Case Study: Brand Name + Product Naming System

Context
Seattle’s New Engen asked LORE to name a new SaaS platform it developed to simplify ad testing and give DTC marketers immediate, clear, actionable insights. They needed a powerful name to communicate the platform’s key benefits and cue up a wide and growing range of module names.

Solution
LORE helped New Engen with brand positioning and strategy, focusing in on the power of insight. After a comprehensive name exploration, New Engen selected the name Jove — the omniscient Roman god of the sky and thunder. Building on the expressive idiom “by Jove” we launched with the URL byjove.com and this synergistic naming system for its modules:

Goal Manager by Jove
Learning Planner by Jove
Budget Tracker by Jove
Test Planner by Jove
Ad Builder by Jove
Version Generator by Jove
Creative Explorer by Jove
Spend Optimizer by Jove 

Why It Works
The name Jove resonated with DTC marketers because it was strong, simple, and memorable. And by embracing “by Jove” the company scored two immediate benefits: securing an open URL and reinforcing the proprietary nature of the platform’s many modules. In short, Jove is a powerful brand name made even better by its naming system.

Case Study: Hotel + Restaurant Launch

Context
Idaho’s Schweitzer Mountain Resort partnered with Seattle’s Little Hands of Stone for a creative re-fresh that would draw more Washington residents. A key part of this effort was to name the boutique hotel that would become the centerpiece of its newly re-imagined ski village. They needed a meaningful, memorable, “it could only be Schweitzer” name for the hotel and its restaurant.

Solution
LORE led the hunt for a name that would entice Washingtonians to make the long drive to Schweitzer yet make local Idahoans proud. The sweet spot: an unexpected name that invites discovery, has a sense of story, and is inspired by the history of Schweitzer and the Sandpoint area. SMR ran with the name Humbird — inspired by Humbird Lumber Company, the lifeblood of Sandpoint’s economy and community in the early 1900s.

Impact
Humbird opened during the 2022/2023 winter season to well-deserved fanfare and debuted its restaurant and bar, Crow’s Bench, also named as a tribute to local history. (During the Wild West days, “the Crow’s Bench” was an outdoor spot in Hope, Idaho, where hard-working locals gathered to talk, drink and scuffle with a view of the railtracks below.) The hotel and restaurant are thriving. Their success helped position SMR to sell its resort operations to Alterra in summer, 2023.

Why It Works
Schweitzer Mountain Resort chose names that appeal to both new and existing customers, retaining all that’s good about the beloved brand while defining new territory. The names Humbird and Crow’s Bench threaded a complicated needle, pleasing three distinct constituencies: management, Washington skiers, and locals. The names are intriguing, memorable, and give the hotel and restaurant truly interesting tales to tell.

Case Study: Renaming + Rebranding

Context
Seattle Symphony needed to rename and rebrand SoundBridge, a music education center in Benaroya Hall. They were transforming the space completely — turning it into an immersive, experimental, state-of-the-art performance arts venue. It was a space difficult to describe because nothing like it had been created before.

Solution
LORE led Seattle Symphony through a comprehensive naming exploration, fueled by thoughtful conversations with our clients. Seattle Symphony longed for a name that represented the endless possibilities this new space would provide. They referenced the Tardis from Dr. Who and “Turn it up to 11” from Spinal Tap. They fell in love with the name Octave 9. Why? Because grand pianos span eight octaves. The name Octave 9 communicates that here, even more is possible. More than you’ve ever imagined.

Impact
Seattle Symphony embraced the name Octave 9 wholeheartedly, explaining the depth of its meaning to the public during grand opening events. It resonated. The Seattle Times reported:
“Octave 9, the name of Seattle Symphony’s new performance venue, hints at the sense of potential yet to be tapped: The modern concert grand piano is limited to a standard range below eight octaves. Designed for artists who want to reach for that metaphorical extra octave and beyond, the space has been outfitted with cutting-edge digital acoustic and visual technology.” 

Why It Works
The name Octave 9 gave Seattle Symphony a platform to talk about their new facility — sparking interest and conversations. It’s highly conceptual yet rooted in music. It’s memorable. It’s easy to say and spell. And we got to the best name possible together, through open communication and collaboration.

Three things every naming client should know

I love every aspect of creating brand names — conjuring the one or two words that will work wonders for a company, product or service for years on end. It’s fascinating, important work. But as many naming newbies come to find, it can also be surprisingly complicated. If you’re on the hunt for a new name, here are a few things to keep in mind to help make the process feel smart, sane and successful.

