09. The Name Game - Securing the Perfect Name

LESSON OVERVIEW:

Ready to Name? Positioning Comes First 

• You can’t name a brand until you’ve positioned it — the name must carry the position.
• Donnie’s lawn care naming process went through two different positions: Lilliputian Lawn Care (tiny yards) vs. Carbon Free Lawns (sustainability). 

Key Insight: Name first and you risk locking yourself into the wrong story before you’ve found the right one.

Three Categories of Brand Names

• Vanity
• Descriptive
• Lyrical

The Gold Standard:

• Four Criteria for the Perfect Name

Avoid the Naming Pitfalls

• Long names
• Foreign words
• Creative spellings.
• Fake words

Key Insight: Creative spellings and fake words force you to spend money teaching people how to find you. Start-ups rarely have that budget.

Domain Strategy — and House Brand vs. House of Brands

Key Insight: A single house brand is almost always easier to promote and more durable. The smaller your company, the more important this rule becomes.

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