Naming In The News

Brand Name Pronunciation: User-Friendly Words

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Part of a series on the communications industry

User-Friendly Words

Diane Prange, chief linguist for the company Strategic Name Development, says those Greek yogurts on the market — Oikos, Chobani, Fage — will test the best of us. "I know they're supposed to be authentic Greek, but they're very difficult to say," Prange says. "If you can't say it, it's hard to ask for it." And if you can't ask for it, you might not buy it.

Even words that are user-friendly can run into trouble. For example, names that start out as trademarks can become so popular, they end up losing their individuality. Generic words like "granola," "jungle gym," and "moxie" all started out as brands.

In the naming game, the stakes are high. "Your name is a shortcut to your brand, and your brand is your promise," Prange says. But even the naming experts agree: Keeping a promise takes a lot more than a good name.