Naming: Will it play around the world?

“Naming your company or product is one of the most important marketing decisions,” – Marketing 101. This is a non-disputed maxim we all learn in the first year of business school. So, how do companies go about naming themselves and their products in the real world?

It depends. From a round table with friends and family to hiring a branding agency, companies find the route they are most comfortable with. They work through lists, run trademark searches and take votes. They want to make sure their name is easy to pronounce and remember and expresses the essence of the company or product. The result is a name that hopefully does all that and more, and is one that everyone in the organization likes. Happy ending?

Not necessarily. Why? Because you could have another Chevy Nova — a great American car that doesn’t drive in Spanish — on your hands. (Chevy Nova was a total flop in the Spanish speaking countries due to the fact that “No va” means “doesn’t go” in Spanish.) As overused as this example is, it illustrates what kinds of problems companies need to watch for when considering how to expand their markets globally.

So what can we do to prevent our great companies with wonderful products from flopping even before they enter a foreign market?

Here are a few ideas.

First, be aware that a name that uses “play on words” in English, e.g., i2i will most probably lose that when used in another language
(so plan accordingly).

Second, look for words with Latin roots that are consistently present across multiple languages. This will not help in Japan or China, but might be of value if Europe is your market.

Third, conduct a name analysis of several names on your final list before picking THE ONE.

A name analysis should be conducted by professional linguists residing in target countries. The linguist needs to evaluate the cultural appropriateness of the name within the context of their language and country, reviewing the name for:

• Current use of the word or other words close to it.
  
• Ease of pronunciation and retention by the speakers of the language.
  
• Any potential offensive connotations, including sexual, religious or political.
  

For languages using different writing systems, such as Japanese, Chinese or Russian, the analysis should also include alternatives on
presenting the name in the target language. These could include keeping it in English, using the English name with the attached translation in the target language, using the English name and showing the pronunciation in the target language, or creating the target language equivalent of the name.

Will taking these steps guarantee that you won’t have a problem? Not necessarily, but your chances of picking a name that works across countries and languages are much higher this way. The process might add a couple of weeks to your timeline, but you will quickly see potential problems or get a green light to move ahead.