4. Three Secrets of Crafting a Powerful Brand Name

Your name is the sweetest sound you hear. Names are important. What if Amazon, Google, and Starbucks went with those original names: Abracadabra. Googol. Cargo House. Spelling counts. Pronunciation counts. Positive associations count. Making a mistake can be as bad as selling the Ford Pinto in Brazil, which in Brazilian Portuguese describes diminutive male genetalia. Or when Clairol tries to sell "Clairol Mist" in Germany? In German, "Mist" is "manure." Creating a name isn't just about understanding your product, it's about thinking about how your product will be understood.