Company, Division & Product NamingPlus…

Logo (Identity) Guidelines

ProcessProcess

• Review Naming Guidelines - options• Concur on our approach• Product positioning – brand promise• Compare current product name to guidelines

– Existing equity, brand transition strategy, constraints (code name change, collateral)• Review competition• Create or brainstorm for candidates – no critique• Evaluate candidates against guidelines, brand promise, marketability• Create short list• Positioning statements (positions, clarifies)• Research US & Foreign trademark, product, business, URL, user group (consumer)• Finalize name based on availability or recycle through approach• Register name, URL• Logo & Identity (Review Logo Guidelines)

Naming GuidelinesNaming Guidelines

• Review guidelines first– Level sets the entire team– Creates baseline rules that we agree on– Reduces personal opinion and setting up camps--

unless based on accepted rules– Opinions are good, but if they don’t follow agreed upon

rules, then they are subjective, not empirical and may not represent what market prefers.

– Likewise, my opinion, outside of the rules, counts for “1” (although interesting, not statistically significant)

– Should not discredit examples since they are not always market relevant, since they are concept relevant

Group ConcurrenceGroup Concurrence

• We should agree to go through process – before solidifying opinions

• Examples:– HRW

• 100 years of tradition• Strong camps• Empirical evidence - 3% recognition in their logo• Result – 100% concurrence we needed to change it

• Everything not finalized – discussion PowerPoint

Branding ConsiderationsBranding Considerations

• Institutional brand identity– Acid test – Microsoft “Where do you want to go today?” Actual: “A

Safe Bet”– Positive and negative experience/baggage

• Metrowerks – Codewarrior• Motorola – kept company name, transition• Now Freescale – across the board (building new)

• Product brand identity– P&G approach – product branding– Attachmate / DCA – institutional branding vs product– Microsoft approach - combined

• Recommendations – depends on association– Don’t eat our own dog food. External perceptions critical.

Company/Division NamingCompany/Division Naming

• Two conventions– Call after primary product

• Goldmine, WordPerfect, Coca-Cola• Metrowerks discussion

– Standalone• Founder. Dell, Ford, Mercedes (after person), Covey• Suggestive. Firestone, Thrifty, Dollar• Combination. Micro/Soft• Acronyms. IBM.

– Initials – engineering loves them, hard (expensive) to brand

• Tangible objects. Apple, Red Hat (easier to remember)

Corporate Tag LinesCorporate Tag Lines

• Identity (what they make) known– Microsoft – tag line– Sun – tag line

• Descriptive (answers, “who are you”)• Positioning (#1, most, leader)• Rules of thumb – 7-9 words (billboard)• Association

– Tied to corporation• Tivoli – An IBM Company• Metrowerks – A Motorola Company

– Acid test… worth more with, or without associate w/holding co.– Acquisition – watch out, don’t loose existing brand equity in the

transition

Product PositioningProduct Positioning

• The apex of all strategy• How it is positioned within the field of

competitors?• What is the unique differentor?• Examples:

– Crossfax – a hook was built in– Codewarrior for Windows – no hook, made one

• Name reflects positioning – if possible. If not, tagline reflects it.

BrandingBranding

• Purpose: Prevent price erosion (better brands can demand higher prices, more credibility)

• What do prospects expect from a company like yours?• What promises can you deliver? Brand promise (implied,

expressed). Examples?• Forget about what you are known for, capture and become

what the market wants (not a person, a company/product)• Overarching positioning• 3-4 positioning statements that validate the positioning

Product NamingProduct Naming

• #1 preference: Call it what it is or what it does.– Microsoft Mouse, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Word,

WinFax, PhotoShop, Corel Draw– Not sexy, but immediate, inexpensive to brand, owns

category

• Acid test– Call prospect (or buyer if a reseller). Give name of the

product. Ask, “What is it?”– If they can’t identify the product, or at least the category

– start over (too hard to brand)

Tag LinesTag Lines

• If your name needs “clarification” then describe it with a tag line– 3D Website Builder (category)– Everything you need to create 3D VRML Worlds On

