Wednesday, November 27, 2024

8 Types of Brand Names to Shape Your Identity

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Brand names have a significant role to play in helping startups identify their unique identity. You need to brand yourself so that you can help customers connect to your business.

There are certain business names and brands that are famous across the globe. These business names reflect their logo or trademark. The shape of the logo or trademark of a product or company helps it differentiate itself from the rest of the pack.

One simple way to know how well your brand name is performing is the popularity of the name. For example, now that the popular Instagram account, Pablo has moved to IGTV, many followers are leaving his channel.

Identifying the right brand name for your business can prove to be quite challenging. You need to find something that differentiates you from the competition.

You need to offer something unique to your customers so that they will prefer you over your competitors.

However, creating a brand is not an easy task. If you are starting a business, there is no shortage of competition in the market. You need to make sure that you stand out from the crowd.

These articles give you great examples of brand names that are famous across the globe. These unique brand names will help you identify your niche and help you craft the perfect brand name for your business.

So, without further ado, let’s begin.

Brand Names to Shape

1. Historical

The first type of trademark is called “historical.” Historical trademarks are usually associated with companies that have no connection to the person who created them. These trademarks may be useful for indicating support.

We owe much of our development to great people who have gone before us. If a famous figure from history inspires the founder, then a historical company might be used.

When choosing a name for your business, you should take into consideration whether people will view the name as supporting the ideas and beliefs of the founder.

If the historical figure whose name you choose is well-documented for having been problematic or controversial, then naming your business after him might not be the best idea.

Before naming your business after a famous person, make sure they were well-known for having good moral values. Don’t choose someone who has behaved badly if your business doesn’t share his/her values.

A good example of a historical brand is Lincoln Motor Co., which was founded by John D. Rockefeller.

You don’t want to pick a brandable domain unless there’s an excellent chance that people will remember the brand long after they’ve forgotten the product or service itself.

Historical figures tend to be well known for their contributions to society, which means they’re likely to attract attention from potential investors.

  • It suggests the company is likely to be around for some time because they’ve been around for so long.
  • A historical brand name evokes trust and loyalty in customers.
  • They make your company look more professional.
  • Historical brands are memorable
  • They’re really old.
  • Historical brands may be found across all categories. They’re usually easier to remember than new ones.
  • The word “classy” can give off an impression of elegance and sophistication.

2. Acronyms

The second kind of trademarked word is an abbreviation. An abbreviation is made by taking the initial letters of a series of phrases that form a complete sentence, which then becomes a trademarked word.

Acronyms often get shortened without having any real meaning. It can be hard for people to remember them if they don’t have a clear meaning.

If you want people to associate your company name with something meaningful, then you should ensure that your acronym has an obvious definition for them. Otherwise, they might forget it.

An excellent way to create memorable acronyms is by combining words into one word. For instance, if you combine “Government” and “Employees”, you get “Government Employees”. If you combine “Insurance” and “Company”, you get “Insurance Company.” And so on.

Many businesses these days use acronyms as their brands. However, whether or not it’s a good idea depends on whether it works well for your business.

There are lots of reasons why companies use car-named names for their brands. Here are some of them:

  • Shortened words are easier to memorize than long words
  • The words that the abbreviation consists of can often be understood better than non-abbreviations.
  • It makes you feel important.
  • It’s easy to get social media likes because people don’t usually need to write long posts.
  • It’s easier for people to remember than “the name of the company”
  • An acronym makes the company’s brand distinctive and memorable.
  • You can use the brand as a hashtag when posting pictures and videos related to your business on social media.

3. Misspelled

A slightly different spelling of a word can often result in a completely different meaning. For example, “Google” means searching the web, but “Google” means looking at pictures of cats online.

As long as you don’t use it too often, misspelling your company’s full legal business title is fine. Even if you’re a professional company, you might occasionally misspell your own company’s full legal business titles.

When spelling out names, do not go overboard. Change the original word only enough so that it does not sound ridiculous. Doing otherwise may confuse people who read the name. In addition, if you make changes to the original name, then you must also make similar changes to any other instances of the same name throughout the document.

For instance, an example of a misspelled product name is Blu-Ray, because it misspells the word blue.

The wave of misspellings continues to grow. First came the misspelled brand-named services, then small businesses began to add a couple of extra letters to their brand. And now even bigger corporations are starting to take advantage of this trend.

Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of choosing a deliberately misspelled keyword for your company name.

  • The name stands out from the crowd by creating unique brand recognition.
  • Improves memorability of your name by spelling it correctly.
  • A misspelled name can spark conversations and attract attention.
  • Incorrect spellings sometimes take on their own lives of their own.
  • Spell checkers won’t be enough to get you noticed. You need sensational writing skills
  • Branding techniques help avoid trademark infringement and exploit a “fresh” effect.

4. Alphanumeric

The fourth kind of branding is called alphanumeric. This refers to any company that combines letters and numbers into one word. For instance, if your company sells software products, you could call yourself “Software Solutions.”

You may also choose to include a website address in your business’s marketing materials, such as “www.softwaresolutions.com.” Another option would be to create a logo that includes a letter and a number, such as “S” and “1,” respectively.

A final option would be to simply add a number to your company’s existing branding. For example, if you already sell software solutions, you might consider changing your company’s official slogan to read something along the lines of “We’re #1 Software Solution Provider!”

