For over 10 years, we've been creating names for our clients' brands, products, services, programs, and anything else that can be named. There's a method, a process that leads to the best solutions, applied in projects, taught in courses, and tested in workshops. It's always difficult; sometimes we arrive at the approved final name faster, sometimes it takes a little more work. But we get there. And now, faced with the challenge of naming her first child, this naming expert is struggling.
It's that moment when you feel firsthand all the doubts and insecurities the client feels when making a decision: "But is this really it? What if I think of something better later?". It's this sense of uncertainty that puts more pressure on the story, which can be defined as the cost of change, should it occur: "If it's not this, what's the impact of changing?".
When it comes to choosing a name for your child, you can change your mind without much commitment until the moment of registration at the registry office. I recently heard about a mother who spent her entire pregnancy calling her son João Pedro and, at the last minute after birth, registered him as Pablo. We're not judging the indecision, of course, but consider the "cost" for this family of re-educating their entire family and friends about the new name. How many people must have sent affectionate messages to João Pedro before discovering the mistake? Not to mention that no mother wants to hear that "the other name was better" – and there's always something unpleasant with comments like that.
There's a more emotional cost to the change, of course, but it's there. And that cost tends to increase as the name becomes more well-known. While João Pedro, oops!, Pablo probably didn't have much trouble introducing himself correctly to his entire network within a few weeks, a public figure with millions of followers and known throughout Brazil certainly needs a much greater effort to consolidate a name change.
Let's take the case of Gabriel Barbosa, a Flamengo player, for example. A guy who has played for major teams in Brazil and abroad, who is now an idol of the country's largest fan base, and, for that very reason, is constantly in the media. In 2020, he decided to abandon Gabigol, his nickname of many years, for a shorter version, Gabi. And even though the mass media itself "helped" in communicating the change, who actually stopped calling him Gabigol? And this was news in various media outlets, debated on sports programs with the same importance as the games of the week. But sometimes the commentators themselves discredited the change, sometimes they simply ignored the new name. And the Gabi brand didn't take off. At least not yet.
I'm not arguing that brands shouldn't change their names, nor am I trying to discourage potential changes as if they were impossible. But I'm offering a reflection on the importance of conducting this in a conscious and planned way to ensure success. It's not enough to simply put the new name on the back of your shirt – even if it's a shirt seen by millions of people all the time. You need to prepare so that the new name is well-received. How do you do that?
Well, there's no magic formula. But there are some things to keep in mind:
1) Be clear about the reason for the change. What do you gain with the new name? Does it address the problem of the old one? Every naming creation is strategic, so a name change should stem from a strategy. Understand the scenario and context, know your business inside and out, and start thinking about the new name based on clear premises that will truly bring value to your brand in the end.
2) Communicate the change clearly and relevantly. Before announcing the new name to the world, start from the inside out – your internal audience must be aware of and engaged with the brand's new phase. Partners, clients, and your most direct stakeholders must understand the entire strategy you defined in item 1 to better embrace the new name. And, depending on the strategy, it's necessary to make it clear that "the name has changed, but we're still as amazing as ever" or even "we're in a new phase, evolving our business for the better with this new name.".
3) It is essential to map all points of contact to eliminate any trace of the old name. Change anything that's simple and quick to implement now. Prioritize changing anything that will significantly impact your relationship with your audiences as soon as possible. Have a detailed plan so that, by the end of the established transition period, everything has the correct name.
4) Consistently reinforce the new equities in your strategy. Whoever changes their name likely changes their brand, and also gains a new visual and verbal universe aligned with the new moment. A complete package to consolidate consistent communication across all touchpoints.
Speaking of baby clothes, I'm still hoping to make a wise decision, choosing an original name, but not a strange one; easy to say and write, but not overused; immune to bullying and flexible enough to match and adapt to the personality of this little one, who still has no idea of the cost of a change in the future.
