How to name a product

An astrologer, the head of the family, the family doctor—just few of the many people who probably had a say in how you must be named. As Indians, we know well that aspect of our culture, which lays a huge emphasis on the right name, be it for a movie, a child or even a business.  

When it comes to the product you make or sell in a competitive marketplace, you have to find a way to ensure that both existing and potential customers remember it—that there is a recall value. As the marketplace gets more and more crowded with more competitors entering your segment, how you name your product will have increased significance.  Here are a few things you need to think about while naming your product.

- What are you trying to say?

The name of the product can be something that bears little resemblance to what the product is. Coca-Cola, for example, does not mean a dark colored sweetened drink. But still, you need to be clear about what you are trying to convey through the name of the product. An Indian genomics startup named its product GenomePatri. The term janampatri will be familiar to Hindi speakers, which translates to a horoscope or a dossier on what astrology says about your life.

GenomePatri is a genomics product that tells you of the medical problems that may arise in your life. The founder of the company said that since the product was new in India, calling it GenomePatri worked for them as their customers got some kind of understanding of what the product does.

Ram Gudipati of Brand Harvest, a branding solutions company, says “naming of products is a mix of creativity and logic. There has to be logic and some magic. The name should accentuate the attributes of the brand.”

- Company & product

So do you want that name of your company to be a part of the product name? Many customers of Kaya Skin Clinic may be unaware of the fact that it is a Marico brand, the same company that produces Parachute oil. But fans of Parle-G biscuits, the largest selling biscuit in the world, know that the name of the product is telling you the name of the maker.

For flagship products, companies often choose to go the Parle way as it amalgamates and enforces the name of both the company and the product. If a customer likes such a product, other products of the company instantly get to enjoy a similar level of trust.

However, if you are already established as a company and customers associate your company name with say, food products, then it may be a good idea to leave out the company name from the product name if you are venturing into a completely new product segment.

Gudipati says that in the B2B space it makes sense to keep the name of the company along with the product. But that does not hold true for young B2C companies. “You have to analyze the size of the category in which you are launching the product. If it’s a large segment with many established players, you need to use a different strategy in naming your product,” he says.  

Gudipati also says that it becomes easier for companies to make some strategic decisions if they disassociate the name of the company and product. If one if trying to sell off a certain brand or a certain product line, it may be easier if one’s company name wasn’t attached to the product.

- Making it memorable

There is no denying that some names get stuck in your head faster than others. Brand building processes helmed by consultants and agencies can help your company towards this aim.   

But it helps to be creative and understand what names seem to click with your target audience—especially when you can’t afford those consultants and agencies. Go a bit wild. You could always have a little fun and merge two terms together to come up with a fun name. Gudipati advises young companies to “find a name that sets the expectations. Also take into consideration if the name is easy on the tongue—customers shouldn’t be struggling to pronounce the name; how does the name appear when written on the product; how distinctive is it from other names in the category?” He suggests that companies can try vernacular names and ‘hinglish’ names suitable for the product if it meets the other considerations.

- After you decide on a name

Get the opinion of friends and family and a sample of customers before you launch the product under a specific name. Don’t forget to consult a trademark lawyer on whether or not you will be able to trademark the name of the product. Make sure that it doesn’t sound similar to the name of other companies or products or brands out in the market already. Check online. Don’t just restrict your search to India, especially if there is hope that you will be able to become an international company selling to customers outside India.

Most importantly, if you know you are going to take your product to a certain market or geography, check about what the product name means in the local language.