The following is an edited transcript of my book video Building a Bold Brand Chapter 3: Bold Brands are Everywhere.
Bold brands, great trademarks, memorable logos, and witty slogans are all around us. They can be found anywhere in any field of business.
While it may take less effort or time to come up with a descriptive or common name for a business, such a name is a lost opportunity. Descriptive or common names are much less likely to be original, memorable, talked about or capable of strong legal protection. Searching for a new brand name is difficult, but the extra effort and perseverance is absolutely worthwhile. Even though there may be more brand names in use today than ever before, there are still plenty of great brand names being launched every single day.
If you’re having trouble coming up with your own bold brand name, don’t despair, but don’t settle for an average or bland name. Search for inspiration. While it may not be easy to strike gold when you’re trying to creatively name a brand or product, there are examples all around us every day. In fact, the USPTO records are filled with new filings for creative brand names. And although all may not be approved for registration, they’re all proof of imagination and hard work when these applications are filed
A bold brand name is worth the effort. Bold brand names are more likely to be unique, more likely to be protectable, and much more likely to get approved for registration and have strong legal status, and as a result are generally much easier to enforce if copied. Finally, a bold brand name is much more likely to have the corresponding domain names and social media handles available to register because it is not already out there.
Just as a strong name and a memorable logo are an important part of any brand, a catchy slogan is a powerful tool that can tell consumers more about your brand. The best slogans are fun, memorable, and communicate something important or unique about the brand. Slogans can also be registered and protected as trademarks, just like brand names and logos. For example, our law firm’s slogans include Making trademarks bloom since 1999®, Experience is our trademark. Trademark is our experience.®, and The non-traditional trademark lawyers®. We use these slogans in different types of marketing materials to communicate with potential clients, and they’re very powerful tools.
The key steps in creating, launching, and protecting a new slogan are the same as for a brand name:
- deciding on the message that the slogan should convey to consumers
- brainstorming
- settling on the ideal slogan
- searching the USPTO records and consulting an attorney
- applying to register the slogan with the USPTO
For more, see Bold Brands and Great Trademarks Are Everywhere
