Avoiding Brand Name Confusion

Adidas, McDonald’s, GEICO – these are just a few of the thousands of successful brand names out there, and they’re shining examples of what every businessperson wants their brand to eventually become. Looking at just these popular brand names, you spot some commonality. For instance, these brand names are unique; they’re not common names you’ll find elsewhere.

Some brands, however, do have very common names, and having a similar name can create a lot of brand confusion as you begin to market your brand to the public. Especially when advertising via social media campaigns, having a common brand name can actually lend help to the competition and steal the spotlight away from you. It’s important to set yourself apart in your branding.

Essential Tips to Avoid Confusion with a Brand Name

Be More Creative Preemptively

If you don’t yet have a business name selected, you should be thinking outside the box and performing a lot of research as to what you want your company to be called. Now, it’s not set in stone that your brand name has to be your business’s name (more on that later), but it does help if you come out of the gate with an original name.

Think about what you’re offering to the public and look for key identifying factors. Think about different aspects of your brand that set it apart in terms of business and then translate that to the name.

Initialism and Acronyms are Your Friends

If you’re attempting to create an electronic distribution business and want to name your company something to the effect of Central Electronics Outlet, then the initials “CEO” would obviously be a weak brand name. But what if you threw another word in there, such as “Louisiana”? The acronym “CLEO” is a brand name far more unique. Of course, the example stated assumes a company coming out of central Louisiana, but you should get the picture here. Use initialism and acronyms to pose as your brand name, but change up the business name to create the final brand.

Buy Your Brand Name

Another way to avoid confusion in the long term is to purchase your brand name and incorporate it into your main website. Unless you actually own your brand name, it’s going to be hard to stand out in a crowd. Even with the best Facebook ads and a premier marketing approach, you may be the lesser of the similar brand names. By purchasing your brand name, you’re staking your claim amongst those with similar names, and as we’ll discuss in the next tip, you’re also staving off future businesses that may want to use it.

Avoid Potential Future Conflict

A savvy potential businessperson is going to follow these same tips for avoiding brand confusion. This means they’re also researching their desired names to compare them against what’s already out there. Obviously, if they see that you have the market cornered with your particular brand, they may think twice before competing against it. So make sure you do corner the market by not only incorporating your name into your main site, but also your Facebook page, your Twitter and LinkedIn pages, and other mediums like blogs, YouTube, etc.

Brand confusion lingers in the middle between commonplace and widespread online. Because there are so many different businesses, many of which operate within similar niches, names are very similar. Even if they’re not exact, a similar name can create a lot of brand confusion. Do whatever is necessary to separate yourself from the pack and to stand alone with your brand name.