Over the last decade, the renewable-energy and sustainability industries have
experienced huge growth and demand. Environmental concerns regarding fossil
fuels,
urbanization, and responsible, equitable economic growth have contributed to the rise — coupled with
increased
legislation
and consumer
demand
for brands committed to making positive social and environment impacts. As this
demand continues, we will continue to see an influx of new brands starting out
and securing venture capital that are focused on sustainability and clean
energy.
New brands in this space should take the time to develop one of their most
important brand assets — their name. After all, nothing will be used longer or
more often than your brand or product name. Brand names must capture your
audience’s attention, communicate your brand story, reflect your values, and
transcend global boundaries. Not only that — it must also be able to clear the
necessary legal hurdles, which are more difficult now than ever, to get a
trademarked name. Sustainability-focused brands are also in the unique position
of not only highlighting what they currently do but also conveying a future
promise of a sustainable world ahead. The brand name needs to convey optimism
and longevity — and most importantly, help build trust with potentially
skeptical consumers.
Many brands in this space have launched or branded themselves to include
nature-centric names or include terms such as “eco” or “green” in their
identity. While you can easily imply sustainability by putting “eco” or “carbon”
next to a name, that will be tired and outdated within the next year and does
little to differentiate or become memorable.
Think of the name as a vessel that can carry your brand story into the
marketplace. Truly iconic brand names are those that stick in our head and make
you think. This is why we counsel brands to think of their naming process as
more of a strategic exercise coupled with creativity and rooted in linguistics.
Sometimes, the result is a name that has some risk and challenges you. For
example, take Impossible Foods: The company,
initially called Maraxi, had the goal of producing great-tasting, vegan
alternatives to meat products. It needed a name that spoke to this lofty goal,
caught your attention and had an element of surprise. Impossible Foods checked
all these boxes — it's patently false, since the product proves that it is in
fact possible; and it acknowledges that the consumer will be skeptical ("this
can't possibly taste like meat!"). With this novel approach, the name has
generated unsurpassed interest in a disruptive category in sustainable food.
Another approach is to find a name that allows your audience to think and
imagine what the company stands for. While it's helpful to flat out describe
what a company does, give your audience space to come to their own conclusion
and allow them to be curious. Enverus is an energy
data and analytics company. Initially named DrillingInfo, it needed a new
name and identity that spoke to its goal of collaboration in the energy space.
The name Enverus was developed through the combination of three word parts that
together captured the company’s past, present, future and mission: ‘En’ signaled
the energy industry, while ‘ver’ connoted clarity and truth, and ‘us’
communicated their partnership and collaboration with both its customers and
partners across the entirety of the energy sector.
Lastly, be original but approachable. Sustainability has many facets and nuances
that can be considered high tech or complicated to understand. Instead of going
with a high-tech, jargony name, keep it simple but relatable. Luxury electric
carmaker Lucid is an example of an original idea in
the EV space. “Lucid” is a real English word that conveys intelligence and
awareness, so the name’s sound indirectly conveys efficiency and the quiet
sanctuary of the driver’s experience. Another example is Lunar
Energy — a renewable-energy startup with the
mission to make it easy for every home in the world to be powered by the sun
with an integrated solar energy system. The brand needed to convey reliability
and power, while also maintaining a degree of optimism and positivity. The
company landed on Lunar Energy — an unexpected name that takes inspiration from
the way that the moon captures the sun’s light to illuminate itself. The use of
lunar instead of solar was a surprising yet memorable word for the startup
brand.
For startups in the sustainability space or for brands looking to reinvent
themselves, look for a name that stands out, and is surprising and aspirational.
The names that resonate with consumers and shop optimism in an industry hoping
to fix a host of complicated, global problems will help form a foundation for
many years of success. Regardless, companies should make a commitment to
sustainability branding as a strategic brand-building opportunity.
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CEO & Founder, Lexicon Branding
David Placek is founder of Lexicon Branding — the agency behind the names of iconic brands including BlackBerry, Swiffer, Febreze, PowerBook, Lucid and hundreds of others.
Published Feb 2, 2024 2pm EST / 11am PST / 7pm GMT / 8pm CET