Naming brief

client: Laura Baggaley

brand: New theatre co
job description: Naming brief
version: 1
issued by: Rishi Dastidar
distribution: Laura Baggaley, Graham Smith
date: 1 May 2007

Contents
1. Project outline
2. Details of brief
3. Naming spectrum
4. Some potential names

Project outline
Due to Laura accepting a new job, the scope of the branding project
needs to be split. The majority of the work around brand strategy
and model development, and identity development will need to be
completed by mid-August, in preparation for a grant-matching fund-
raising drive.

It is envisaged that the main communications deliverable for this

fund-raising campaign will be a brochure aimed at commercial
sponsors, introducing the company and its artistic aims.

There is now an urgent need for some key deliverables by the end of
May at the absolute latest, so Laura can begin approaching schools
regarding her first production.

Details of brief
Key deliverables

The key deliverables required by the end of 21st May 2007 are:

• Company name
• Marque
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 • Letterhead template, for use on PC platform/MS Word
• URL
• Email address.

Naming brief guidance

While the brand strategy work has not been completed, Laura is
clear that the roots and driving force of her company are located in
comedy. She’s particularly unapologetic about her focus on and
interest in comedy in all its forms, as a means of illuminating deeper
human truths, especially the simple one that humans are brilliant.

As such the broad area the name of the company should spring from
is that of:

Joy as an animating idea

as these are the sorts of shows that the company will produce.

This does not mean that the name has to be laugh-out loud funny,
or pun-driven, nor that any visual treatment of it should be comic.
Rather we want to stress that comedy is uplifting and positive, open-
ended as it allows for future possibilities.

And while it can be silly, this comedy is not stupid. Another key
phrase to bear in mind therefore is: thinking comedy. The name
should also be aspirational, and forward-looking, delivering a sense
of warmth, and hopefully a smile.

There are some broad themes that we can consider as springboards

for our naming storm:

• Comedy and performance: Famous comedians, jokes,

punchlines, quotes; what makes you laugh?
• Laughter as medicine: laughter heals as well as entertains
• Humour as an emotion: how do you feel when you’re
laughing? What about having the last laugh?

Of course, we should also consider the qualities and properties of

Laura’s name as well.

The aim should be to generate a shortlist of 5-6 names to be

checked, with a clear favourite to be worked up.

Checking and clearance

Once a name has been agreed upon, it will need to be checked to

see whether it is available for us. Given the time and resources
available, a full legal and trademark search will not be possible.

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Even in these circumstances, a more cut-down search is possible,
and should focus on:

• Google and other search engine searches

• Companies House search
• Charities Commission search
• Arts Council search
• Other theatrical funding bodies and sources of info
• Business directories (eg Yellow Pages) search
• URL checks eg is the domain name taken?

If a lawyer can be asked to conduct a pro bono search across a

number of trademark classes, so much the better.

It should be remembered that even if the name is taken, it could still

be used publicly, so long as the sector in which the name is being
used is not too close to theatre and the performing arts. If it cannot
be used publicly, then it may be possible to set up Laura’s company
‘trading as [name]’.

URL recommendations

While it would be ideal to claim as many domain names as possible

to prevent domain-squatting, and capture people who mistype the
web address, this is not realistic in the short term.

As such, investment should go towards the two or three URLs which

will most indicate the nature of the company, and its location. While
the full address can only be determined by the name of the
company, a view can be taken on the suffixes to be used in
registering.

The ideal URL will be:

www.[name].co.uk

followed by

www.[name].org.uk

with

www.[name].org

as a third choice.

We should spend some time as part of the namestorming session

looking at the URLs of other theatre companies to assess their URL
strategies.

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Naming spectrum
As noted in Neil Taylor’s The Name of The Beast,
(http://www.amazon.co.uk/Name-Beast-Process-Products-
Companies/dp/1904879705/ref=sr_1_1/026-4544908-
2491617?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1178032374&sr=1-1), there are
generally four groups into which potential brand names can fall:

• Descriptive names: “it does what it says on the tin,” such as

British Airways, IBM, Carphone Warehouse. These can be both
real and invented, and be full words or initials.
• Image-based names: also known as associative names,
these are about comparing one thing to another – “Lots of
image-based names are essentially metaphors,” and often
want to hint at the qualities and values associated with the
word or object. Examples include Visa and Orange. Again the
words can be real or invented, and can be full words or initials.
• Abstract names: these “have no relation whatsoever to the
product or service they label.” Kodak and Xerox are famous
examples. As empty vessels, these words can be made to
mean exactly what you want.
• Names of provenance: that is to say, either the names of
the founder(s) of the company, or the place where it was
founded. “People’s names are probably the most common
class of name.” To an extent, they act as empty vessels. Rules
of thumbs apply here: one person’s name is middle of the
road; two is posher; three means law firm, four equals
advertising agency.

These categories aren’t discrete. For example you can make up

abstract names from descriptive elements, eg voice, data and
phone in Vodafone.

Two meta-trends it might be worth having the back of our minds are
1) the use of simple English nouns, in preference to obviously made
up words with a scientific sound and lots of vowels – so Goldfish
over Cigalis, for example; 2) the use of numbers with a word, or
even on their own. 3, 26 and7-11 are all powerful names

Bearing in mind sector and broad positioning ground, we should

have a preference for real English words, preferably simple nouns,
with some sort of unexpected twist.

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Some potential names
These following names were generated during two impromptu
sessions, one a meeting with LB and RD on Friday 27 April, and one
by RD on 30 April 2007. At this stage, these should be considered to
go into a potential pot, from which a longlist can be drawn. (That
said, there is one very strong contender here…)

Public credit Laughter lines

Swagger Spoonf
Comic Muse flibbertigibbets
Thalia Theatre A smile for every penny
Frolick Lau.ght.er
Squanderfield bag.gag.e
Strolling actresses dressing in bag gag
a barn Bag of jokes
Strolling company Comedy cookies
Vulgate Carnie
Brainlaugh Punchline
Brainfizz t plus t
Laughstorm laugh in
LBCom laughourama
Comedy tinkr
Medy baaa
Laura’s monkey Being Baggage
Bag Compartment
bagg guffaw
belly ha ha
gut haw haw
belly gut giggle
jellybelly glee club
Falstaff gleecl
Baggage four humours

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