Naming agency

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A naming agency is a service company that selects and suggests terms for its clients for specific purposes. These names can, for example, stand for a model series, a company division or for a complete company. The agency must pay attention to the essential things:

  • The name must be appropriate for the purpose, that is, it must sound like what it describes.
  • The name must not cause irritation in any language in which the new name is used. This can happen when a name is considered offensive, ridiculous, obscene, or hurtful.
  • The name must not already be registered or used in an identical or very similar version in the same product class.

Irritations about wrongly chosen names are not uncommon. Here are some examples:

  • the name Pajero , a range of off-road vehicles from Mitsubishi , means "wanker" in Spanish. Therefore, the model name for Spain and Argentina was subsequently changed to Montero .
  • the name “Nova” of a mid-range Chevrolet car means “doesn't work” in Spanish.
  • in the case of the Toyota model MR2 , the pronunciation in French is similar to the word "eh merdeux" (coll. for "he, (you) snot spoon / shit") resp. "Merde" (swear word: crap, shit).
  • the name Pinto (small car from Ford) is in parts of Brazil a. a. a contemptuous term for the male genitalia

An example of a useful name can be Actros for a truck model series from Mercedes-Benz . On the other hand, the names Avensis and Aventis are problematic because there is a risk of confusion due to the strong similarity. Since one name describes a model series for a car, the other a pharmaceutical company, a specific mix-up is very unlikely. In the worst case, both names are unsuitable, in the best case at least one.

As a rule, the naming agency not only takes on the naming , but also the linguistic and sometimes also the legal verification. That is why it is nowadays common in international as well as national companies to commission a naming agency for such purposes in order to avoid both linguistic and legal complications in advance.

In the creation phase, the naming agency usually creates hundreds of suggestions, most of which are selected personally and, less often, generated from computer programs. From the suggestions, names are then selected in several processes, checked for identity and similarity and finally a selection is presented to the customer.

Web links

literature

  • Schaffer-Suchomel, Joachim: Promotional names made easy: How to find the best names for products, companies and websites: How to find the best names for your products, companies and websites , Redline Verlag, 2010, ISBN 3868810358
  • Samland, Bernd M .: Unmistakable - Name, Claim & Brand , Haufe, 2006, ISBN 3-448-07256-7 (no longer available)
  • Bugdahl, Volker: Brand Name Success Factor , Gabler Verlag, 2005, ISBN 3834900141

See also

Advertising concept , advertising , public relations , public relations , corporate identity