What Is a Good Brand Name?

Getting a good brand is not easy, because most good combinations of letters have already been
taken. But, if Billy Fuddpuckers and Orville Redenbacher can be successful brand names, then
there is hope for all. Experts have given us several rules-of-thumb to follow and pitfalls to
avoid . Beyond these general principles, there is no end to the specifi c advice given by branding
experts. The branding decision is often very important; it can be botched or brilliant. Consider
some of the poorer brand name choices.
A new high-tech product was named Killer as management thought it would kill the
competition. Needless to say, it did not.
A real misfi re was La Choys Fresh and Lite line of low-fat frozen Chinese entrescritics
thought it might be a feminine hygiene product, or perhaps a beer or soft drink.
By contrast, the Motorola RAZR phone, Apples iPod, and the Swiffer mop from Procter &
Gamble are such popular brands that they have become associated with entire product lines.
Brand Name Pitfalls to Avoid
Not anticipating future uses of the name. A cute name can become irrelevant; a bad name may
be chosen because there was time pressure to make a decision; a regional name becomes a
hindrance as the fi rm goes national or international. Consider US Airways, originally known as
Allegheny Airlines, a name that suggests it should serve the Pittsburgh area only. An acceptable
name in English or some Spanish dialects may be offensive in other Spanishn dialects (the
Toyota Fiera was unsuitable in Puerto Rico where the name means ugly old woman). Even
differences between American, British, and Canadian English need to be considered. A new U.S.made product with the brand name EZ (pronounced easy) would just not sell as well in
either Great Britain or Canada where most readers would pronounce the name e-zed.
Not allocating enough time for the process. This corresponds with the idea of marketing
activities being conducted throughout the product process. The brand name should not be a last
minute rush job, especially if the brand is going to be marketed across multiple countries.
Consider that Procter & Gamble went to the trouble of assigning two different French brand
names for Mr. Clean due to slightly different usage patterns: M. Propre in French Europe, and M.
Net in Quebec.
Choosing the wrong comfort level. A provocative and controversial brand name such as Yahoo!
may be a great strategy, certainly better than a comfortable yet uninspiring name.
Having too many individuals involved in the brand naming decision process . It works better if
a team is assigned that understands brand naming and its consequences, than to let democracy or
consensus rule.
Other pitfalls: Not identifying who the key decision makers are; getting stuck on a brand name
early in the process and, knowingly or not, it is adopted without any objective feedback; not
checking negative meanings in foreign markets, and, of course, not hiring the best patent
attorney.

Brand Equity and Branding Strategies

There is a variety of different branding strategies available, each with pros and cons, and there is
no one-size-fi ts-all solution. In all cases, however, the firm must consider how the branding
strategy will protect and possibly build brand equity. Think of a spectrum of branding strategies.
On one end of the spectrum are businesses that put their corporate name on every product they
make. This is sometimes called an umbrella brand strategy. At Kelloggs, for example, every
cereal carries the word Kelloggs as part of the brand name: Kelloggs Corn Flakes, Kelloggs
Rice Krispies, and so on. The Kelloggs name is synonymous with excellence and quality in
cereal, and the appearance of the company name on a new cereal extends this brand equity to the
new product. In similar fashion, Kraft Foods has dozens of decades-old products that include the
name Kraft in the brand (Kraft Salad Dressing, Kraft Singles), or at least display the Kraft logo
prominently on the package (Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Velveeta). The fi rm will also use
corporate brands other than Kraft to roll out new product. A new nut product will carry the
Planters name, a new pizza will be Di Giorno, and a new coffee is likely to be Maxwell House.
Other examples are Virgin Airlines (which entered many other businesses including publishing,
soft drinks, and cell phones, all under the Virgin name), and Hard Rock Caf (which extended
into Hard Rock Caf Resorts in Asian markets).
Duration of registration
If we are launching a product or new business or trade a logo name or signature is the first thing
to choose to separate from the rest .Registering a trade mark is a legal process provided for
under the trade marks act 1999.Duration of TM is 10 years. This may be renewed for further
period of 10 years on payment of renewal fees.
Infringement and passing off
Breaking of terms of a law agreement. A firm cannot wait too long to enter the market, by which
time the earliest firms to enter have well-established, loyal customer bases and ties to the supply
networks and distribution channels. Furthermore, an incumbent firm may take an innovator to
court over alleged patent, trademark, or copyright infringement; trademark protection is returned.
Passing off action arises when an ungristered trademark is used by a person who is neither the
registered proprietor nor the licensee if the said trade mark in relation to goods or services for
which it is registered. Passing off is a common law tort, which can be used to enforce
unregistered trademark rights. The law of passing off prevents one person from misrepresenting
his goods or services as that of another.