Using UnCommon Sense to develop your brand name can cost considerably less and provide similar results. We begin with your brand positioning, making sure it is crystal clear. This includes a written description of the intended target for the product, its benefit and reason why (convincing support for the benefit). Early in the process, the new brand's relationship to existing brands and management's expectations also need to be clearly understood. We then seek a very clear understanding of the user and how s/he talks about products in this category (FedEx, for example, came directly from customer vernacular). Even evaluating details like the size of the intended package is important (there's not much space on a Tic Tac package!). This whole process takes 6-8 weeks. Our recommended names (usually 6-8) are prescreened for availability through the United States Patent and Trademark Office database.

In general, brands fall into six distinct categories ("PADPAD"):

Personal Names (Heinz, McDonald's, Amy's, Barbara's Bakery, Hansen's, Ford, Kraft).

Abbreviations (AT&T, CBS, IHOP, AOL, IBM, KFC, FedEx, XP).

Derived Names (Olay, Nivea, Gaiam, Google, Akamai, Sony, Odwalla, Compaq, Starbuck's, Exxon). These are either totally made up or stem from a fairly obscure origin.

Place Names (Oneida, Evian, Cascadian Farms, Monterey Pasta, Calistoga, Bavarian Motor Works)

Adopted Words (Apple, Silk, Amazon, Yahoo, Horizon, Imagine Foods). These are common words used in an uncommon way.

Descriptive Names (Organic Valley, Made In Nature, Friskies, Len's Crafter, U-Haul, Die Hard). These reflect the brand's benefit or offering.

You are introducing a new product and need a new brand name. Or, you discover your existing brands overlap and lack distinct identities. Perhaps both.

You certainly can turn to major brand naming companies (for a fairly complete listing, click_here). We, in fact, are particularly fond of the work done by the company, A Hundred Monkeys. Traditionally, advertising agencies have also provided this service. The going rate today for one brand name with these popular providers is $75,000 or more per name.

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