Like acronyms, alphabetic names can be difficult because they may not mean anything to the customer. If they consist of too many letters, then the customer cannot expect them to remember them.

A good example of an alphanumerical brand is 7Up, which contains both letters and numerals.

Most business owners usually choose to keep the word part of their brands simple and easy to remember, but they may use some cool techniques with numbers and letters to make them more unique.

There are numerous reasons why brands use alphanumeric names instead of just plain English ones. Here is a list for you to consider when deciding whether to go with an alphanumeric name or not.

  • A unique alphanumeric branded name has the advantage of being memorable.
  • Alphanumeric names are much more flexible than descriptive names.
  • Using words and phrases in your brand names can appeal to everyone in an equally diverse audience.
  • It is indeed easy to trademark the name.
  • It will stand out from the crowd so people will notice it easily.

5. Founding

The fifth kind of trademark is “founding.” It happens when the company is named after the founder. This is extremely common, but you might not realize it because it’s so frequent.

Many of the greatest companies in history were founded by people who didn’t want to be famous. You might not realize it, but some of your favorite brand names were actually created by people who wanted to remain anonymous.

If you’re naming a company after yourself (or your family), be sure the company’s brand isn’t too difficult to spell or say. Names like “John Smith” or “Smith John” aren’t ideal.

An example of a company founded by its founders is Adidas since it was named after the company’s co-founders Adi Dassler and Adolf Herzog.

Naming your business after its founder has several advantages. Here are just a few of them.

  • It’s important for brands to have a unique personality so they can be recognized by consumers.
  • Sets the founders as credible
  • It helps to thank the person who created something.
  • People tend to think of a company associated with its founder’s personal attributes, which helps build trust around the brand.
  • It helps employees to feel connected to the organization and its mission and makes it easier for them to communicate with each other.
  • It helps give a sense of continuity and identify the brand.
  • It makes the branding easier
  • The name identifies the business
  • It allows anyone to use the company’s name and/or reputation.

6. Lexical

A lexical name uses wordplay and is often playful. It’s not professional, but most companies who choose to use them don’t mind this.

A good way to think about lexical brands is by using alliteration to help people remember them easily.

Lexical branding has several advantages.

  • It’s a very catchy brand name.
  • It is a great way to motivate your customer’s audience.
  • It attracts attention in the right sort of way
  • They will remember it because it was memorable.
  • Brand name words tend to be easier to say than generic terms.
  • They lead to greater brand awareness and stronger brand identities.
  • They’re short and snappy so they don’t take too long to pronounce or write down.
  • Reduces the risk that someone might sue you for something.
  • It enables word-of-mouth marketing because of its high recall (ability to remember) and high associative (associated with) values.

7. Invented

The seventh type of branding strategy is invented. This happens when a company comes up with their own words for its names. New companies rely on creativity, so why shouldn’t they use their own words?

If you cannot come up with a good name for your business, don’t worry—you can always create one yourself! Fostering creativity within your company is an important part of running a successful business, and this is evident when you look at some of the most creative brands out there today.

Pay attention to the pronunciation and meaning of your made-up words so that you can avoid making mistakes when using them.

For example, when Pixar came into existence, there was no such thing as “Pixar”. It had to be created by combining two words together.

As long as you’re not doing anything illegal, there are many advantages to choosing an invented term as a company’s brand.

  • It gives your business an identity that makes people want to know more about it.
  • Make it easy for people to find your site using Google searches.
  • Avoid any legal issues by avoiding trademarks.
  • People tend to feel more comfortable buying things if they’re associated with positive concepts (e.g., “inn
  • It is easy to get worldwide attention and is safe for different cultures.
  • The made-up words can be used as a brand name.
  • Words invented by people are less likely than words created by companies to be counterfeited.

8. Descriptive

A descriptive brand name refers to brands whose names describe their products or services.

A common type of product name, because it directly describes what they’re selling to their customers. Eliminates any confusion and benefits both parties.

A good example of a descriptive term is “Bank of America,” which means that they’re a bank.

Descriptive brands are companies’ names that tell right away what they do or who they are. Some business owners have found that descriptive brands are better than arbitrary ones.

We’ll now take a closer look at the advantages of using descriptive brand names.

  • When consumers shop online, they tend to look for descriptive brands.
  • Common, ordinary, plain, straightforward, word-based, and descriptive brands are more recognizable than uncommon or invented brands.
  • A brand gets the benefit of any trend by using its own language.
  • When consumers are able to pronounce your company name correctly, they’re more likely to remember it.
  • The name clearly describes what the company does.

Conclusion: Different types of brand names

You need to think carefully when naming your company because there are basically three different kinds of brands to consider.

There isn’t any way to tell for certain which types of brands work best. However, there are some things you can do to help ensure that your brand names resonate well with people.

We think it would be helpful if you could check out our previous posts for some tips on how to choose a memorable brand name.

You may like to read: Fitness Business Names Ideas That Are Ready to Run

Robby Khattak
Robby Khattak
With a robust journey spanning 15 years in the dynamic world of startups and entrepreneurship, I have navigated the intricate pathways of business creation, development, and management, transforming mere ideas into tangible success. Connect with me if you’re seeking a guide in your entrepreneurial journey or if you have insights, opportunities, or ideas to explore together.

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