share your top names with at least 300 individuals in your target audience and get their immediate reactions, name rankings, and rationale. The data usually reveals the 1-2 names that rise above the rest, while easily knocking out those that shouldn’t even be considered.
3) You’re just too close to your business or product.
You’ve spent countless hours developing your team, your product, and dreaming of the future of your business. There’s no one better to come up with your new product name than you, right? After all- you are the expert about what you do! Hold on. Yes, you and your team provide invaluable insight and direction and are key decision makers, but on the other hand, your involvement and dedication also mean that you’re a little too close for naming comfort. Objectivity and unbiased involvement paired with extensive naming experience and quality market research from a naming firm is the difference between a name you just like and a name that translates into success. Having a naming company on your side provides a fresh, new perspective, an experienced naming skill set, and a variety of data-driven resources that come together to collectively give you what you need to make a decision you and your target audience can agree upon.
4) There are too many cooks in the kitchen.
One way that naming a product, company or service is nothing like naming a baby is that there are often many people trying to make the final decision instead of just one or two. This can be very tricky when you have a room of people in various roles and positions all vying for the mic. Add to it the complexity of extremely busy schedules and ever-shifting deadlines and priorities, and you’ll need to hire a new project manager for this one naming endeavor (or maybe a camp counselor).
One benefit of hiring an experienced naming agency is that you are paying someone else to orchestrate the creative and decision-making process for you. A good naming agency will make scheduling and communication seamless. A great naming agency will actually make working with your team seamless (and even fun!).
One way they may do this is to orchestrate the way that feedback is expressed, ensuring that every person in the room has equal opportunity to share their thoughts. If you’re concerned about a boisterous CEO or CMO hogging the floor and intimidating other staff or a creative director trying to cast an inspiring vision to win over supporters for their favorite name, an experienced naming firm could be very helpful in leveling the playing field and helping the team to agree upon favorite names. With a little field testing, a top naming agency would then be able to take your team through the data and recommend the highest performers with rationale from your current or future customers. While mediation from naming pros is helpful, the data is really what helps to build final consensus and move the project forward for large teams.
Convinced? Check out NameStormers!
We would love to talk to you about your new product, re-brand, trademark woes, branding strategy or love of Esperanto. Reach out and we’d be happy to set up a Zoom call to get to know you.
About NameStormers
Recognized as a top naming agency, we have been at the name game for over 30 years and we’ve named everything from global holding companies to popsicles. For one flat fee, we will present as many names as needed until you’re satisfied. Our naming package comes with trademark and domain prescreening for every name presented, as well as a customer validation study. We also offer additional in-depth naming research and linguistic screening for names intended to be used across the globe.
You can also find us featured on DesignRush’s- Creative Agencies New Trends + 3 Best Creative Projects of 2020