Opinionated Blog

What struck me about the article had nothing to do with the name itself, but rather the asinine comment from Peter Sealey, Coca-Cola's former chief marketing officer who said " Microsoft should have picked a name that more directly connotes search... it's going to be an enormous expense to create an image for this thing called Bing."

I can't help but wonder what Mr. Sealey would have preferred. Perhaps something like InfoSeek of SearchSoft would have suited him better. The truth is most people gravitate towards names that are descriptive because they "get it" instantly, but those are also the names that are most forgettable. 

There are endless examples of successful companies that violate someone's idea of what a good name should be. As a naming professional, I can tell you that the name is nowhere near as important as the quality and distinctiveness of the offering from that company. As of right now, Bing does not provide much of a reason to switch from Google — at least not one that I know of.

According to Mr. Sealey's logic, there would be no Apple's, Yahoo's or even Google's for that matter. Names need to be memorable instead of descriptive, evocative instead of generic, brave instead of safe. 

So is Bing a good name for a search engine? Sure why not. Can Bing outsmart Google? Let's see. In the meantime, ask yourself what would it take for you to switch and if the name would have any influence on that. 

When I talk to our clients and colleagues about naming, I often warn them about the biggest naming mistake they can make. It has been my experience that when discussing name ideas with a room full of bright, educated and driven people, they will generally gravitate towards a descriptive name because it "says what we do". Although this may seem like good logic at first, it really is flawed. First of all, descriptive names are by definition next to impossible to trademark. Second, they are generic and forgettable—the exact opposite of your brand should be.

One of my core beliefs is that names are made great by having an authentic, compelling and consistent brand promise behind them. My favorite names are those that reflect core values, character and/or positioning of the company in an interesting, not immediately obvious way. I also believe the you need to have balls to do this. The irony being that playing it safe can actually be dangerous for your brand.

So here's the bottom line. Great names can come from anywhere and they do. The real issue is will you know it when you see it. This is the time to be brave. If your name doesn't make you at least a little nervous, keep looking—you're still playing with the obvious.

Feel free to use some of our naming tools for yourself by clicking here.