How about some Dead Frog beer?

I am a teetotaler. But I get my kicks by collecting some spirited brand names. I tripped on Old Fart. Now I've discovered Fat Bastard, Glamour Puss, Laughing Stock & Dead Frog. All courtesy A Beer by any other name, a piece by Renee Alexander in Brand Channel. The incentive to read the article is a nice quote from the owner of Dead Frog Beer: Safe is dangerous and dangerous is safe when it comes to naming. Go here to glug the piece.

The Dos & Don'ts of Naming

Put together by a pro named Randal S. Rozin in Brand Channel. Most of what he says is common sense. But since it's backed by experience, you can take his word for it.

The official spiel on 3

3 is the brand name chosen by Hutch for its 3G services launched in 9 countries. If you want to know why they chose 3, go here. Dunno if they can launch 3 in mera bharat mahaan, as I am told, the trademark people in India give you hell when you register numbers. I guess, detergent bar 501 was just plain lucky.

Peugeot's Number Crunching

Peugeot prefers to use numbers rather than names to connote models. Several Indian automobile manufacturers ape its methodology. Here's an article where they explain the logic behind the numbering.

On contextual branding.

A few ounces of common sense extracted from The Naming Newsletter put together by Rivkin & Associates.

If you want a free brand name...

Go to wordlab, a land inhabited by hungry wordsmiths who dish out some decent stuff.

How to name it.

Some useful brand yap from Fast Company: An article titled 'Kool Wordz' kinda says it all on how to conjure up an unforgettable brand name.

A chat about names

Wanna read the most candid discussion on naming issues? Go here. It's worth a read. Especially the bit by Steve Manning of Igor, on why he places wacky options before clients.

When babies are named after brands

Stumbled upon this nice report in the BBC. Makes you think will a baby named Canon be a better copier than the original?

Hypothetical Naming Exercise # 1

If you ask me, the name 'Sulabh Shauchalay' stinks. I think it's too long, too heavy and too sanskritised for a concept like 'public toilets'. Perhaps Mr. Bindeshwari Pathak didn't spend too much time on choosing the right brand name. If he were serious about taking this concept right across India, methinks he needs to re-brand it. I've applied some thought on this subject. Here are my Top 3 royalty-free options:

1. Juntaloo
Derived from Junta (Hindi for public) and Loo (slang for toilet). It's catchy, friendly and distinct. Will work brilliantly in metros. In villages, it might take a little time to get used to. The good part is the dot com domain name is available.

2. Ekyado
Derived from Ek (Hindi for one) + Ya (Hindi for or) + Do (Hindi for two). Even a child will understand what the name connotes. It has a snappy feel and should work almost everywhere in India. What's more, the dot com domain name is available.

3. Sulatrine
Derived from Su (short form for sulabh) and Latrine (public toilet). It may not be as catchy as the other two. But it's self explanatory. More importantly, it's crisper than Sulabh Shauchalay. And of course, the dot com domain name is available.

What do you say Mr. Pathak?

Zune's not yet been trademarked

Markenbusiness has an insightful piece on Microsoft's devious strategy to globally trademark Zune by opting for German registration.

First take on first name branding

Brand Channel ran this article many moons ago. I found it interesting. Left me wondering why this trend didn't catch on globally.

Strawberry is no blackberry

An old article from Wall Street Journal on how sounds help craft better brand names.

Sorry, we can't have an award for brand names.

"We will dish out awards by the dozen for good logos. We will celebrate the creation of clever corporate identities. But we shall steadfastly refuse to reward great brand name coinages. Our reasoning is crystal clear. Any sonofabich can coin a name. There's no science to it. No art. Not even photoshop."
Jury member renowned for being stingy with black pencils.