PixelSpoke Lunch and Learn: Shawn Busse of Kinesis discusses company naming strategies.

1. What’s in a Name?
Shawn Busse, CEO

2. 1) “ExpErtisE”
2) Why?
3) DangErs
4) ExamplEs
5) hoW-to
6) surprisE!

3. 1) Qualifications!

4. Published
2x Award
Winner Published
Award
Winner! Published
Award
Winner!
Published

7. 2) Why takE “naming”
sEriously?

8. To puT iT Simply: The FirST job
oF markeTing iS To diSTinguiSh your-
SelF From The compeTiTion. ThaT
meanS doing SomeThing diFFerenT.
don’T pick a name ThaT makeS you
one oF The TreeS in The ForeST and
Then Spend The reST oF your markeT-
ing budgeT Trying To STand ouT.

9. Reasoning...

10. 1) WE’rE nEW!
2) BaD history
3) signalling
4) oWnErship Ego
5) olD paraDigms (aaa
plumBing)
6) inhErEtED
thoughtlEssnEss

11. Bad ideas aRen’t always
fixed...

12. BenQ?
Qisda?

13. 3) DangEr! Do not try
this at homE

14. iF i can Talk, Then i can name companieS!
“sign me
up!”
clienT’S
percepTion
oF Value
“pocket
chAnge”
“drAwing “Anybody cAn open
is hArd!” A dictionAry”
clienT FamiliariTy
wiTh ouTpuT

15. 4) ExamplEs

16. bogumil, holzgang, & harriS, pc
inTegraTed joinT SpecialiSTS
delap, whiTe, caldwell, & croy

17. or...

19. A Quick Tutorial...

20. FUNcTioNAL NAMES: The lowest
common denominator of names,
usually either named after a person,
purely descriptive of what the
company or product does, or a pre- or
suffixed reference to functionality.
(infoseek, LookSmart)

21. iNvENTED NAMES: “invented” as in
a made-up name (Acquient, Agilent,
Alliant, Google, oreo) or a non-English
name that is not widely known.

22. EXPERiENTiAL NAMES: A direct
connection to something real, a part
of direct human experience. Usually
literal in nature, but presented with a
touch of imagination.
(Netscape, Palm Pilot)

23. EvocATivE NAMES: These names are
designed to evoke the positioning of
a company or product rather than the
goods and services or the experience
of those goods and services. Removed
from direct experience, but relevant –
evoking memories, stories, and many
levels of association. (virgin, Apple,
cracker jack)

24. 5) procEss

25. EXPLoRATIoN
200 50 25 10 3

26. Partnership continuity
Alignment Keystone

27. Theme Exploration
ALLY PARTNERSHIP ENERGIZE
ActuAlly Aegis Salient Anima Lifting
CentrAlly Allied Sapient Boon Lumen
Colleague Caliber Scion Bounty Motiva
Compact Deep Bench Manos Foster Motive
FiscAlly Principal(s) Partisan Fusion Spira
StrategAlly TacticAlly Kindle Versa
StrategicAlly
DIRECTION FRIENDLY HOLISTIC
Arch Accolade Halcyon Absolute LionShare
Bridgeway Amity Handshake Apex Manifold
OnTrack Concordia Harmonia In Sum ROImpact
Polestar Cordant Harmony In Toto Summa
StrategEase Cordia Sympatico
StrateKey Fairing Winsome
Touchstone

28. CONFLUENCE
• Definition: "the converging of
two or more streams"
AFFLUENCE
• Definition: "a flowing toward,
an abundance"

29. fluence
fluence 503.245.0766
9430 SW Coral Street, No. 100
Portland, Or 97223
fluenceportland.com
503.245.0766
9430 SW Coral Street, No. 100
Portland, Or 97223
fluenceportland.com
fluence
MARK HOLZGANG cpa
principal
MHolzgang@fluenceportland.com
phone 503.245.0766
fax 503.245.9510
fluence
503.245.0766
9430 SW Coral Street, No. 100
Portland, Or 97223
fluenceportland.com

30. mentor ass ociat es
503.245.0766
9430 SW Coral Street, No. 100
Portland, Or 97223
503.245.0766 MentorPortland.com
9430 SW Coral Street, No. 100
Portland, Or 97223
MentorPortland.com
traci harris cpa
principal
THarris@mentorportland.com
phone 503.245.0766
fax 503.245.9510
mentor a ssocia t e s
503.245.0766
9430 SW Coral Street, No. 100
Portland, Or 97223
MentorPortland.com

32. 6) Bonus!

33. 10 things that make a
great name...

34. 1. it’s memorable

35. 2. it stands out
amongst your
competitors

36. 3. it isn’t obscure

37. 4. it isn’t generic

38. 5. Shorter is better

39. 6. it describes your
difference

40. 7. it has an available
URL

41. 8. it is not too similar
to competing names

42. 9. it’s positive!

43. 10. it’s pleasant to say
“…that just rolls
off the tongue”

44. Thank You.
Shawn Busse
shawn@kinesisinc.com
@shawnbusse