Name Your Product – Part 1

When we're in the mist of working on naming a product, or even a business, our first thought is, "All the great names have been used." When I use the words "great names," I mean names that get immediate acceptance in the minds of the consumer.

The truth is there are many great names still waiting for us.

The key to a memorable name is what image comes to mind of the consumer. Think of Snuggles Fabric Softener. It's been around since the eighties and it's still on the shelf. Who wouldn't want to snuggle into their clothes or bed sheets every day? Then there's Downy. Who wants to downy into their clothes or bed sheets every day? Yes, Snuggles out sells Downy. Proof says it's because of its name.

What are the rules for naming a product? Are there really any rules to follow? Think about the name Google.

Here are some guidelines to help you choose a Snuggle's success.

Offbeat Names

If you would study names like I have over the years, you'll see that offbeat names – names that have no rhyme or reason or connection to the product, you wonder how they "made" it. Take Google for instance. Or Firefox. Many are off beat names. What does Google really mean? Or even Firefox? Even Google's headquarters is called Googleplex. When Larry Page and Sergey Brin named their company in 1998, they were college students at Stanford University. So where did their name come from?

If they choose the name in 2001, the name would be considered a Bushism (a neologism that refers to a number of unconventional words, phrases, pronunciations, malapropisms and semantic errors used by our 43^rd President).

But it wasn't.

Let me take a side trip for a second and share the true story of how the name appeared . . .

Many stories about how the name "Google" came about are incorrect. The real source is from the friends and colleagues from Wing 3B, Gates Computer Science Building, Stanford University, where Google was born.

In 1996, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, called their initial search engine "BackRub." Named for its analysis abilities of the web's "back links." Larry's office was in room 360, Gates CS Building, which he shared with several other graduate students. In 1997, a group was discussing a number of possible new names for the rapidly improving search technology.

Their friend, Sean, recalls the final brainstorming session in September that year.

Sean and Larry were in their office, using the whiteboard, brainstorming names. It had to be something that related to the indexing of an immense amount of data. Sean suggested "googolplex." Larry built from that and said, "Googol." Both words refer to specific large numbers. Sean executed a search on a domain name registry database and misspelled it in the process. He searched "google.com" which he found available. They both liked the name and registered the name "google.com" for himself and Sergey. The domain name registration record date is September 15, 1997).

What you can take away from this, is the fact that you can begin with something, even misspell it, and become a success. If it were called "Googol," instead would it have been a success? It's anybody's guess.

I happen to believe something a little different occurred when he was typing in that name. Maybe you do too.

Tomorrow, I'll continue . . .