Business Naming Blog

Names for projects and names for software versions have one thing in common: They are needed regularly, but at long intervals. This means: it is known that a lot of names will be needed. It is not, however, known how many names it will be over the years, or what the exact characteristics of the projects or products will be.

Whether intended or not, the letters of many well known business names can be rearranged so that new meanings emerge. Boeing can be reordered to make Big One, Pringles Chips becomes Crisp Helpings, DreamWorks is Mad Workers, and Toyota's Camry changes to My Car.

A name is the best advertisement of any company or product. It is all the more embarrassing when one makes a severe blunder when choosing a name; since a name change can be complex and also costly. Some companies have nevertheless in the past managed to step out into the public with such embarrassing names that we want to share with you...

If there’s one thing that the economic ups and downs have reminded the world of, it’s that Germany is an industrious, productive nation which supplies companies and consumers across the planet with everything from Mercedes and BMWs to the screws for those little hinges on the door of your mini beer-fridge. And given that Germany is so creative when it comes to making products, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that they’re very good at making product names to match.

It’s pretty easy for a person to figure out when two words rhyme. We simply do it by instinct. There is, of course, an underlying rule that dictates when two words rhyme and when they don’t. We just aren’t conscious of this rule. What is easy for a person is, however, much more complicated for a computer: it must learn to rhyme from the ground up.

Brands are an integral part of our everyday lives. As both consumers and entrepreneurs: we trust in strong brands. Brands facilitate orientation in the market and provide security in a consumerist world. We take a look at the phenomenon of brands and give an overview of the most important facts about their names.

RiM* is now Blackberry*, Kentucky Fried Chicken* became KFC*, and the search engine BackRub* changed its name to Google* years ago. But why do companies actually take the effort to change their carefully constructed brand name in the first place? Let's take a look at the reasons for business name changes - also called renaming.

Advertising agencies are creativity factories. They deliver original ideas, invent new marketing approaches and create unique content. But what about the creativity for their own projects? Are the flagships of agencies, their names, just as clever as the work being delivered to their clients?

China, with its rapid growth and its upper class who are interested in Western brands, is a huge market for international enterprises. Established companies are therefore increasing their efforts to gain a foothold in China. But when translating names into Chinese, one must master some challenges. Here is an overview of the most important requirements for brand names in China.