December 2007

Any stylized graphic treatment of a brand name.

The visual aspects of a brand identity. Compare verbal identity.

Any brand name created by pairing two verbs. The virtue of this type of name is that it immediately lets the consumer how to use certain types of products, but it usually does not make for a very engaging brand. The Playskool Rock ’n Ride rocking horse and the McCormick Bag ’n Seasonroasting bag and seasoning blend are examples of this naming technique.

The verbal aspects of a brand identity. Compare visual identity.

The typestyles characterizing a brand identity.

Any verb which more precisely indicates the manner of doing something. For example, in English, ‘to stroll’ is ‘to walk’, but in a more leisurely manner.

Any brand name or descriptor derived from a place name or other geographic feature. For example, Kyocera, short for Kyoto Ceramics, is named after Kyoto, Japan, and champagne is named after the historic Champagne province of France. The advantage of a carefully chosen topnym is its richness and depth. Many truck and car brands take advantage of the power of a place name: the GMC Denali, the Kia Sedona, the Subaru Outback, the Suzuki Verona, the Toyota Tacoma, etc.

Any brand name derived from the name of an animal. This naming technique is arguably the oldest in existence, taking advantage of the natural human desire to emulate the admirable qualities of the natural world around us. The Ford Mustang sports car and Chicago BearsAmerican football team are two classic examples.

The likelihood that a given brand name will stand out in a length of text, such as a Wall Street Journal article. Many factors can contribute to a word’s textual visibility, including its length, initial letter, and spelling.Xerox is an example of a brand name with high textual visibility. See Discourse Audibility.

Any company name derived from the name of one of that company’s successful products or services. The term technonym was originally applied to the practice in some cultures of renaming a parent after one of his or her children.

Any brand name or descriptor composed of two identical parts; e.g. ‘pawpaw’, ‘yo-yo’, ‘tutu’, and ‘bye-bye’.

Any word to be avoided because it is sacred, politically incorrect, vulgar, or otherwise inappropriate. [Tongan tabu ‘prohibited’]

The tendency for things of great interest to a community to attract a large number of colorful synonyms. Think of the plethora of synonyms many cultures have for money, intoxication, and sex.

Any word having the same or similar meaning as another. In fact, no two words ever have precisely the same connotations. Compare Connotation.

Any brand name which uses one example of its category to stand for the whole. Staples, for example, sells a wide variety of office supplies, and the Red Lobster restaurant offers a variety of seafood. Compare Metonym.

Any distinctive, typically non-typographic element of the brand identity which calls to mind the brand as a whole. The Nike swoosh and the Coca-Cola bottle are instantly recognizable symbols of their respective brands. The brand name itself may also be considered a symbol. Compare Brand Identity.

Any brand name which suggests or refers to the good or service in question, but which does not actually describe it. Compare Descriptive Name, Allusive Name, and Metaphoric Mame.

The semantic qualities a given sound or combination of sounds suggests in and of itself. Many linguists have concluded that the high vowel /i/, as in the word ‘pea’, sounds ‘small’ in its connotations and, conversely, that the low vowel /a/, as in ‘father’, sounds ‘large’. There are many exceptions to this general rule, including, ironically, the words ‘big’ and ‘small’ themselves.

The permissible combinations of the phonemes in a given language. While ‘sl-’ (as in the Slurpee slushy soft drink) fits the English sound pattern and is not difficult for an English-speaker to pronunce pronounce, ‘sb-’ (as in the Sbarro mall-based Italian restaurant chain) does not fit the English sound pattern and is therefore considered by English-speakers to be foreign and/or difficult to pronounce. Note that this is not always a negative, as in the case of Sbarro!

The study of the sociological factors involved in the use of language, including differences in gender, race, class, etc. Many linguists, including the linguistics team at Scarcliff-Salvador, have studied the differences in language use between men and women, and the results are often important considerations when it comes to brand naming. Compare Linguistics.

Any element of a compound name which does not normally occur outside of that compound. The ‘cran-’ of ‘cranberry’ is the example typically cited, but Ocean Spray has successfully introduced the Cran•Apple,Cran•Cherry, Cran•Grape, Cran•Mango, Cran•Raspberry,Cran•Strawberry, and Cran•Tangerine juice drinks. Compare Morpheme.

