By Amanda Gingras
Director of Account Services

Recently, I met up with our friend Jake, who lives in Monterey and goes to school through the Navy as a submariner. During our visit, Jake decided to test-drive a few sailboats.

As the test crew set sail on a prospective sail boat, we decided to name his new boat. Since I work for a brand naming agency, I listed the attributes of a good brand name generator to get us started. I mentioned that the ideal brand name should be one to three words and three or less syllables. Otherwise, the word will be shortened, much like four syllable city we’re in SAN-FRAN-CIS-CO, for example, was previously shortened to SAN FRAN and ultimately, SF.

I told them the brand name strategy should not include a personal surname. (At this point, I realized I disqualified the name I first suggested-my favorite: “Lady Amanda!”) Moving on, I listed additional attributes.

A brand name should be:

• Positive
• Clear
• Concise
• Memorable
• Proprietary
• URL-able (although this doesn’t really apply to Jake’s new sailboat, it is certainly a viable attribute for companies to consider as the availability of URLs diminishes)
• Pronounceable
• Easy to spell
• Believable
• Differentiating

Just then, someone exclaimed, “Yacht Sea” for a name. It’s a fun play on words; and everyone liked it. It’s clear, concise, memorable, potentially proprietary (we performed no trademark searches while at sea), pronounceable and easy to spell. But does it pass brand naming strategy muster? Although Yacht Sea is a fun name, it really doesn’t differentiate Jake as a submariner who is passionate about sailing.

We then focused our efforts on brand naming that distinguish Jake—something that intrigues others to start up a conversation with him. Finally, at the peak of a lively brainstorm at sea, it hit us. “Knot a Sub.”

Will it float?

Interested in brand naming development? Call a brand naming agency.