What’s in a name? Adding method to the madness

Transcript

1. WHAT’S IN A NAME?
   ADDING METHOD TO THE MADNESS
   Alex Chahin
   Head of Core Rider Product Marketing, Lyft
   

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2. Why is it so hard to
   name products?
   

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6. QUICK POLL
   Have you needed to
   name a product?
   

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7. QUICK POLL
   Do you find product
   naming tricky?
   

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8. Imagine a
   world where...
   you had more time for
   strategic work
   you got faster
   alignment
   naming was less
   daunting
   

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9. NAMING BRIEF
   Easy to pronounce
   Easy shortened version
   English and Spanish versions
   

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10. ALEX
    

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11. We’ve named a lot
    of products
    

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12. TOPICS
    Why & what we name products
    How we name them
    Case studies
    Tips & tricks
    

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13. WHY NAME PRODUCTS
    

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14. WHY NAME PRODUCTS
    Shorthand for what it is
    and the value it provides
    

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15. WHY NAME PRODUCTS
    Good names can make
    your job easier
    

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16. WHY NAME PRODUCTS
    Build equity over time for
    faster recognition
    

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17. WHY NAME PRODUCTS
    Language for customers
    to market on your behalf
    

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18. Picking a word
    should be
    easy, right?
    

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19. QUICK POLL
    How often do you get
    it on the first try?
    

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20. APPLE
    WATCH
    

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21. AIRBNB
    EXPERIENCE
    S
    

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22. INSTAGRAM
    STORIES
    

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23. GOOGLE
    PIXEL
    

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24. Descriptive Branded
    Literal
    Literal description of
    the company,
    product, or service
    (sometimes
    abbreviated)
    America Online
    Bed Bath & Beyond
    Bavarian Motor
    Works
    Benefit
    States the key
    benefit for the
    customer
    Seamless
    KitchenAid
    Best Buy
    Portmanteau
    Combining two
    concepts in a
    resonant way
    Netflix
    Airbnb
    Sephora
    Evocative
    Evokes a feeling
    using metaphor,
    mythology, historical
    figure, and/or
    foreign translation
    Nike
    Alexa
    Lego
    Invented
    Completely
    invented word that
    invokes intrigue and
    appeal
    Dasani
    Haagen-Dazs
    Kodak
    

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25. WHEN TO USE
    DESCRIPTIVE
    WHEN TO USE
    BRANDED
    Fast understanding
    is important
    Less money and time
    available
    Customers faced
    with a lot of choice
    Lasting meaning and
    equity is important
    More money and time
    available
    Customers offered
    fewer products
    

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26. RECAP
    Names are shorthand
    Descriptive to branded
    Strategy for when to use each
    

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27. THE 7 STEPS
    FOR NAMING
    SUCCESS
    

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28. HERE’S THE SITUATION
    You’re the Product Marketing
    lead on a new tourism
    product for locals
    

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29. ?????
    

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30. DESCRIPTIVE
    EXAMPLES
    BRANDED
    EXAMPLES
    Local Tours
    City Experiences
    City Tours
    Urban Excursions
    Explorer
    Atlas
    Columbus
    Aventura
    

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31. ?????
    

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34. LUCKY YOU
    The team is about to launch a
    loyalty program for Voyager,
    and you have to name it
    

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35. STEP 1
    Answer
    upfront
    questions
    Does it even need a
    formal name?
    Should you consider
    descriptive & branded?
    Who’s the final approver
    on this?
    Who is this for, and what do
    you know about them?
    Will you need to do
    research?
    

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36. D A C I
    

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37. D A C I
    DRIVER APPROVER CONTRIBUTORS INFORMED
    

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38. D A C I
    DRIVER APPROVER CONTRIBUTORS INFORMED
    YOU CEO MARKETING
    PRODUCT
    CREATIVE
    DESIGN
    LEGAL
    SUPPORT
    POLICY
    

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39. STEP 2
    Set process
    expectations
    Decide who is going to be
    involved in the process
    Identify timelines & milestones
    (Creative, Legal, Eng, etc.)
    Socialize how the process
    will work with stakeholders
    Acknowledge that it’s an
    emotional process
    Decide how you’ll decide
    (e.g., research, strategy,
    etc.)
    

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40. STEP 3
    Define your
    naming
    principles
    Create parameters for what
    your name needs to achieve
    Consider audience, how people
    should feel, tone to strike
    Consider the places the
    name will appear
    Think about constraints
    (character count, taboo words)
    Make sure final approver
    agrees with principles
    

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41. NAMING PRINCIPLES
    FOR THIS PROJECT
    Be flexible. The structure of the program will evolve over time (e.g., status)
    Convey value. Make it clear users get something meaningful.
    Must be extensible. Name must be effective across a variety of platforms
    (e.g. in-app placements, digital and traditional media).
    Be enduring. Name should be timeless and relevant as the business and
    program benefits evolve.
    Fit in brand. The voice of Voyager is casual and human.
    Be clear. The audience shouldn’t have to work hard to understand what it is.
    