A catch phrase, typically developed in support of a shorter-term product or advertising campaign rather than a longer-term brand-building program. The late 1990’s NBC catch phrase ‘Must See TV’ is an example of a slogan. Compare Catch Phrase, Strap Line, Tag Line, and Brand Line.

The non-standard vocabulary of a given culture or sub-culture, typically consisting of coinages and figures of speech.

A figure of speech in which an explicit comparison is made between two unlike objects via a construction such as like, as, than, similar to, resembles, etc. The former Chevy slogan ‘Like A Rock’ is an example of a simile.

Any brand name whose native pronunciation is difficult for a non-native speaker.

Any brand associated with a service or family of services.

The study of meaning in language, including the relationship between language, thought, and behavior.

The semantic kernel from which a set of words is derived by phonetic, morphemic, and/or semantic change. For example, the semantic kernel of the words ‘black’, ‘blue’, ‘blond’, and ‘blush’ is the Indo-European root *bhel-, which originally referred (several thousand years ago) to the colors seen in a fire. Compare Semantics.

A mnemonic device in which two or more words correspond in sound.

The concrete object or concept symbolized by a brand name. The shared referent of Coca-Cola, Coke, and ‘The Real Thing’ is the Coca-Colabrand soft drink.

Any category name coined in response to the development of a new category name, in order to avoid confusion as the result of a cultural or technological change. In other words, a noun that has been forced to take on an modifier in order to remain meaningful. For example, the terms ‘acoustic guitar’, ‘analog watch’, ‘live performance’, ‘real cream’, ‘snail-mail’ and ‘whole milk’ have been coined in response to the terms ‘electric guitar’, ‘digital watch’, ‘pre-recorded performance’, ‘non-dairy creamer’, and ‘skim milk’, respectively, as retronyms for the nouns ‘guitar’, ‘watch’, ‘performance’, ‘cream’, ‘mail’, and ‘milk’.

Any repetition of syllables within a brand name, such as the initial two syllables of Boboli Italian bread crust. Reduplication is relatively rare within English, but it is a common word formation technique within many other language families, including Malayo-Polynesian.

Any brand which extends across several usually related categories. Gilette’s Oral-B range brand, for example, includes power toothbrushes, manual toothbrushes, whitening products, interdental products, floss, toothpaste, and mouth rinses. A corporate range brand extends across several industries or sectors, either vertically or horizontally. General Electric and Mitsubishi are examples of corporate range brands. Compare Megabrand.

The study of the psychological factors involved in the perception of, and response to, language. One example of psycholinguistic study is the memorability of brand names. Compare Linguistics.

The acquisition by a word of a new meaning under the influence of another word in the same associative field. Compare Associative Field.

A false name adopted to protect a trade secret, and, not coincidentally, to arouse the interest of the target market. Ginger was the pseudonym of the Segway human transporter. Compare Code Name.

Any name capable of being owned and trademarked, as opposed to a descriptive name. Compare Descriptive Name.

Any brand associated with a product or family of products.

Any word or brand name created by the whimsical blending of two or more other words, as found in the works of Lewis Carroll. Snapple, a portmanteau of the English words ‘snap’ and ‘apple’, is a great example of this naming technique. Compare blend.

The proliferation of words sharing a single, ancestral root. For example, the English words ‘aggregate’, ‘congregate’, ‘egregious’, ‘gregarious’, and ‘segregate’ are all derived from the Latin root greg- ‘to flock, to herd’.

The use of multiple names for the same company, product, or service. Also, the use of several words to create one brand name. Compare Poecilonymy.

The use of multiple names for the same company, product, or service. Also, the use of several words to create one brand name. Compare Polyonomy.

Any character or symbol used in place of a word. The now famous @ sign is an example of a phonogram.

A consonant cluster apparently associated with a particular semantic field, but with no distinguishable independent meaning. Some English examples are ‘gl-’, ‘sn-’, and ‘sl-’.

A meaningful sound, the smallest unit of speech which distinguishes one word from another in a given language. In the pair of words ‘bat’ and ‘mat’, for example, the distinguishing sounds /b/ and /m/ are both phonemes.

A figure of speech in which a company, product, or service is given human form. Mr. Clean cleaning products and the Nintendo Game Boygame system are perfect examples of personnification. Compare Eponym.

A semantic shift which results in a less favorable connotation.

Any brand name derived from an actual, fictional, or mythical paternal figure.

