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Naming

Names make brands

Companies and products need a name in order to appear on the market. Names form the unchanging core of a brand. Name and tonality contribute significantly to the brand experience of consumers. Names can be developed in a targeted manner on the basis of a brand strategy.

Registration as a trademark in the appropriate classes of goods and services and registers serves to protect the unique selling points under trademark law and lays the foundation for a value-oriented development of your brand.

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Make an appointment, call us at 040 414753-0, or send us an e-mail.


Selected references

Alterric GmbH

The turbine manufacturer Enercon and the energy supplier EWE join forces and establish a joint venture called “Alterric” for project planning and operation of onshore wind energy projects in Europe.

With the artificial word from the name components “all”, terra”, “alternative” and “electric” we have created associations to the positioning “renewable energy for all”.

Stromnetz Hamburg GmbH

“eRound” is the name of Stromnetz Hamburg’s IT backend. With this word creation, we have appropriately combined the terms “e-mobility” and “around”.

This is because the IT backend makes electromobile traffic flow by providing intelligent, networked charging infrastructures in the surrounding area.

SKF Marine GmbH

“Blue Sonic” is the new name for the ballast water management system from SKF Marine, a global manufacturer of marine technology.

We derived the name from the key competitive advantage, as the necessary cleaning of ballast water is done by ultrasound and does not require any chemicals.

Robert Bosch GmbH

Following a strategic realignment of the Classics division, “Bosch Automotive Tradition” is now called “Bosch Classic”.

With the new name, we are expressing the central task of the division, namely to ensure the supply of spare parts for classic vehicles, in the language of the target group in a way that is easy to understand.

Autobahn Tank & Rast Gruppe GmbH & Co. KG

“Foxx” is the name of the low-cost alternative for energy drinks and mineral waters. The Tank + Rast private label developed by us is available at all freeway service stations and for all those who shop “smart”.

SV Group AG

With “Beconic,” we created a brand for employee restaurants for the SV Group gastronomy and hotel management group.

In conjunction with the claim “Your iconic canteen,” the promise is articulated to make the company’s own identity visible and tangible and to increase its appeal.

Nestlé Wagner GmbH

We have appropriately christened Wagner’s pizza, which is pre-baked in a stone oven, “Die Backfrische” (The freshly baked). Because the name promises what the pizza delivers – maximum enjoyment and maximum convenience.

PTS Petereit Services GmbH & Co. KG

“Business Pier” is the name of a recruiting agency focused on young professionals in the digital economy.

We have derived the name from the positioning, because Business Pier should be understood as the first landing stage for the professional entry.

Corpus Culinario e.V.

“Corpus Culinario e.V.” is the association of leading delicatessen merchants in Germany.

We use the Latin word to describe the high standards of our members and their ability to prepare tasty and visually pleasing food.

Firal GmbH

The marketing startup “firal” links referral marketing with the reach of social media channels.

The name is derived from “fire” and “viral” and conveys an explosive gain in reach through the use of the novel marketing tool.

Dock 15 GmbH

“Dock 15” is the name of the new online marketing agency working exclusively for Google in German-speaking countries.

The fantasy name was created in reference to the agency’s location in Hamburg’s Hafencity and targets the creative community.

Nordmann, Rassmann GmbH

For the internationally active chemical distributor, we developed a new strategic orientation under a uniform, global umbrella brand.

“Nordmann” is the brand name under which all companies and holdings will operate in the future due to its high recognition and reputation. The claim “Knowledge in action” expresses in one sentence what the company stands for.

Tribodyn AG

Under the motto “Transforming Agribusiness,” we repositioned the manufacturer of sustainable fertilizers and modernized its appearance.

Part of the realignment is a nomenclature for the product range with maximum synergy.


Our range of services


Naming Concept

Expectant parents can tell you a thing or two about it. When it comes to names, everyone talks and everyone has their own opinion and personal preferences. To make the naming process efficient, we therefore first work out the basics for the creation and evaluation of names and proceed step by step.

  • Kick-Off & Briefing
  • Desktop Research
  • Brand Strategy
  • Research of trademark registrations
  • Verbal Audit
  • Creative Routes

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Kick-Off and Briefing
Developing names efficiently and with focus requires a clear brief. We need to understand what services your brand offers and in which markets it will be active. We need to know the brand strategy and take the needs and preferences of the reference groups decisively into account when developing name proposals. Are there special requirements for the digital presence, which languages can we use or do explicit NO-GOs exist in the creation?

Name
typologies
We distinguish names according to their informational or communication content. Purely descriptive names describe the business activity in a direct form. These generic names are not very differentiating and, due to their low distinctiveness, hardly protectable under trademark law (absolute obstacles to protection according to §8 MarkenG). Associative names communicate via image or symbol. Abstract names (so-called art words) are neologisms. Strategically less limiting, but they do not communicate precisely what they are about.

