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

Tami Oliphant is a Ph.D. candidate in Library and Information Studies at the University of Western Ontario.

If you have ever wondered why you can’t get a brand slogan out of your
head (e.g., “Ho, ho, ho, Green Giant”), or why you purchase the
brands you do, or how companies come up with brand names, this book will
provide plenty of insight. Drawing on linguistic analysis and extensive
naming experience, the authors introduce the reader to the three types
of brand names (descriptive, allusive, and coined), the intensive naming
process, and the people who create brand names.

The authors point out that certain letters and sounds convey different
meanings. For example, the letter “J” implies youth, whereas
femininity is associated with soft “s” and “c” sounds. They also
point out that brand names make or break a company. A particularly funny
chapter outlines an international brand-name faux pas: the Kentucky
Fried Chicken slogan “finger-lickin’ good” in Mandarin translates
into “so good you’ll eat your fingers off.”

Both linguists and business students will learn much from this book.
The writing style is informative but tongue-in-cheek (readers looking
for information about the political and economic aspects of brand naming
will not find that here), and the authors provide plenty of Canadian
examples and case studies (e.g., the owners of the HaidaBucks coffee
shop on the Queen Charlotte Islands were sued by Starbucks for name
infringement before a public relations campaign forced Starbucks to back
down).

Still don’t think that names matter? Pity poor Ethel, Harriet, and
Gertrude, who were rated less attractive by participants in a study on
perceived attractiveness than their counterparts Kathy, Jennifer, and
Christine, once their names were revealed.

Additional resources for readings, extensive appendixes, and an index
round out this fascinating book.