The Making of a Name: The Inside Story of the Brands We Buy

by Steve Rivkin, Fraser Sutherland, Jack Trout (Foreword)

How do brand names differ from other names, and what goes into making a good name great and a bad name ghastly? Knowing this can spell the difference between bankruptcy and marketplace triumph.
In this indispensable guide, the authors share the secrets of successful brand names--how they've indelibly stamped cultures around the world; who makes them; why they're made; and how they're compiled, bought, sold, and protected. The book outlines what kind of names exist--the initialized, descriptive, allusive, and coined. How namers surf on brainwaves. The do's, don'ts, and nevers of naming, how the structure of names is built from the ground up and how their sounds are engineered. Why names symbolize benefits. Where in the world brands may be found, and what will become of them.
Fast-paced, illustration-packed, gazing at the past and probing into the future, this is the definitive book on naming. The Making of A Name is the one book anyone interested in "owned words" must have.

Genres: Nonfiction, Business

275 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2004

Reviews

[JG]

Interesting and at some points entertaining, but the autor wanders too much and the useful information is minimum

[Rogue Reader]

Branding - the symbolism, importance and impact of naming

[Deirdre]

Everything you've ever and never wanted to know about choosing a business or product name and what the effect of the name will have on possible clients or buyers. Interesting but very focused on a specific readership, which wasn't really me.

[Danish Haidar]

good for the ground work to tbe laid on the topic, but not very extensive in it's quotation of sources and hard core research.
good for B-School students who would like to pepper there presentation in class with some knowledge to do them apart from the class.

[Lori Grant]

A should-read book on branding for the knowledge worker, manager, executive, or entrepreneur.

[Susan]

Really good overview + principles on how to name your company or product.

[Josh Stickler]

Useful, but meandering and fluffy.

[Trung Nguyen Dang]

4-stars. Lots of fun history on how the great brand names that we know today came about. It also shows how important a name (unique, easy to remember) is to a success of a company.