NombrANDWhat was the process that led to these brands foEl cr Renfe?
The client gives us a briefing with the information about the type of train that is going to be launched, the market it is addressed to and the attributes it will have. From that starting point, we write the counter-briefing, where we outline the possible creative lines that may be used at a semantic level. After that, we look for a type of name: evocative, associative, descriptive or abstract. It is now time to meet the client again to check whether the chosen creative line is adequate and fulfills the client’s expectations. If so, the naming specialists start to create.
Who participates in a brand’s choice?
Around 30 specialized creatives take part in the creation of a name; among them we find philologists, linguists, publicists, writers, poets, architects and chemists. Around 3000 names come out of that process, and an internal selection is carried out to save those that better adjust to the ideas transmitted by our client. A list of 300 names is drawn, which will then have to be legally filtered to make sure that the chosen brand has not already been registered.
Names also undergo linguistic controls, mainly when the brands are going to coexist in several languages, to avoid linguistically negative connotations. Again, the list is reduced to 60 names, which are then presented in a visual manner, relating the brand to the train, and from there 15 names are drawn and sent to the client.
Why are Latin roots used so much?
We were seeking features that could be identified with a Spanish product. It did not seem convenient to use names with an Anglo-Saxon root. That leads us to use Latin root or endings, that produce classic evocative names that communicate quality and prestige. We also resort to Latin in search for a code that is different from the daily use of language while not distant from our own. And Latin meets all these requirements.
When it comes to choosing a name, do you follow current trends?
Trends need to be observed, but always sticking to the client company’s briefing.
When do you consider the choice as right?
Throughout the whole process, it is important to have projective and constructive capacity, since a brand is born with the intention of lasting in time and achieving a position of leadership in a future scenario.
We try to find names with a rich semantic trajectory or content that may be used in communication for longer time. That explains the tendency to choose evocative names that suggest things instead of descriptive names that are more limited. And of course names with no negative connotations. From that point, it is all about building as far as marketing, design and communication are concerned. For the process to be complete, both qualitative and quantitative tests need to be carried out.
All these steps should lead to the right choice; however, there is always some sort of controversy with names. A name is air, there is always someone who is not totally sure about it and everybody has an opinion to give.
The name is to be looked at as if it were a prism, from all possible perspectives.
Francesc Arquimbau.
Manager of Nombra (Coleman CBX)
www.nombra.com
