Why are brand names important?
The brand name of a product to be launched either directly to foreign markets or globally by means of the internet is particularly important, because the sales process may involve some specific risks. You must be sure that the brand name of your product will have a positive connotation in the target countries. Therefore you will need to know that this name is appropriate for target markets characterized by a variety of languages and cultures. Brand name analysis should be part of your market research and marketing strategy.
Even simple English words used as a brand name or slogan in other markets may cause unintended consequences. They may have a completely different meaning in other languages. The pronunciation of a word or a name can trigger a different perception in another language. It may even be a mockery in a target language. For products to be launched in foreign markets, perceptions about the brand name of the product must be investigated at the initial stage of brand naming. Changing the name after a product is placed on the market can be extremely costly. Therefore, unnecessary risks should not be taken. A short investigation will quickly eliminate possible problems and allow you to look to the future with confidence, as your brand will have been transformed into a positively valued sign in other cultures.
Why is naming difficult?
Naming is one of the most difficult phases of branding. In fact, finding a name for a product is as important as selling it successfully in a large market because:
- Everyone has their own idea about what the name should be, and they tend to believe that the name they propose is the best.
- It has become very difficult to obtain URLs with .com or .org domain extensions for many names.
- Since the names will be used together with the brand slogan, the complexity increases even more.
- When the brand name and the slogan contain the same word or words, it is even more difficult.
- Primary brand name and secondary brand names need to be compatible.
- Different words evoke different meanings for different persons.
- If the brand is aimed at being a global brand, the meaning of the brand name in target countries and languages should be taken into consideration.
- Sometimes the abbreviation of a name may evoke something undesirable.
- It is hard to phrase complex concepts in a few words.
- Previously registered brand names cannot be used.
For about 15 years, we have performed analyses that asses the compatibility of brand names with Turkish language and Turkish culture. Our brand name analysts are linguists whose native language is Turkish. They are highly skilled linguistically, both in the source language and in Turkish. They are not only highly skilled linguistically, both in the source language and in Turkish, but are also specially trained in this field. They hold at least a bachelor’s degree in language fields. They are experienced in marketing and have detailed knowledge about brand names and the significance of brand name analysis.
We research and assess the cultural relevance of your brand or product names and their effects in other countries. Every syllable of candidate names is scrutinized for their positive and negative connotations. We prepare a detailed and confidential report from these analyses. In this report, we include issues such as evoked positive and negative factors, cultural associations, an exact translation of the brand name and the ease or difficulty of its pronunciation. A summary in the results of the investigation is issued along with an analysis that explains the viability of this brand name in the target market. The objective of such a report is to guide you through the brand name selection process during the development stage of an international brand name.
These are the issues we consider in our analyses:
- Is this brand name being used in the target market at the present? If yes, in which sector is it used?
- Is there any similarity between the brand name and other companies, products or services? Which businesses in which sectors use similar names?
- What is the exact translation of the brand name and its similarity to other words in the target language.
- What kind of images does it evoke?
- Does it have any negative or aggressive cultural overtones?
- Does the brand name resemble any slang words or idioms in the target language?
- Can the brand name be pronounced easily?
- Is the brand name memorable?
- What are other factors?