The Internet• Describes, positions, (11 words) beyond 7-9 word rule

• Difficult names– Ascend, HP Newwave, Eudora– Ami Pro

• 7-9 word rule

Bad ExamplesBad Examples

• Nike (fine, if you have millions to create equity)• IBM (initial – fine, after billions in equity)

– International Business Machines

• You can brand anything… with enough money.• Unless you have hundreds of millions to spend,

then choose a “cheaper” brand name• No subliminal – initials, codes (AmiPro)

Approaches (good or bad)Approaches (good or bad)

• Suggestive - Klenex• Acronym - IBM• Obvious – Microsoft Mouse• Clipping – FedEx• Product – Coca Cola• Resource – Toys R Us• Abstract – Samna• Benefit – Trusted Data

Compare Current NameCompare Current Name

• Name:

• Positioning:

• Tag Line:

• Classification

• Existing equity

• Brand transition strategy

• Constraints (cost (code name, collateral))

ExampleExample

• Product Name– Positioning

• #1 best-selling• Highest ranked

– Description (what does it do)– Benefit (How does it help)

– #1 Best-selling Software To Do What?

CompetitionCompetition

• Competitors– May want to consider their naming conventions– May or may not be critical– Home spun alternatives

BrainstormingBrainstorming

• All is fair – no critique

• Software to help ($110 NameExpress.com)

• Nameboy.com (free engine to come up with a site name, but works for all names)

Evaluate CandidatesEvaluate Candidates

• Cross off obvious• Review remaining against guidelines, promise,

marketability• Consider

– Easy to remember– 3 syllables– Balanced– Power Consonants– Marketability (CodeWarrior, Facility Commander)

• Determine short list

ResearchResearch

• US Trademark

• Foreign Trademark

• Products and Business Names

• Field of use – watch out

• URL availability

FinalizeFinalize

• Finalize or re-cycle through process

• Register name, URL

• Logo Creation

Logo GuidelinesLogo Guidelines

• Priority for effective, less expensive, quick recognition

• You can brand anything with enough money – key is immediate recognition, minimal cost

• How will it look in black and white?

• Vertical or horizontal– Horizontal is easier to work with for most

treatments

Logo GuidelinesLogo Guidelines

Priority for best logos1. Make the company logo the name

2. Name integrated with unique graphic

3. A “mark” that can stand on its own

4. A mark that cannot stand on its own

Logo GuidelinesLogo Guidelines

1. Make the company logo the name– Coca Cola, CNN, Yahoo, Citrix, Intuit, Intel,

IBM, Goldmine, Microsoft• Should not be able to duplicate it with a word

processor (must be a graphic, not just a font)

Logo GuidelinesLogo Guidelines

2. Name integrated with unique graphic– K-mart (mart inside the K)– GoodYear (winged foot between Good and

Year)– McDonalds (text intersecting arches)– AOL

Logo GuidelinesLogo Guidelines

3. A “mark” that can stand on its own

– Tangible object you can visualize

– Unique– Large enough to

differentiate at distance– Fewest impressions to

make connection• Apple (bite out of apple)

• Red Hat (physical felt red hat)

Logo GuidelinesLogo Guidelines

4. Worst: A mark that cannot stand on its own• Must have a text name next to it to equate it to anything• Nike swoosh (swoosh did not mean anything. Fine if you have hundreds of

millions (brand anything))• Goldmine newer logo (means absolutely nothing on its own)• HRW (Owl hidden in bushes, same size line points, invisible at a distance of

2 feet)• Also, the text next to it was not unique, it was inconsistent (sometimes sans, or

serif, initials or spelled out)• Only 3% of respondents could identify the standalone logo as ours (after 100

years of use (or misuse)). A travesty.• Acid test. Take away the name and ask, “Who is this?”

• You’ll recognize those that have spent a fortune branding, but not those that have not.

Logo SelectionLogo Selection

• Select from the first option whenever possible– Use the name as the logo– Easier to establish equity– Cheaper– Not the same rules for a mass consumer

product (but doesn’t apply to us)