A regional dialect. The distinctive dialect of New Orleans is an example of a patois.

The attribution of a human emotion to a product or service. Cheerioscereal is an excellent example of a pathetic fallacy.

Any brand name derived from an understandable word in a foreign language. Many fragrance and cosmetic names take advantage of both the cachet of French and the fact that English and French share a great deal of vocabulary. Trésor perfume, where ‘trésor’ is the French source of the English word ‘treasure’, is a clear example of this brand strategy.

The use in naming of a play on words, including but not limited to punning. L’eggs pantyhose is a good example of paronomasia.

Any brand which lends a portion of its identity and equity to one or more subsidiary brands, most often by sharing its name.

A figure of speech containing an actual or ironic contradiction. ‘Jumbo shrimp’ is an oft-cited example.

The art of spelling.

A string of words which sound the same as another string of words. ‘Ice cream’ is an oronym of ‘I scream’. Compare Homophone.

Having a brand name. Compare Anonymous.

The creation of a brand name or catchphrase that sounds like what it refers to. The ‘Snap! Crackle! Pop!’ of Kellogg’s Rice Krispies puffed rice cereal is a perfect example of onomatopoeia.

The study of names and naming practices.

Any brand name composed of a number or numbers. Pepsi One and Coke Zero are examples of numeronyms.

Any word which denotes a person or thing, an act, or a quality, in contrast to a relational word, which merely expresses a grammatical relationship between notional words. Brand names are typically based upon notional words.

A system of names serving to identify and unite the individual offerings of a company, product line, or service line. General Mills, for example, has a line of cereals based upon the names of monsters: Boo Berry,Count Chocula, Franken Berry, and the sadly departed Fruit Brute andYummy Mummy. Nomenclature is also a more general term for all of the names associated with a company, product, or service, including, but not limited to department names, job titles, feature names, benefit names, ingredient names, flavor names, etc. Compare Nomenclator.

A naming and verbal branding specialist. Compare Nomenclature. [Latin nomenclator ‘name-caller’, a slave whose duty was to announce the names of the people his master met.]

Any word free of any significant taboo in the languages under consideration, meaning that it may be employed without reservation in the creation of a brand name. Compare Taboo Word. [Hawaiian noa ‘free’]

The familiar form of a brand name. The wise company considers its products’ likely nicknames (e.g. Bud for Budweiser, T-bird forThunderbird, and Sunny D for Sunny Delight).

The meaningful connection between the members of a semantic field. An example of nexus is the meaningful connection between the words ‘kitten’, ‘cat’, and ‘feline’.

An abbreviation consisting of the first letters of a phrase, often used in e-mail and instant messaging. IMO ‘in my opinion’ is an example of a netcronym.

The art, science, and craft of coining new brand names.

Any newly and deliberately coined word or name. See Coined Name.

The set of guidelines governing the use of brand names within a given organization. Compare Brand Architecture, Brand Nomenclature, Naming Architecture, Naming Protocol, and Nomenclature.

The set of guidelines governing the development of new brand names within a given organization. Compare Brand Architecture, Brand Nomenclature, Naming Architecture, Naming Standards, and Nomenclature.

The system by which a company’s portfolio of names are organized, including the process of introducing new names and retrofitting acquired names. A well-structured naming architecture will help a company decide, for example, if a new product should employ a proprietary name or descriptive name or if the new name should share a common theme with one of more of the company’s existing products. Even more importantly, a clear, effective naming architecture will help the company’s customers buy its products or services. Compare Brand Architecture, Brand Nomenclature, Naming Protocol, Naming Standards, and Nomenclature.

The art, science, and craft of developing the ideal name to identify a given company, product, service, category, feature, benefit, etc.

The ability of a brand name to trigger a response in the mind of a consumer. The Coca-Cola and Disney brands have extraordinarily high name recognition around the world. Compare Engram and Brand Awareness.

The affectation by one social group of the distinctive linguistic habits of another in order to curry favor with that group. In the United States, a country music singer who adopts a fake southern accent is striking a mucker pose.

Any meaningful linguistic unit which cannot be further subdivided into smaller meaningful parts. In English, the letter ‘s’ in final position (at the end of a word) is a morpheme indicating plurality.

Any brand name consisting of a single word.

A misheard song lyric.