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42. STEP 4
    Brainstorm
    & ideate
    Schedule time with
    cross-functional
    partners
    Decide which brainstorm
    format will work best
    Share key context,
    especially the principles
    Vote on best ones before
    people leave the room
    Use brainstorm output to get
    to your shortlist
    

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43. Descriptive Branded
    Literal
    Literal description of
    the company,
    product, or service
    (sometimes
    abbreviated)
    Loyalty Program
    Rewards
    Club
    Benefit
    States the key
    benefit for the
    customer
    Perks
    Savings
    Value
    Portmanteau
    Combining two
    concepts in a
    resonant way
    Rewerks
    Explorewards
    Evocative
    Evokes a feeling
    using metaphor,
    mythology, historical
    figure, and/or
    foreign translation
    Beyond
    Trove
    Treasure
    Tesoro
    Invented
    Completely
    invented word that
    invokes intrigue and
    appeal
    Avanta
    Valorita
    Gemsy
    

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44. Descriptive Branded
    Literal
    Literal description of
    the company,
    product, or service
    (sometimes
    abbreviated)
    Loyalty Program
    Rewards
    Club
    Benefit
    States the key
    benefit for the
    customer
    Perks
    Savings
    Value
    Portmanteau
    Combining two
    concepts in a
    resonant way
    Rewerks
    Explorewards
    Evocative
    Evokes a feeling
    using metaphor,
    mythology, historical
    figure, and/or
    foreign translation
    Beyond
    Trove
    Treasure
    Tesoro
    Invented
    Completely
    invented word that
    invokes intrigue and
    appeal
    Avanta
    Valorita
    Gemsy
    

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45. STEP 5
    Conduct
    research
    Decide on the right
    measurement approach
    Create product description
    and mock screens
    Include 5-7 names,
    considering mix of types
    Make sure the final approver
    agrees with the shortlist
    Make sure to get quantitative
    and qualitative read
    

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46. Give respondents product description
    and 5-7 names to rank on set attributes
    1
    Give description and rank 5-7 names,
    but pick favorite after seeing design mock
    2
    Only give respondents names, and ask
    them to describe what the think it is
    3
    

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47. Name
    Easy to
    Understand
    Unique
    Likely to
    participate
    Understand
    Needs
    Weighted
    Score
    Overall
    Favorite
    Favorite after
    seeing design
    Voyager
    Rewards
    Voyager
    Club
    Voyager
    Beyond
    Voyager
    Treasure
    Voyager
    Trove
    

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48. Name
    Easy to
    Understand
    Unique
    Likely to
    participate
    Understand
    Needs
    Weighted
    Score
    Overall
    Favorite
    Favorite after
    seeing design
    Voyager
    Rewards
    75% 10% 40% 54% 49% 38% 33%
    Voyager
    Club
    80% 7% 36% 56% 49% 19% 17%
    Voyager
    Beyond
    15% 52% 17% 18% 22% 15% 10%
    Voyager
    Treasure
    15% 42% 18% 22% 21% 18% 26%
    Voyager
    Trove
    23% 21% 20% 25% 22% 10% 15%
    

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49. Name
    Easy to
    Understand
    Unique
    Likely to
    participate
    Understand
    Needs
    Weighted
    Score
    Overall
    Favorite
    Favorite after
    seeing design
    Voyager
    Rewards
    75% 10% 40% 54% 49% 38% 33%
    Voyager
    Club
    80% 7% 36% 56% 49% 19% 17%
    Voyager
    Beyond
    15% 52% 17% 18% 22% 15% 10%
    Voyager
    Treasure
    15% 42% 18% 22% 21% 18% 26% ↑
    Voyager
    Trove
    23% 21% 20% 25% 22% 10% 15% ↑
    

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50. CAVEAT
    If you believe branded is
    the best path, research
    isn’t as useful
    

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51. STEP 6
    Build your
    proposal
    Take the time to make it
    feel real
    Pull together mocks and
    customer quotes
    Conduct a word study to
    pressure test language
    Show your work and the path
    to the recommendation
    Don’t forget key context
    (other products, competition)
    

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53. STEP 7
    Get final
    approval
    Schedule in-person
    review with approver
    Reach out to Legal to vet
    your top choices
    Have a next-best-option
    going in
    Get final sign off and
    move forward
    

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55. RECAP
    1. Answer upfront questions
    2. Set process expectations
    3. Define your naming principles
    4. Brainstorm & ideate
    5. Conduct research
    6. Build your proposal
    7. Get final approval
    

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56. CASE STUDY
    Lyft Line
    Renaming
    

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57. INSIGHT
    Descriptive is
    better for fast
    understanding
    

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58. CASE STUDY
    Subscription
    Naming
    

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59. INSIGHT
    Consider how
    naming makes
    people feel and
    fuels identity
    

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60. CASE STUDY
    New
    Coke
    

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61. INSIGHT
    Naming has
    outsized power
    in framing how
    people think of
    the product
    

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62. IT’S TIME
    FOR SOME
    REAL TALK
    

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63. EXPECTATION
    There’s a perfect name
    out there for my product
    

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65. REALITY
    Names have no meaning
    out of the gate, and
    familiarity leads to liking
    

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66. EXPECTATION
    If I find a strong name,
    leadership will love it
    

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68. REALITY
    So much of the process is
    managing soft skills and
    showing your work
    

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69. EXPECTATION
    People will remember to
    be objective throughout
    the process
    

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71. REALITY
    Naming is an emotional
    process, and people
    bring their own bias to it
    

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72. IF YOU ONLY
    REMEMBER 3 THINGS
    1. Range of names from
    descriptive to branded, but
    skew toward descriptive
    2. Explaining the process is as
    important as the final outcome
    3. Visualize it and make it feel
    real (mocks, quotes, etc.)
    

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73. FINAL POLL
    Did you learn something
    you can use on your next
    naming project?
    

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74. You now have the
    tools to...
    create time for more
    strategic work
    get faster
    alignment
    make naming less
    daunting
    

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77. NOW GO
    AND NAME
    SOMETHING!
    

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78. THANK YOU
    [email protected]
    linkedin.com/in/alexchahin/
    @alex_chahin
    

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