Evaluation
We analyze the verbal appearance of your competitors with regard to name typologies and linguistic tonality in order to avoid communicative overlaps. Based on the evaluation, we can make conceptual recommendations and set a valid direction for the following creative. Creative routes help us to develop a semantic range of names.

Name Creation

Names can indeed come about by a flash of inspiration and by chance. However, we cannot rely on this. That’s why we develop names in a structured and multi-stage process; in creative sessions with interdisciplinary teams, using proven creative techniques and diverse sources of research and inspiration. In the process, it is important not to narrow down the number of names too early.

  • Naming workshops
  • Corporate names
  • Brand names
  • Product names
  • Nomenclatures
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Name creation
Based on your briefing and creative routes, we first develop semantic word fields. They help us to find suitable terms or syllables that can be used to create names for your brand. The defined requirements for the future name may necessitate a relatively large number of name candidates, especially for international brands. In creative work sessions we develop names together with you, if you want to be actively involved in the name development.

Nomenclatures
Based on the defined brand architecture of your portfolio, we can also develop entire name systems for you. This involves the linguistic design of entire portfolios – especially for line brands that are based on an identical syllable or word component.

Trademark Review

Marketing-relevant and legal aspects are usually the spoilers in the naming process. That’s why, for us, creation and initial reviews of name proposals always go hand in hand. This enables us to identify opportunities and risks at an early stage and to create a basis for the final legal and commercial assessment of our name proposals.

  • Identical trademark research
  • Search engine evaluations
  • Internet top-level domain status queries
  • Regional trademark searches (RISS)
  • Similarity searches
  • Company name searches
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Classes of goods and services
All trademarks are registered in 45 classes of goods and services. Therefore, one or more of these so-called Nice Classes may be relevant for your trademark. Within each class, the goods and economic activity is additionally described in order to narrow down the scope of protection accordingly.

Trademark register
There are several trademark registers which are valid in parallel. In trademark searches, all relevant registers must be checked. In addition to the national trademark registers, there are European Community Trademarks (CTM) of the EU Harmonization Office in Alicante, which are legally binding for all countries of the European Union. Furthermore, there are international trademarks according to the Madrid Agreement for globally operating, worldwide trademarks.

Research
In order to present you with names that are not encumbered by older rights, we carry out initial trademark searches before presenting a name. We check the name candidates for identical hits, i.e. does this name exist in an identical form. In addition, we use search engines and, if desired, can also determine the availability of corresponding Internet top-level domains.

Similarity searches
In a final step, regional (RISS) or worldwide (WISS) similarity searches are recommended to increase security against collisions with third party rights. In corporate naming, a company name search according to the SIC codes of Dun & Bradstreet is also recommended for the identification of commercial register entries. We can coordinate these searches by a professional provider or the recommendation for further prosecution by an experienced trademark attorney. For cost reasons, these searches are only recommended for your favorite names.

Cultural-linguistic Review

Names that, in cultural and linguistic areas unfamiliar to us, have different or even negative meanings are legendary. For international projects, we therefore recommend a cultural-linguistic review of the name favorites. This saves them from big surprises and flops.

  • Linguistic disaster checks
  • Cultural acceptance tests
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Check for linguistic collisions
To identify unwanted meanings in other languages we can perform linguistic disaster checks for you. Especially for languages that require transcription into a different alphabet or character system. Here, native speakers point out cultural-linguistic incompatibilities in the name candidates. With the help of these checks, unpleasant surprises can be avoided.

Cultural acceptance tests
In order to obtain a qualitative assessment of names, we can also conduct cultural acceptance tests for you. In this case, a catalog of questions is compiled, which decisively inquires about and evaluates content-related aspects.

Trademark application and monitoring

Registration and monitoring also belong in the hands of professionals. If you need support in this area, we will be happy to put you in touch with specialist attorneys from our network at an early stage.

  • Trademark application
  • Trademark monitoring
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Trademark registration and monitoring
Trademark registration in the appropriate classes of goods and services and permanent monitoring lay the legally valid foundation for the value-oriented development of your trademark. Both are carried out by an experienced trademark attorney or your own legal department. We are at your disposal to advise you or to help you find the right trademark attorney.

Trademark
You can register your trademark in different forms at the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA) in Munich. It is advantageous to register a word mark, as this allows you to prevent competitors from using the name in question and to achieve a clearly unique linguistic position.

Combined word and figurative mark
In view of the large number of existing trademarks, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find the linguistically attractive gaps. Therefore, registration as a combined word and figurative mark is also possible. In this case, however, only the name in the chosen design is protected, provided that it has sufficient distinctiveness.

Trademark monitoring
In order to defend your trademark rights, continuous monitoring by a trademark attorney is required. The trademark attorney continuously monitors all new registrations – in Germany, for example, published in the Bundesregister – to ensure that no one infringes your trademark rights.

Take the first step. Contact us for an initial Naming consultation.