Any word or name created in direct imitation of another word. For example, the word ‘litterbug’ was coined on the analogy of the word ‘jitterbug’.

Any unusually short brand name The Motorola Q mobile device is an excellent example of a micronym.

The substitution of one name for another of similar meaning. Using the term ‘the White House’ to refer to the Executive Branch of the United Sates governement is an example of metonymy.

The literal translation of a phrase from one language into another. Compare Metaname.

Any figure of speech in which one object or concept is likened to another.

The literal translation of a name from one language into another. Compare Metaphrase.

The consumer’s interpretation or analysis of an unfamiliar name, the process of which may include folk etymology, analogy, etc. Compare Folk Etymology and Analogy.

Any word that names a part that belongs to a larger entity. In other words, any word that suggests a part-whole relationship, such as ‘door’ or ‘window’ in ‘house’ or ‘engine’ or ‘steering-wheel’ in ‘car’. Compare Holonym.

Any brand which transcends several categories and prompts consumers to see those categories in a new light. Oprah Winfrey is an example of a metabrand. Compare Megabrand and Range Brand.

Any brand which dominates one or more categories. Compare Metabrand and Range Brand.

Any brand name derived from the name of a real, fictional, or mythical maternal figure. Mrs. Fields is an example of a matronym.

Any distinctive surface quality which distinguishes a name from its ordinary counterpart in the lexicon. A name may be marked graphemically, orthographically, phonemically, morphemically, semantically, syntactically, or in some combination of any or all of these.

The overall sensory impression created by a brand. Apple is known for the distinctive ‘look and feel’ of its products.

The science of language, especially the nature and structure of human speech.

Any language used as a medium of communication between peoples of diverse speech. For example, English is now the lingua franca of Asia, although many varieties of English are spoken there, including Australian English, Hong Kong English, Japanese English, Singaporean English, etc.

Any variation of an existing product or service which shares its parent brand’s key characteristics but which is distinguished by a new benefit (flavor, size, etc.). Compare Parent Brand and Sub Brand.

The inventory of words in a given language, dialect, or idiom. The English lexicon can be found in an complete dictionary. This dictionary is an effort to record the lexicon of branding and naming.

Any brand name created from a poetic, compound metaphor. The name of the Rain Bird Corporation, an American manufacturer of sprinkler systems, contains a kenning for ‘sprinkler’.

The specialized vocabulary or set of idioms shared by a particular profession or sub-culture. The various acronyms and idioms shared by information technology professionals (popularly known as ‘Geekspeak’) is an example of jargon. Compare Idiom.

The use of non-standard spelling to achieve a desired effect or to otherwise distinguish a name. Cingular, for example, is an intentionally altered spelling of the word ‘singular’.

Any brand name which did not exist in the lexicon prior to its creation.Kodak and Oreo are the prime examples of invented names. Compare Fanciful Name and Coined Name.

Any brand name composed of a complete question. An interrogatory sentence is designed to engage the consumer by encouraging him or her to answer the question the name poses. Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? educational software is a perfect example of this approach.

Any brand, typically owned by another company, which is promoted as a key element of a host brand. The “Intel Inside” campaign is a good example of ingredient branding. Compare Host Brand.

Any name formed from first letter or letters of the words in a phrase (IRS, the Internal Revenue Service), the syllables or components of one word (TNT, trinitrotoluene), or a combination of words and syllables (ESP, extrasensory perception) and usually pronounced by spelling out the letters one by one. The few advantages of a commercial acronym are that it may challenge the consumer to ‘solve the puzzle’, as if it were a vanity license plate (TCBY, The Country’s Best Yogurt), or else present the consumer with a prefabricated bit of upscale slang (DKNY, Donna Karan New York and MGD, Miller Genuine Draft). The chief disadvantage of an initialism is that it may be unintelligible and forgettable without a prohibitive investment in advertising. It took James Earl Jones to make“This is CNN” a meaningful phrase. Compare Acronym.

Any brand name which is a complete call to action, often marked with an exclamation point. Microsoft Picture It! personal imaging software is an example of an imperative sentence.

The likelihood that a given brand name will be readily visualized by its intended audience. The name of the computer company Apple lends itself to easy iconicity.

Any medical, healthcare, or pharmaceutical name. [Greek iatros ‘physician’ + onuma ‘name’]

Any brand which promotes as one of its key elements an ingredient brand. Compare Ingredient Brand.