What's in a brand name? Fusion, fruitarian diet and even biological viruses

From cars to fuel to fruity beverages, names play a big role in a brand's life. Is there a science to the process?

It is a new era and that is what Nayara stands for, using a fused word like much of local lingo to convey its intentions, so 'Naya' (new) plus 'Era'.  That is how officials from the Rosneft-owned consortium that now owns Essar Oil explain the logic behind the strange and obscure choice of a name for the fuel. And Bisleri Fonzo, the newly launched fizzy mango drink from Parle, what does that mean? Fonzo is short code for Alphonso, the famed local species of mango, the company said. Not everyone may get it, but the point say experts is that they may not need to, as long as the target audience (say urban youth for a fizzy drink) does, the (usually) expensive exercise could turn out to be a bargain sale.

Names are a critical component of a brand launch and across the world, companies put a lot of time and money into getting it right. Brand consultant Prabhakar Mundkur says, “A name should tell a consumer what the product is and what its major benefit is. And while a lot goes into a name and lot rides on it, a brand name is an easy target. People do not have to understand the business or like the ethics of a brand to like or hate a name and that is precisely why the naming ceremony is usually an elaborate affair (even when it appears that the names have been slapped together in a rush).

The behind-the-scenes flurry of activity that precedes a launch is never evident to the consumer, but companies are known to get their teams in a twist to make sure that every syllable is tested and rolled off as many tongues as can be gathered in focus groups across the country before they put it on their labels. Or sometimes, it is just because a trend catches an owners’ fancy; for instance Steve Jobs told his biographer Walter Isaacson that the Apple name was born out of one of his ‘fruitarian diets’ and that he had just come back from an apple farm and thought the name sounded just right for a computer. Co-founder Steve Wozniak wrote in his book that Steve Jobs had suggested the name when he came back from a visit to an orchard but he feared that they would run into trademark trouble with Apple Records, the Beatles-owned record label. His concerns turned out to be justified; Apple Computer, Inc. was sued by Apple Records over trademark violations in 1989.

Naming agencies, entrepreneurs and branding teams know that it is an impossible game to please all but names are always an easy target and extremely hard to get right. For instance Paytm, according to founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma who has spoken to the media often about his brand name, was the brainchild of his first product manager and it is an abbreviated form of ‘pay through mobile’. Another digital company Bookmyshow came up with a name that was self-explanatory but had to reinforce it with a pneumonic and a logo and thus was born the ticket stub and the acronym BMS. Not always does a self-explanatory name work, for instance Zomato was earlier Foodiebay and way back in 2012 when founder Deepinder Goyal was asked by a business magazine about the rationale behind the name he said that it was simply because it rhymed with tomato!

It is impossible to talk about naming without running into Shakespeare however, but the fact is despite his famous ‘A rose by any other name…’line, names do matter. And that is probably why Essar Oil has said it is seeking approval to change its corporate identity to Nayara Energy to start on a clean slate as it were. A name change was required as Rosneft and a consortium led by Trafigura and UCP became the new owner of Essar Oil last year. The company could have chosen Rosneft as the India brand name, in keeping with the naming tradition in the category. The other two private companies which retail fuel in India do so under their group names-Reliance Industries as ‘Reliance’ and Shell India. But it was not known among the people said an analyst, explaining the need to look for a completely different name.

Bottled water brand Bisleri however is keeping its association with the newly launched drink Fonzo by staying on the label. Ramesh Chauhan, chairman & managing director for Bisleri International explains that Fonzo is derived from the word 'alphonso'. “They are among the most popular variety of mangoes in the country and go into making mango drinks here. So, we thought 'Fonzo' would be an interesting name - it is short, simple and sweet. And reminds the consumer of alphonso mangoes,” he explained.

Not everyone agrees with Chauhan’s point of view. “To me at first glance neither Nayara nor Fonzo mean anything. They don’t give me any hints or cues on what lies behind the brand name. Most modern brands have the positioning embedded in the brand name,” said Mundkur. He quotes Al Ries and Jack Trout in their famous book on positioning to say that “A name is the hook that that hangs the brand in the product ladder in the prospects mind.” For instance toothpaste brand Close-Up and anti-dandruff shampoo Head & Shoulders, he says are good examples of what a brand should be called.

Names play a big role in every sector but perhaps more than most in automobiles and fragrances where perceptions can make or break a relationship. “It has to be contemporary depending on who is buying it and what the mood of the market is. An automobile model is not just for the one buying it, but also for the one who is going to appreciate it. One needs to be careful about the cultural connotation a word may have in different geographies. While choosing a name for a country like India, one needs to bear in mind buying an automobile is seen more as a symbol of having arrived in life,” said Rohit Kumar, Vice President, Automotive research for Kantar IMRB.

Despite the best efforts however, things can go majorly awry in the naming game. Tata Motors, for example, was forced to change its hatchback car model name from Zica to Tiago after the outbreak of the Zica virus. It is another story that the new name has found its mark.

With inputs from Viveat Susan Pinto, Mumbai