8 brilliant real-world brand names
A selection of eight, great business names
We've brought together eight brilliant brand names, from all sorts of industries.
What do they have in common? The confidence to stand out from their peers:
MONOQI
Monoqi hand picks the best design from around the world, sourcing hard-to-find and limited-edition design products. And its name came about by combining mono (as in singular/unique), and qi (the sound of the word 'key') to create a name that suggests the key an to individual lifestyle. For me, a coincidental rhyme with the word 'monarchy' adds premium character. A distinctive design brand name with a touch of class.
PROPERCORN
I don't need to tell you what this company does. We don't normally like descriptive names, as they tend to be bland. Not this one. Because 'Proper' has the sound of the word 'pop' in it, a whole new familiar-sounding word is created. It's one of those brilliant names that seem obvious, but are VERY hard to come up with.
Visit Propercorn.com >
KIOSKED
A very clever 'audience monetisation platform' that allows publishers to display high quality targeted advertising on their websites. I'm not sure that people would immediately associate the name with the industry (you would be forgiven for thinking it was an outdoor newspaper stand, rather than an advertising display structure), but in this case, it doesn't matter. The name has a likeable quirkiness. So it feels right ...and it looks great.
Visit Kiosked.com >
TIFFANY ROSE
A beautiful, elegant name for this premium maternity wear specialist. The name combines an authentic root (the founder's name is Tiffany) with a subtle metaphor (a rose). In doing so, it cleverly creates an feminine and relevant brand persona. This fashion business name appeals to exactly the target audience. Perfection.
Visit TiffanyRose.com >
ENEVO
This innovative company uses wireless sensors to measure and forecast the fill-level of waste containers, and generates smart collection plans using the most efficient schedules and routes. The result? Up to 50% in direct cost savings. Somehow, without being literal, this energy-efficient concept is encapsulated in 'Enevo'.
Visit Enevo.com >
QUDINI
A name that's simultaneously professional and irreverent. Qudini is a digital queue and appointment management system that allows retailers to better manage their customer’s journey through their online store. So their name makes a clever, discreet reference to what they do, without explaining it. Nice.
Visit Qudini.com >
OKTOPOST
Creating brand engagement is an excellent objective, but tricky to pull off. Here's a great example of how to be engaging, without being silly. For me, the name conjures an image of multi-tasking delivery because of its referencing of an eight-legged creature. This is bang-on; Oktopost manages large scale content distribution to social media and other channels.
Visit Oktopost.com >
MR PORTER
OK, so this one is from the online retail phenomenon par excellence Net-a-Porter, so it's a pretty big player. But what a brilliant example of clever, thoughtful brand extension. By taking the 'porter' they've created an engaging brand persona, and created a separate-but-related brand for male customers.
Visit MrPorter.com >
Inspired brand names, with originality
These disparate companies cover a spectrum of marketplaces, but all have developed an original, catchy brand name. And they all own the perfect .com domain.
As well as being easier to find online, a .com domain provides the opportunity to develop real brand authority, and even 'ownership' of a business name. Serious businesses always own the .com (and if they don't, they really wish they could!).
More important than any practical advantages, these companies all have names that set them apart from their competitors, making them distinctive and easy to remember.
They don't just have business names, they have brand names.
