Fifteen years in five minutes: A simple explanation of branding and naming

I worked at several agencies before starting a naming company in 2021. I’ve seen what works, what doesn’t, and I made a different kind of agency based on this experience.

Year after year, I see the same confusion, both at agencies and on the client side. This is natural and expected. I wish I had known this information when I started. Here is a career’s worth of knowledge, in simple terms. This is big picture, but it’s all you really need.

1.  Branding vs. marketing vs. advertising 

• Branding = The foundational ideas about an offering that should last for a long time

• Marketing =  Getting the word out about the offering

• Advertising =  Highlighting a particular aspect of the offering (short or long term, but think of it as “look at me” for 6-12 months)

(It’s always very strange to me when a client hires an advertising agency to make a name. It’s like hiring me to make a commercial. I’m not complaining though because we partner with some wonderful agencies.)

2.  Business strategy vs. brand strategy

Business strategy is “how” we are going to run our business and sell our offering (e.g., Let’s have a factory in Brazil and sell to the Canadian market). Brand strategy is the use of branding elements to articulate an offering in a way that helps deliver on our business goals (position it this way, make a brand here, name this, don’t name that, etc.).

3.  What are the traditional steps of branding, and can they be done in parallel?

Brand platform → brand architecture → naming → messaging (brand communications) → design → implementation → research (can be interjected at several points)

Yes, but it is not advised.

(Anything is possible, but most people need to execute these steps sequentially to properly evaluate the work and be most efficient. I realize it appears “longer,” but you would be surprised how much “longer” (and expensive) it is when you don’t take the proper steps. The same rules apply to the “acceleration” of projects. Yes, we can absolutely do it, but it’s not ideal and leads to a rushed outcome.)

4.  Who “makes” and “writes” the brand strategy (brand positioning, value proposition, etc.), a strategist or a messaging (brand communications) person?

A strategist should develop the “idea” or “angle” (brand platform, brand positioning, values, voice, etc.) or “benefit” (value proposition) you want to convey by looking at a variety of factors and the competitive white space. What they are developing is a focused, foundational “idea” and the power is in the simple idea itself, not necessarily the glowing language. A messaging person then comes in and “translates” this idea/angle/benefit into a pleasing story with elegant language. It is important to help clients understand what language is internal vs. external. Usually the brand platform is an internal framework that guides external language and design.

(I personally think there should be one “main angle” and 2 – 3 “sub-angles” plus how you want to sound as a brand, and that’s it. I know strategists love the charts that are shaped like houses, but it’s usually too much information (mission, purpose, etc.) for a client to effectively execute. It’s best if the client is judging the “idea” first and the “words second” so we can align on the core concept to convey, and then we convey it.    

Yes, strategists have been asked to also “translate” the big idea/angle/benefit into nice language. And yes, messaging people have been asked to come up with the idea/angle/benefit AND describe it using the right words. It can be done in a variety of ways, but the first example (strategist makes the idea, messaging person writes about it) is what I’ve seen work best. You probably wouldn’t ask a writer or a namer to determine the positioning either. Yes, we could do it, but as a client, I’m guessing you would want a “strategist” to develop this.)

5.  Brand architecture vs. naming architecture vs. naming strategy

Brand architecture is the relationship of the offerings to each other (how should we organize our portfolio) and how do we want to highlight those offerings to the world (What should we elevate? What should we put money behind, etc.?).

 “Naming architecture” or a “naming system/framework/strategy” is really brand architecture, but it usually comes through the door as a naming exercise and a “creative decision.” It can technically be decided this way, but if we are trying to understand the basic parts of branding, it’s a strategic branding decision based on a business strategy.

(“If” we want to name something (this offering gets to be a brand and gets to have a name) and “how” we want to name it (no name, generic label, descriptive, creative) are strategic decisions. In a perfect world, these decisions are answered by strategists and then naming/messaging/design is brought in to develop the elements.

Yes, I have been asked to develop “naming architecture/strategy,” but I look to my gifted partners to examine a number of factors to determine what gets a name and how to name it. Put another way, would we ask a designer to retroactively determine your brand architecture through color, typeface, etc.?  Probably not.

It’s important for namers, designers, etc. to be the support team on these projects and closely collaborate with the lead strategist.) 

6.  Decision tree vs. guidelines

These are technically “strategic” tools to help make branding decisions. A decision tree (a step-by-step diagram with yes/no questions that directs toward an answer) can help decide what offerings “get to be a brand” and “how” they will be expressed (no name, generic labeling, descriptive, creative, designed, etc.), based on established strategic parameters (e.g., offerings that get X amount of advertising dollars get to be a brand). Guidelines are all the rules surrounding the brand, in written form.

7. What is naming? Is this a job? What do you actually “do”?

When people ask me what I do, I say, “I have a strange job. I name products, services and companies.” Yes, it is a real job. We help clients get through the entire process of naming, understand the world of trademark, and develop thousands and thousands of names. We narrow that big list into a smaller list that makes the most sense with respect to the project. We do a quick preliminary screen (knockout search) on the names to make sure they have a better likelihood of getting a trademark (TM, SM, ®). We then share those ideas with the clients and help them make a decision.

8.  Naming criteria vs. naming directions

Criteria are the parameters for the name (it should complement the brand positioning, it should sound friendly, don’t use the word “yellow,” etc.).

Directions are specific creative paths to explore (look at the world of nature, find metaphors for efficiency, etc.).

(The dirty secret is that naming briefs aren’t actually needed for the reason you think they are. They stifle exploration and allow clients to falsely dismiss names that work in the real world. Also, it’s perfectly ok, as a client, to not know what you want the criteria or direction to be. It’s our job to help you. However, criteria are useful for clients to feel heard and for the deliverable to feel “official.” It’s important to remember that criteria is merely a starting point for exploration. We pre-write criteria for the kickoff and nuance it on the call. It saves a week in the process.)

9.  Research findings vs. final decision making

Research is just one data point, among many. It should not be used to “pick a winner.” It’s the job of a brander to make the final decision based on a variety of factors (strategic objectives, legal concerns, intuition, etc.).

(We should be using research to determine what people believe about the offering once we place a particular word/design on it, and how well it communicates some of the key attributes we care about (3-5 tops, in my opinion). Research helps us understand what a name does well and then we can round out the rest of the story with other brand elements to communicate additional meaning. It shouldn’t be used to tell us “why it’s bad.” I’ve seen SO many ideas die because of one insignificant data point, or the way that terminology has been used to write the reports. You can either build something up, or knock it down, and we should be in the business of positive momentum. It’s best if we use what is found in research as an empowering tool to move forward, and a helpful researcher will translate this data into actionable information vs. flagging “watch-outs.”)

Branding is never black and white. It is a coupling of informed decisions and chance. And to be completely honest, it’s our best guess at what a relevant audience will react to. Therefore, you have to be comfortable with a little gray. The good news is that if you keep it simple and fresh, you should be fine. And we’re here to help you.