The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding

3 THE LAW OF THE COMMON NAME

 

The kiss of death for an Internet brand is a common name.

The most important marketing decision you can make is what to name the product.

So we said in Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, a book published in 1981. So how does the Internet change the role of the brand name?

In the positioning age, the name was important. In the Internet age, the name is critical.

There’s a reason for that. In pre-Internet days, a brand always had a visual component. While the name was the most important element, the visual also influenced the brand’s purchase. The shape of a Coca-Cola bottle, the colors on a box of Kodak film, the typography of an Intel logotype, the look and location of a McDonald’s restaurant.

The Internet wipes ...