Alongside the facts, plenty of myths get repeated about how to create a brand name. To lay out our own approach to the subject, we wanted to make room for these superstitions. There are many ideas about how a brand name should be shaped, and everyone has a “truth” they swear by. One person is fixated on an “O” in the name, another on its meaning, another on its length. Yet, as in so many areas of marketing, what matters most in brand naming is what kind of brand you want to build and what kind of audience you will speak to — and that can break many of the “rules.”
The Shortness Myth
The most prominent brand-naming myth is the belief that a name has to be short. Why should it be short? What is the rationale? Short according to whom? A short name means one thing for a Venezuelan artist named Fernando Enrique Carrillo Roselli, and something quite different for a South Korean, in a country where half the population has a surname shorter than four letters.

For a brand name, the measure of “shortness” by letter and syllable count varies enormously. Past and present, we can point to many brands that break the shortness myth. To recall a few:

  • I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! (31)
  • Head & Shoulders (Written: 16, Spoken: 13)
  • Bang & Olufsen (13)
  • Dolce & Gabbana (15)
  • Arnold Schwarzenegger (21)

A long name may not provide an advantage, and can even create problems in application — it certainly has downsides, such as forcing smaller use in a limited application area. But on the other hand, not every long name is a bad option.
The Meaningfulness Myth
Not every brand name has to be meaningful. We complain that there are no registrable words left in a given language. But every registrable meaningful word brings a very specific meaning with it. Sometimes that is an advantage — but sometimes complete meaninglessness is preferable.

For example, meaningful words struggle to stand out in Google and other search engines, so you may need to invent something. Who could call a meaningless brand name like Häagen-Dazs bad? On the other hand, when you create a name that closely evokes your product area, one day things change; and if your brand’s expansion potential moves beyond that product area, you will need to create a new brand. In short, a brand name does not have to be meaningful. In fact, in some cases a meaningless or merely evocative name is a better option — and it also makes the name more original.
The Surname Myth
None of us can claim that “the era of putting your surname on the brand is over.” Restaurateurs and chefs still put their own names on their brands. Designers, architects, and consultants still use their surnames too. When people form strong bonds with the brand, or when there is such a wish, it is still a good solution. Of course, what the surname is — and the brand’s field of activity and its promise — matters a great deal here. It is true that it is a somewhat traditional method. But it can still work very well.
The “Do Not Use Your Local Alphabet” Myth
Some insist you should never use characters specific to your own language. Yet consider this: the French are good at cosmetics, so including letters specific to French can only give a French brand an advantage. On the other hand, if we look at the clothing and furniture brands that want to draw on Italy’s fame for design, we can again say that local auditory codes provide an advantage. As for the writing and reading challenges that arise from a distinctive alphabet, I believe this: yes, people may perhaps struggle to read a character like our “ş.” But if we reach such a strong point in food and restaurants, names containing our own special characters could become an advantage — just as they are in French. Let the work reach that point first. Brand names can, after all, be given local adaptations.
In Summary
If someone came to you and said, “I’m creating a new shampoo brand, and its name will be ‘Heads and Shoulders,'” you would think you were being made fun of. But once it takes on an identity and lives up to its own name, everything changes. Brand naming does not run on myths and cookie-cutter rules. It is, in itself, a craft.