What do the fictitious brand names Fackör, Lemmisaku and Wankadudel have in common? Exactly, they probably wouldn’t manage to break through to English-speaking markets due to their phonetics. The purpose of a linguistic language and name check is to ensure that a product doesn’t have any negative associations or connotations at the international level. To ensure that it is memorable, it should also be easy to pronounce and sound simple.
Name checking for a brand or product is an extremely useful precaution if you want to be represented in several languages and different cultures. Read this report on the topic of brand checking for practical tips, tips worth knowing and insightful examples.
The brand check, the linguistic name check or language check, is an important part of finding a name for a product, a new company name or a service that companies offer. For example, if a product is to be launched worldwide, it is important that it doesn’t have any negative associations or connotations at the international level. To ensure that it is memorable, it should also be easy to pronounce and sound simple in the relevant country. A good brand name helps sell the product, but a bad one…
Before using a new name, we have your brand checked by expert native speakers for associations, linguistic features, etc. Our native speakers live in the respective country and are therefore actively involved in changes to their language and culture. We have developed a special procedure for this check and have built up the corresponding expertise in linguistic assessment over more than 15 years.
The main purpose of a linguistic language and name check is to find out if the name has a negative meaning (swear word, association with war, discrimination, etc.) in an important language. Perhaps you are familiar with the slip-ups with the names for the Mitsubishi “Pajero” car or the Nigerian gas company called “Nigaz”. And global company Procter & Gamble certainly didn’t do itself any favours with its “Vicks” cold ointment – a name that had to be changed to “Wick” in German-speaking countries.
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