Top New Name Development & Naming Research Companies

What are new name and development research companies?

When you need to find the best name for your new product, it can be tempting to start jotting down ideas, organize an internal brainstorming meeting, or consult an online name generator, and these may, in fact, be useful first steps. They can’t be the last steps, however, because what sounds good to you and your colleagues may not resonate in your target market and might even get you into legal trouble.

Featured Experts in Top New Name Development & Naming Research Companies

• NIMBLY
• CodingExperts, LLC
• Zappi
• Terac

Learn More About

FAQs:

What are the 7 criteria for a successful product name?

For a product name to be successful, it must be memorable, meaningful, positive, distinct, easy, searchable, and legal.

You need your product name to be memorable because you want your target market to look for it and tell others about it. If they can’t remember your product’s name, they can’t buy it or recommend it.

In order to be memorable, it has to be meaningful to your target market so that it resonates and stays with them. The meaning could be in the form of information about what it does and why they should covet it or a feeling that it gives them which they will want to experience again. Of course, the meaning has to be a positive association or your target market will not be attracted to it and may even be repelled by it.

If your product name conveys positive meaning but is not distinct from competition, your target market may get confused or may not remember your product. If your product name is too similar to an established competitor’s, your marketing dollars could actually contribute to your competitor’s growth. On the other hand, if the product name is similar but your product stands out in other ways in the purchase environment, your product might benefit from your competitor’s marketing investments.

Your product name also needs to be easy to write and pronounce so that your target market will talk about it and grow your product via word of mouth. Because so much discussion and shopping happens online, it is important that your product name be searchable. A funky spelling might make the name more memorable and distinct, increasing the likelihood that someone will enter it into a search engine properly and possibly increasing the likelihood that the search engine will find it. On the other hand, it might make it harder to find if people hear it but don’t see it, or if the search engine automatically “corrects” the spelling. Finally, the name must also be legal. If the name has already been trademarked by someone else, you might encounter legal difficulties if you market your product under the same name.

An expert in product name development can help you with the research that will benchmark your alternatives against these criteria across cultures, as needed, via primary research with your target market, SEO testing, and trademark searches.

What are the 5 types of product names?

When brainstorming product names to test, you may want to use these 5 types of product names as probes: descriptive, evocative or metaphorical, whimsical or made-up, compound or blended words, and misspelled words or deviant spellings.

A descriptive name communicates information about the product, such as what it does or its main differentiating benefit. For example, if you developed a cylinder that people could place over the head and shoulders while they sleep that keeps dangerous atmosphere from entering their lungs, you might consider calling it “Life-Protek” or “Life-Protek Mechanism.”

An evocative name triggers a certain feeling or memory of an experience that you want to associate with your product and may be metaphorical or allegorical. If you invented a personal flying machine, you might call it “Flapple,” which suggests how a bird propels itself through the air via use of its wings.

A made-up name, such as “Ubik,” doesn’t tell you much about the product except that it might be innovative.

Sometimes, creating a compound or blended word will help explain the product while increasing the probability that the name will not duplicate an existing name. For example, if your product reads someone’s thoughts and visualizes them in colored patterns, a potential blended name might be “Cephalochromoscope.”

Deviant or alternative spellings can grab attention while communicating that your product has the characteristics of the properly spelled word but that it is a name, not a word.

Using these types of names as probes can help you brainstorm outside the box, and product naming experts can help you decide which ones fit with your existing strategies and how to test them with your target market.

What kind of research is conducted for product name development?

Research for product name development can include quantitative research, qualitative research, and, most likely, secondary or desk research. It is important to conduct primary research with your target market, and research to understand and define it has likely preceded the naming effort. The target market is the ultimate judge and jury who will rule on your product name’s success or failure.

What questions should be asked in product name development research?

When you use focus groups, in-depth interviews, or surveys to develop product names, you need to ask questions of participants. Ultimately, you want to know which name they prefer, the intensity of their reactions, the emotions or thoughts they experience when they see or hear the names, and how different names influence their perceptions and expectations of the attributes of the product.