How Tech Brands Got Their Names
For too long, I’ve been thinking about testing the creative engines behind four crowdsourcing naming platforms, but have continuously backed down because I was having a hard time spending over $1,000 on a brand name for a fictitious company.
Adam Lang is the founder and editor of Rewind & Capture. He is passionate about creative marketing, design and brand etymology.
Just before you are about to fall asleep, you think of a catchy name for your next venture. You go to choose a domain name, like yourcompanyname.com, and you find that it’s already registered. You shut your laptop, go back to bed and wake up in the morning thinking “what now?”
A veteran of both startups and the enterprise, Chris has a deep track record in developing customer community and evangelist programs for brands such as Adobe, H&R Block and Aruba Networks while holding executive positions at Ant’s Eye View and Edelman Digital, and he was co-founder and CEO at Cerado. He currently lives in the Bay Area with his family.
You ’ve got inspiration, investors, and a prototype—you’re well on your way to taking the world by storm with your new product. Now you need just one more thing: a trademark for your groundbreaking creation. Something that’s memorable, evocative, and, perhaps most importantly, legal.
Gary Alt is an editor and writer based in the Seattle area. For the past several years, he’s focused on editing and writing articles that put a human face on technology and, more recently, about legal issues in everyday life on the Avvo Stories blog. Avvo helps people find and connect with the right lawyer through industry leading content, tools and services.
Early this week, we published a fascinating story behind Warby Parker’s brand name. After months of generating names (2000+) and gathering feedback, the four Founders – Neil Blumenthal, Andrew Hunt, David Gilboa, and Jeffrey Raider – finally agreed on Warby Parker, primarily because no one could associate anything with it, allowing them to control and build their own reputation from day one. [Read more…]
Adam Lang is the founder and editor of Rewind & Capture. He is passionate about creative marketing, design and brand etymology.
I’ll just come out and say it, there are a lot of unknowns when starting a company. Early stage founders are forced to enter unfamiliar territories, make gut instincts and wear multiple hats in order to keep this ship sailing in the right direction. One of these early obstacles is coming up with memorable brand name. And while choosing a business name may come easy for some, for most, it can be a lingering headache.
Annelise Schoups is a contributor at Rewind & Capture. With a degree in journalism, experience in public relations, and an education in travel, she is passionate about cultivating knowledge and storytelling.