Law 12 of The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding.

If you were to look throughout history, you might be lead to believe that some of the most successful brands had generic names. General Electric, National Biscuit Company, National Broadcasting Company and Aluminum Company of America. Funny thing is that those are the names they began with, but it seems that most shifted from those names to specifics: GE, Nabisco, NBC and Alcoa.

How were these brands successful when they first began you might ask? By being the first national biscuit company and first general electric company and other strategies.

A big mistake in picking brand names is that the process is usually visual. Most communication however is verbal, though and this creates the disconnect. You even give meaning to printed words by the sound generated in your mind. So when a graying gentleman hears a commercial for shampoo-in hair color, he might ask himself, "What's the name of that hair coloring product that's just for men?"

What I learned:

The time to sit back in the crowd and hope your product sells itself is over. Create a standout brand.

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