part 2. how not to name a brand : nestle failed on the most important 1st marketing step

there is only one single element in a brand that is forever - the brand name of a product! being forever, it makes sense that work done on this be seen as a first important marketing decision. and yet nestle abdicated this most important first marketing step. rather than thinking about it themselves or hiring professional naming companies, they have asked the audience - the advertising target audience and internet citizens to do their job.


did they expect their audience to be able to appreciate product or formula design and how these should be used in naming a brand? and do they expect their audience to appreciate the importance of differentiation and uniqueness? not to mention memorability?

names of humans differentiate an individual from the rest. when we have more than one child, we make it a point to have unique names so that we don’t confuse one from the other. sometimes, we even look for meanings of names we give our children. at times, we invent names, combine syllables to create unique ones. but the point is we use names not only to differentiate but also to have meanings.

that is also true for brand names. only, the need for such things - uniqueness and meaning are of much more primal importance and cost money. companies launch new brands at great expense and know their importance to their business. new brands add new revenue streams and help ensure a company’s future growth. often, you launch new brands because they see a market opportunity either something that their current portfolio lack or something that is a white space in the market that can be exploited. the point is new product launches are very serious marketing undertakings.


but nestle with their name a brand “promo” is not behaving that way.

we can only assume the nestle brand management team who handle this brand has developed a marketing plan. we can also assume that a lot of thinking and analysis were put on developing the brand strategies. and these strategies come from doing a market analysis, segmentation analysis and extraction of consumer needs and insights. how did the nestle brand management team get their marketing plan approved when they did not have a brand name?

the nestle brand management team developed a product strategy, we have a glimpse of it in their website. and usually this product strategy, plus market analysis, plus consumer needs and insights come into play in thinking of the brand name. did nestle think their advertising and internet audiences have these abilities?

not being able to apply strategic thinking on the most important first step in marketing is the first major failure of nestle on the new product launch of this nameless brand.


to be continued….



nestle’s website: http://givemeaname.ph/