In the concept of positioning of any product, the bullshit name plays a huge role. Universal scientific techniques or linguistic algorithms for developing a product name, unfortunately, do not exist. Generation of the name – namingis of a creative nature and depends on the creative abilities of a person and his experience in this area. But you should not completely abandon the scientific basis for the formation of names either, knowledge of linguistics, etymology and lexicology can be actively used in the process of finding a suitable name for the brand.
What message does a brand name carry? Semantic analysis of a brand name
In October 2003, work was underway to generate names for vodka, in this case for a product in the “small premium” segment. The project involved 346 people, 80% of whom were men. At the end of the project 887 names were developed, which are not only a creative product, but also the main indicator of the expectations of the target audience. Each word used in the name has a certain meaning, caused by a number of stable or random associative series in human consciousness. Semantic analysis of names and determination of associative series help to make a picture of perception of different names and groups of names called “method of component analysis” and “method of field analysis”. Let us consider how to apply these methods on two proposed names “7 feet” and “SADKO”.
“7 feet.”
“7 feet” is a part of the famous idiom “7 feet under the keel”, which according to Ozhegov’s dictionary is a wish for a successful and prosperous voyage. So the idiom is not used in its full form, the name “7 feet” can be a kind of allusion to the idiom and accordingly restore in the consumer’s mind the whole phrase, in addition , behind this idiom is a set of certain behavioral reactions: the sea, sailing, adventure, traditions of the fleet, etc. The name evokes a huge number of associations associated with the sea and marine themes, which is very relevant at the level of the word play “water-vodka”. In this case, the use of the product will cause the following associations: water element, melting dangers and adventures. Thus, this name includes the following components – a wish for good luck and prosperity, nautical traditions, adventures and challenges, cultural allusions, plus wordplay. These components may consist of more complex associative series and semantic fields.
“SADKO”
Of great importance in this name is its graphic appearance, here the Latin alphabet is used, indicating a desire to raise the status of the brand. The brand name “SADKO” contains some internal conflict. Sadko, the name of a hero from Russian folklore, reveals the association “Russian”, something native and relevant for such a product as vodka Since in the consumer’s consciousness: vodka is an indigenous Russian, national alcoholic beverage. The Latin alphabet used in this name is aimed at the alienation of the semantic field “Russian” and its substitution, which causes conflict. In addition, the name “Sadko” carries a number of other associations, such as heroic adventures, fairy tale, the world of the underwater kingdom, music and singing, otherworldliness and adventure.
The two titles discussed above appear to have common components, but at the same time are very different from each other. The names are united by the components of culture, water theme and adventure component. The differences, however, are in emphasizing the specific features inherent to the title in a particular type of representation. “7 Feet.”– is the theme of heroics based on “sea brotherhood”, in “SADKO” – this theme is revealed through Russian folklore flavor, accompanied by the theme of fun and song.
The most significant values and consumer associations for vodka naming
The name of a brand gives the basis for positioning this brand in the market, the more correctly the name is chosen, the higher the probability of success. As semantic analysis of the names “7 feet” and “SADKO” has shown, in the consciousness of each consumer there are certain semantic fields and associative series, some have greater importance, enter the circle of interests, attract and respectively induce to action. Others are less influential. So, which groups of associations are the most significant for the consumer?
1. “Elite” – 24%;
2. “Russian” – 23%;
3. “Male Heroics” – 17%;
4. “Own Name” – 15%;
5. “Formal relationship” – 14%;
6. “Water element” – 13%;
7. “Cold” – 12%;
8. “Another Reality” and “Word Play” – 11% each;
9. “Friendship”, “European”, “adventure”, “color”, “cultural allusion” – 10%;
10. “Novelty”, “emotional sphere” – 9%;
11. “Material well-being” – 8%;
12. “Destiny” – 7%;
13. “Feminine”, “Risk”, “Natural”, “Jewelry” – 6%;
14. “Intellectual”, “Sky”, “History of pre-revolutionary Russia”, “Romantic” – 5%;
15. “State of mind”, “Conversation”, “Kindred”, “World history” – 4%;
16. “Music” – 3%
17. “Fire element”, “Technocratic” – 2%.
In order to make it clearer how to use consumer associations and values in the development of a vodka brand name, I propose to consider the main examples of vodka brands developed under these groups of values.
The semantic field “Russian” – reflects the national culture of the past or present moment (“Black Raven”, “Domovoy”, “Polar Region”, etc.).
“Male heroics” – emphasizes masculinity, endurance and manifestations of strong male character (“John Silver”, “Free Cossack”, “Ace”, “Tsar’s Hunt”, “Uppercut”, etc.)
“Own name”. The name of the vodka in this case will correspond to an already existing name, for example, the name of a mountain range, a city, the name of a hero (“Everest”, “Tsarskoye Selo”, Heracles, etc.). Such names have extensive cultural associations and special value for the consumer, and most importantly are easy to remember.
By “official relations” are meant such spheres of human life as politics, economy, ideas related to statehood, power, division of society into “estates” (“Monarch”, “Diplomat”, “Bonus”, etc.).
“Water element” – the theme of water and the water world or elements close to this theme (“Shore”, “Volga”, “White Dew”, etc.).
“Friendships” include the theme of friendship, brotherhood, camaraderie, associations and companies, and the theme of trust (“Three Comrades,” “Intimate,” “Amigo,” etc.).
“Cold” – themes of cold, winter, ice, snow, indicating the recommended temperature of vodka consumption, and in addition vodka itself as a remedy for cold (“Morozov”, “Cold Fire”, “White Queen”, etc.).
“Other Reality” – names directly or indirectly related to the unreal world, otherworld, myths and fiction (“Atlantis”, “White Magic”, “Golden Fleece” and. etc.).
The “Word Play” group includes various idioms, puns, unusual and original word combinations, allowing the product name to be perceived in a playful form (“Living Water”,
“Alchemist” (alcohol+chemist), “White pour” (pour “white”), etc.).
“Cultural allusion” – in this case, the name of the vodka will evoke in the consumer’s mind some cultural reality (“Zolotnik”, the proverb “small is a goldmine, but dear” immediately comes to mind; “White Square” creates associations with K. Malevich’s painting “Black Square”).
The semantic field “History of pre-revolutionary Russia” is the most common field in which names for vodka brands are developed (“White Guard”, “Veselaya Rus”, “Your Nobility”), the fields “Revolutionary Russia” (“Budyonovka”, “Commander”) and “Soviet Russia” (“Bukharin”, “Bourgeois”, “Activist”) are currently irrelevant.
If you manage to create a name that falls into several semantic fields at once, it will definitely cause a positive response and the results on the success of the name will increase several times.
For example, the name “Third Rome” covers 3 fields at once – “elitist”, “Russian” and “proper name”. In addition, there may be associations from the field of “European” associated with the theme of Rome. It would seem to be an ideal name, but such a name is irrelevant for today. Therefore, when developing a name, it is necessary to take into account the time factor, the target audience, the geography of the brand and much more.
The classification of semantic fields, stereotypes and associations in the consumer’s mind given in the article is the basis for developing a brand name. Further everything depends on the creativity and creativity of the developers. Our team“creatives” will always be happy to help you with name development andchoosing a name for the brand and will answer all your questions. Ask! +38 (057) 760-26-06, +38 (099) 618-87-50
