Global Strategy provides branding, naming, and design services. They help clients create brand names that have emotional impact through their sound and meaning. Certain consonant sounds like "p," "t," and "k" have been shown to make brands more successful. When naming a brand, it's important to consider the intrinsic meanings that different sounds and linguistic elements carry, as these can influence how consumers perceive the brand. Global Strategy's naming experts rely on these hidden layers of meaning to create unique brand names that resonate with consumers.

1. gkBRAND: :Global Strategy. Branding. Naming. Design. Digital Media.
Creating your Brand Naming advantage
SM

2. Emotional naming
The sound of a brand name can make a world of Different sounds have a different feeling-significance;
difference in how the brand is perceived—and how they have a certain meaning and associations in
successful it will be. After taking connotations, themselves. There are also phonetic components of
associations and repetition out of the equation, it is a name that convey "light" or "dark" as well as big or
true that elements of the sound itself carry certain small.
intrinsic reactions.
A study of 200 top brands proved that companies with
A word can sound large or small, strong or weak, even brand names containing what we call "plosives" were
light or dark. Here are a few linguistic tidbits that historically more successful. A "plosive" is a "p," "t"
have proven to be important in the creation and or a "k" sound that causes you to build up air pressure
selection of names for brands. These are not hard and in your mouth and forcefully pronounce the sound.
fast rules, by any means. A brand can transcend these Think of Kodak, or Prozac or Coca-Cola, etc. A A combination of devices can be used in the creation
theories by its implied meaning, such as the friendly- "plosive" makes a noticeable noise and it has been of names that will give brands a head start. Obviously,
sounding "Apple," or by repetition. proven to make a difference. the fit of the name with the object, as in "Bufferin," is
meaningful: 7-Eleven, Diet Pepsi, Kal Kan and Dr.
Don't tell Bill that we're saying Microsoft is not a Prozac is a good example—not only because Pepper are all names that could be used as examples
good name—but that's our opinion. "Micro" equals gkNAMING team members were involved in creating of combinations of component linguistic devices.
small and "soft" is well...soft. Sounds like a dose of it, but also because it's the kind of word that has a
Viagra might help. But through repetition of the name, "plosive" to start; then, with the "z -zzzz-" you start to Look at the components of these names: Compaq,
we know who Microsoft is. build up the force for the final "plosive" "ac!" "Prozac" Burger King, K-Mart, Toyota, Excite, Sprint and Kraft.
is also a unique name in that it makes absolutely no When naming a brand, it's important to know that
Here are a few examples of "sound symbolism." It's reference to the pharmacological components of the new words come to our ears with meanings already
interesting to note that certain sounds, whether made drug. But for Eli Lilly and Co., it has been hugely attached. "Nomen est omen" ("Names are destiny").
by a mouse or a lion; a person speaking Swahili or successful. Note that family names also carry certain feelings.
Spanish, have intrinsic meaning. Just in the way they Take this pair of British brands: Cadbury and Guinness
sound. In a nutshell, "e" sounds, as in "teeny," tend to When a person hears a name for the first time, the as family names. If Mr. Cadbury had been a brewer
be perceived as small. On the other hand, "o," as in name is never neutral. It always carries some feelings and Mr. Guinness a confectioner, we might today be
omega or "a" as in "America" sounds large. It has to or emotional, subliminal reactions because of past drinking Cadbury's stout and eating Guinness,
do with the size of the voice box producing the vowel associations. Names carry certain values and echoes chocolate. Perish the thought.
and how wide the mouth is open. So "i" or "e" are already residing in the mind, both conscious and
smaller sounding than "o" or "a." subconscious. This theory carries over to baby-naming as well.
Certain names tend to build stronger character. But
Other linguistic qualities, including phonetic (sound), that's another story altogether. In conclusion, it's
orthographic (spelling), morphological (structural) important for marketing people to know how the
and semantic devices enter into the sound of a name is going to affect its success in the
brand-naming process as well. marketplace.
At gkNAMING as naming experts, we are always
relying on these hidden layers of meaning as we work
on creating new brand names. The genius of naming
for us is in capturing and shaping the underlying
meanings of sounds, as well as of larger language
elements, to create unique, ownable "sound symbols"
that resonate in consumers' minds.
For your naming consultation call:
Vásken Kalayjian CEO
Westport, CT Office: +1.203.226.8255 ext.16
New York, NY Office: +1.212.687.3099
vkalayjian@gkbrand.com

3. gkNAMING holds a unique position in the branding market, offering specialized brand naming of products, companies, locations and services, alongside
in-depth trademark research, linguistic analysis, translations and marketing research. Ensuring your brand name, coined or otherwise, is available to be
trademarked, easily pronounced in various dialects and free from negative connotations makes gkNAMING an invaluable resource for your next brand
naming project. If you are seeking nothing but the best, then gkNAMING is the company you want to call.
We are ComVort: We are in 170 offices in 140 cities and in 60 countries, employing 7,000 top creative minds in the world. We speak 50
languages, we support 5,000 clients and more than 6,000 brands and with a revenue of $1,1+ billion USD. This all translates into one
successful brand for you! Join the success story.

4. Top 20 elements of a Great Brand Name
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1. A great name make an emotional connection with your customer
2. A great name communicates the essence of your company, its products and services
3. A great name becomes its own advertisement – saving millions of marketing dollars
4. A great name helps you stand out in a crowd
5. A great name communicates volumes about the benefits of your product
6. A great name is unique and ownable – it can survive the most rigorous trademark screening
7. A great name is evocative and exciting
8. A great name transcends geographical boundaries, is culturally appropriate and communicates
effectively across languages
9. A great name is a valuable and tangible asset
10. A great name is one you will never have to explain
11. A great name often emerges from your first instincts – it sometimes is the most obvious choice
12. A great name is often a brand new word – coined to communicate volumes about your product
13. A great name communicates the essence of your company, its products and services
14. A great name makes your engineers as happy as your marketing people
15. A great name is believable–it impresses without overstating
16. A great pharmaceutical name has no potential for confusion with other products, assuring patient safety
17. A great name is short, sharp and smart
18. A great name is easy to remember, spell and pronounce
19. A great name is extensible, capable of expanding as you grow
20. A great name communicates the personality of your products
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For your naming consultation call:
Vásken Kalayjian CEO
Westport, CT Office: +1.203.226.8255 ext.16
New York, NY Office: +1.212.687.3099
vkalayjian@gkbrand.com

5. gkBRAND: :Naming Strategy. Naming. Naming Architecture. Name Testing. Trademark Search. Linguistic Analysis

6. We are a full service brand naming agency offering:
Market Research, Brand Strategy, Positioning, Brand Naming,
P roduct Naming, Company Naming, Location Naming, U R L
creation, Naming Arc h i t e c t u re, Online Testing & Focus
G roups, Tagline Development, Trademark Research,
Linguistic Analysis, Branding and Brand Repositioning,
Brand Simplification and New Product Development.
ComVort: Creating your global Brand advantage
For your naming consultation call:
gkBRAND is a
Vásken Kalayjian CEO ComVo rt Agency
Westport, CT Office: +1.203.226.8255 ext.16 The world’s larg e s t
New York, NY Office: +1.212.687.3099 independent
marketing
vkalayjian@gkbrand.com communications
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