1. Can it be registered?
The first test isn't creative, it's legal. In Mexico, trademarks are registered with IMPI and protected by class (the Nice Classification has 45 classes of goods and services). A perfect name that's already registered in your class isn't an option, it's a problem. If the brand plans to grow abroad, check the USPTO (US) and EUIPO (EU) databases from day one.
2. Can people say it and spell it the first time?
Try the phone test: say the name to someone and ask them to write it down. If they hesitate, you'll lose it in every word-of-mouth referral. Fluency matters more than it seems: in a study published in PNAS (Alter & Oppenheimer, 2006), stocks of companies with easy-to-pronounce names outperformed hard-to-pronounce ones in their first days of trading.
3. What does it mean in other languages and regions?
A name that's neutral in one market can be offensive or ridiculous in another. The classic case is the Mitsubishi Pajero, sold as the Montero in Spanish-speaking countries. Check the name in the languages of your current and future markets, including regional slang.
4. Does it sound like what it promises?
Sounds carry attributes before meaning does. Research on sound symbolism (Klink, 2000; Lowrey & Shrum, 2007) shows certain vowels and consonants are associated with small, light and fast, and others with big, heavy and solid. A luxury brand and a payments app shouldn't sound the same.
5. Is it free online?
Domain (.com and local), Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok handles, and search results. If searching the name brings up another company, a meme or a competitor, you'll pay in advertising for the confusion you didn't solve in naming.
The decision
No name wins all five tests outright. The work is knowing which trade-off you can accept (a prefixed domain, for example) and which you can't (a conflicting registration). Choosing a name is a strategic decision, not a matter of taste.
Does your brand need a name, or is it about to change one? Write to us: hola@2hb.com.mx
Sources
- Alter, A. L. & Oppenheimer, D. M. (2006). Predicting short-term stock fluctuations by using processing fluency. PNAS, 103(24).
- Klink, R. R. (2000). Creating brand names with meaning: The use of sound symbolism. Marketing Letters, 11(1).
- Lowrey, T. M. & Shrum, L. J. (2007). Phonetic symbolism and brand name preference. Journal of Consumer Research, 34(3).
- IMPI, Marcanet and the Nice Classification (WIPO).