Questions

No.

Market research is a notoriously ineffective way to choose a brand name - unless you do a detailed, rigorous explanation to your respondents about what the goals, objectives, and criteria are for your name, and unless they have a thorough understanding of your place in your market, and the brand-space already occupied by your competitors, almost all focus group responses will veer toward the descriptive - which is seldom the way to go with a new name. Research respondents, especially in a group setting, are sub-consciously seeking to give the "right" answer. As you say this is your existing name - you already know the strengths and weaknesses of it better than any stranger will. For example, a research respondent may be attracted to a name with a pun or other homonym element - never considering whether the product will be sold a lot by word of mouth or radio, where such a jokey element will surely be an impediment. Especially for naming, the Steve Jobs approach is best - YOU know what they want better than they do. Interior company brainstorms, elections, or contests are even worse - people inside the company are almost always too close to their own piece of the elephant. Naming is best run by autocratic chief executives - using outside professionals to help, of course! No committee or focus group would ever have chosen Apple, Google, or Yahoo from a list of 100 ideas. Hire a creative namer to give you hundreds of ideas, then empower your most visionary exec to make the decision, work up a list with a dozen or two finalists, screen them for availability, then have your visionary make a final choice. Naming is not quantifiable.


Answered 9 years ago

Unlock Startups Unlimited

Access 20,000+ Startup Experts, 650+ masterclass videos, 1,000+ in-depth guides, and all the software tools you need to launch and grow quickly.

Already a member? Sign in

Copyright © 2024 Startups.com LLC. All rights reserved.