Creating a new brand name

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Key Points

Perhaps the first question is - do you need a new name? Can you build on any brand equity you already have? This would be much cheaper and more valuable, potentially.

Assuming that the answer to that is no, the big issues are:

1. might you infringe someone else's existing trademark?
2. does the trademark fit with your brand definition in each language/culture? Are there any negatives (or positives)?
3. is it available?

There are all sorts of theories about how different sounds have different impacts. Some letter combinations are believed to be more open & honest, more striking, more re-assuring etc.. In general terms, however, it is more useful to concentrate on how to build your brand the way you want to build it rather than worry about the innate sound of the name. Even some offensive trademarks work, e.g. FCUK.

Assuming that you are going to do the naming yourself, rather than pay a specialist agency to do it, then the steps are:

1. generate 20-30 potential names via brainstorming, perhaps with a multi-geography/ culture/ language team. You can also get random name generation software. To have the most protectable trademark, newly coined words are best, followed by existing words in unassociated contexts. Words descriptive of your activity are hard to protect
2. check the names for availability as both trademarks and domain names
3. check the names that are available with a multi-geography/ culture/ language network for negatives. This network may exist inside your own company, or you could try a translation agency. Don't bother with the dictionary, it is lousy at nuances
4. generate a brand identity - logo, color, shapes, sounds, slogans etc.. These can all be trademarked
5. check all trademarks (words + identity) for positives and negatives in any marketing research you are conducting
6. run a full trademark search via specialist intellectual property lawyers
7. register all aspects of your trademark as separate trademarks in all appropriate categories (it will cost you approximately $3,000 per category per trademark per country)

Luckily, you are just seconds away from some very smart brand marketing solutions. Click here!

For further information, please contact enquiries@mudvalley.co.uk

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