1. Stay open to the possibilities. Everyone longs for love at first sight and it’s natural to say, “I’ll know it when I see it.” But like most business decisions, choosing a brand name is rarely so simple. I liken it to shopping for a home. A great realtor will clarify your criteria, learn your tastes, and show you a lot of smart options. Ideally, you’ll end up with a few fantastic finalists. But they’ll each have their own vibe: the classic brick bungalow, the charming craftsman and the groovy mid-century. How can you know which will be the best choice?

It may help to get a glimpse of your favorite names in action by exploring brand manifestos, taglines or sample ads. You may even want to invest in research. But ultimately, only you can know what’s right for your company and the decision will ALWAYS be a leap of faith — an exercise in trusting your brain and gut, simultaneously. 

In my experience, great ideas can be shockingly easy to dismiss. According to the Nike Museum, Phil Knight was underwhelmed when he saw the “swoosh” icon designed for his shoes but suggested hopefully, “Maybe it will grow on me.” 

2. Pre-screening will save you time and money. Before you get attached to any name candidates, do some legwork. Pre-screening will help you filter out names early on that are a no-go for legal or other reasons. Just know it’s not always cut and dried. For example:

• You may need to research multiple trademark classes even if you’re only filing in one. Say you’re developing software to be used by marketers. You’d file for a trademark in the class that covers software but you’d also need to research trademarked names in the class that covers marketing and advertising agencies. 

• Keep an eye out for trademarked names that feel similar. Sound-alike spellings and iterations such as conjugations or truncated words can be major concerns. For example, you couldn’t trademark a clothing line named Rolf Loren.

• Google the heck out of your name candidates, research URLs options and, yes, check Urban Dictionary. You could discover a company in your industry already using your ideal name in another country. You could come across a distasteful slang reference. Or, heaven forbid, a porn site. (I’ve lost name ideas to all three.)

3. Trademarking is slooooow. Trademarking your name will be essential to protect you from potential legal troubles and safeguard the brand you’re working so hard to build. But there’s just no rushing the federal government. It can take a minimum of six months for your trademark application to be approved, even with zero complications along the way. 

I’ve yet to meet a client with a half year to spare in their schedule. So what are you to do? Work with a savvy IP attorney. They will dive deep into trademark research to hunt down, investigate and consider every conceivable concern with your top name candidate(s). They will be able to advise you on the smartest, surest course of action.

The world needs more great names — sticky, soulful names that bring brands to life and connect with people on multiple levels. I hope these pointers will help you land yours more easily. Godspeed!

LORE's Naming Process

The right name will bring immediate value to your business, distilling the power and promise of your brand, product or service into just one or two words. 

So how do you go about creating a name? How can you objectively know when you've found the one? Naming is complicated but ultimately, it's a discipline: equal parts strategy, creativity, and trademark law. Here's how we'll go about it.

1. NAMING STRATEGY
We’ll develop a crisp, strategic Naming Brief to document your needs and direct our efforts. (You can’t know you’ve hit the bullseye if you haven’t defined it.)

To create it, we’ll clarify why you do what you do and what sets you apart. (Your brand’s DNA is your secret sauce.) We’ll talk about your brand architecture, trademark requirements, language considerations, descriptors, and URL needs. And we’ll discuss the pros and cons of different name styles and creative springboards.

2. CREATION + COLLABORATION
Together, we’ll explore a range of fresh, meaningful name ideas. These aren’t random, AI-generated names. They’re names inspired by what your brand stands for and how it makes people feel. We brainstorm, doodle, chase tangents and link ideas. Every time we come across a powerful idea, we delve deeper.

Pre-screening for potential pitfalls is essential, every step of the way. (You don’t want to fall in love with a name you can’t have.) We’ll perform cursory trademark, URL, and contextual research, removing problematic names from the running.

Name candidates are presented in context, noting their unique strengths. We’ll evaluate names subjectively and objectively, imagining the possibilities. Though every new name can feel strange at first, we’ll challenge you to be brave and extraordinary. You can’t bore a potential customer into liking you.

3. MAKE IT YOURS
It can take another round or two of name exploration and refinement to get you to the next milestone: a shortlist of smart name candidates. Then it's off to your IP attorney for a comprehensive legal analysis and ultimately, trademarking.

It’s much easier to imagine your future with a name if you can get a glimpse of it in action — in a brand manifesto, logo, signage or advertisement. A “proof of concept” exercise can help you see how a name really comes to life, and know in your bones you’ve landed the right one. It will also help you zero in on the tone and messaging that will get your new brand off to a brilliant start.