1. Brainstorm Themes
Step 1 of 8
Brainstorm Creative Themes
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[Thanks. - The Nameloader Team]
Great Names Begin with Great Creative Themes
A creative theme is a unifying image, feeling or idea you want your name to overtly or subtley convey to your target audience. The name “Nike” comes from the creative theme of victory. In Greek mythology, Nike is the goddess of victory. The name Google comes from the creative theme of large numbers. Google is a deliberate misspelling of the word googol. In mathematics, googol is the exponent 10100 - that is, the number 1 followed by one hundred zeros.
Determine your target audience
Before you chose creative themes, determine to whom you want them to appeal. You’re not just naming for yourself, but also for your target audience - the core group of people that will best appreciate, value and buy into your idea. Be specific when determining your target audience. A name that tries to satisfy everyone and their sister may end up appealing to no one.
Let’s say we’re starting a company that sells widgets. (Hey, we had to think of something.) Although a wide range of people use widgets, we narrowed our target audience to professional inventors who need to build large, complex machines. We chose this target because our research shows that inventors themselves make the buying decision for widgets, and that they also put a premium on quality like ours.
Once you’ve determined your target audience, use some or all of the following strategies to brainstorm creative themes. Then, explore your creative themes on the Nameloader Explore Names page.
Creative Inspiration: Personality Traits
You don’t want your name to be cold and lifeless. You want it to have personality. Imagine your company as an actual person that your target audience is meeting for the first time. What first impression do you want to make on your target audience? Here, your answer shouldn’t be about the features or benefits of your brand - just the desired first impression. Here are some examples:
Accommodating, Modest, Seasoned, Proud, Serene, Rebellious, Straight Shooter, Reflective, Thinker, Value Freedom, Accurate, Value Special Rituals, Mr. Status Quo, Warrior, Adventurous, Neurotic, Aggressive, Nurturing, Altruistic, Ambitious, Analytical, Outrageous, Artistic, Passionate, Athletic, People-Oriented, Brilliant, Perfectionist, Calming, Playful, Caring, Powerful, Clown, Detail Oriented, Comfortable, Revolutionary, Competitive, Pure, Confident, Quick, Critical, Relaxed, Disruptive, Demanding, Edgy, Scientific, Efficient, Enthusiastic, Friendly, Sexy, Experimental, Fun, Feared, Growing, Flexible, Happy, Healer, Sophisticated, Helpful, Spiritual, Holistic, Spontaneous, Hunter, Stylish, Idealist, Shy, Imaginative, Tactical, Impulsive, Simple, Take-Charge Attitude, Innovative, Thrifty, Intelligent, Traditional, Intimate, Trickster, Intuitive, Trusting, Laid Back, Value Routines, Liberated, Vibrant, Life Long Learner, Visionary, Manager, Optimistic, Organized, Serious, Protective, Vibrant, Soulfull, Excentic, Conservative, Connected
Tip!
Be realistic when choosing a personality trait. Don’t try and trick your target audience - or yourself - by picking traits that don’t honestly reflect what you’re naming. You want to uphold a level of authenticity about your name.
For our widget company, we were careful to choose personality traits that not only reflected our company, but also appealed to inventors discovering our brand. From the above personality traits, we chose SIMPLE as the first creative theme to explore in Nameloader.
Click here to enter your personality trait as a creative theme into Nameloader
Creative Inspiration: Dramatic Difference
What does your idea do better than the competition? What feature or quality makes your idea unique? Perhaps your idea takes place in a one of a kind permanent location. Maybe you’ve acquired a patent for a unique material or process. Or, your idea may stand out for something simple like high quality or amazing service that may not sound revolutionary - but is dramatically different to your industry or niche. A creative theme based on a dramatic difference that’s unique, but credible will help your name endure against time and competition.
Tip!
Be sure that dramatic difference is something your target audience perceives as a plus. Some buyers are wary of revolutionary bleeding edge ideas. If you believe your target audience isn’t the type to welcome dramatic difference, focus their attention to your brand’s overt benefits (see #3 below).
For our widgets, we have an exclusive worldwide technology patent that makes them indestructable. We know this feature is something our target audience would greatly value and appreciate. From this dramatic difference, we entered INDESTRUCTUCTABLE as our second creative theme into Nameloader.
Click here to enter your dramatic difference as a creative theme in Nameloader
Creative Inspiration: Overt Benefits
Decades of marketing research indicate that audiences are more responsive when ideas are sold as overt benefits. Benefits are not the same as your dramatic difference (#2 above). Dramatic difference describes what your idea can do better than the competition. In contrast, benefits describe how your idea will improve your target audience’s life. So then, what can your target audience expect to gain from buying into your idea? Spell it out for them. Describe how they’ll benefit from your idea, functionally and emotionally.
Functional benefits are tangible rewards your target audience experiences from buying into your idea. Some examples include saving time or money, increasing efficiency or productivity, and eliminating problems or obstacles. Specifically, think of how your idea improves an activity that’s highly valued by your target audience.
Back to our widget company example. From our dramatic difference, we identified that our widgets are indestructable. This unique feature is a functional advantage without the hassles of replacing broken widgets inventors can get their inventions to market more quickly. From this functional benefit, we entered SPEED into Nameloader.
Emotional benefits are intangible rewards gained from buying into your idea. Some examples include self esteem, control, peace of mind, status, fun, freedom and caring. Consider the types of feelings or emotions your target audience is empowered with when using your idea.
Our widget company makes widgets that are indestructable, so they leave the buyer feeling very secure that their inventions won’t break. From this emotional benefit, we entered SECURE into Nameloader.
One last word on benefits. If your idea improves an activity that’s important to you, but not to your target audience - it isn’t a benefit worth exploring.
Click here to enter your overt benefit as a creative theme in Nameloader
