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What's in a name? Everything, if one were to take note of the logic behind brand names of late. Lateral thinking, the element of surprise, the ability to connect and recall value—branding these days is as far removed from the obvious as possible.Take F5, the name of a café chain. For owners Rajjat Gulati and Nikesh Agarwal, the connect was simple— F5, the key to refresh on a computer keyboard, was what they aimed to do with their cafes. They figured the name would resonate with their target consumers—young professionals in technology parks. They even ran a sample test on friends with the brand name. "We asked friends to ask their colleagues what came to their mind when they heard F5," says Gulati. They knew they had hit the right key when a friend working at a market research firm reported: "F5 must be for a café. F5 refreshes and that makes sense." And so, was born F5, their chain of cafés at IT parks in the National Capital Region.There are many more who are playing the hinting game. Entrepreneurs, especially in consumer-facing industries such as the hospitality and retail sectors, are increasingly choosing brand names that leave the consumer guessing. The unusual ensures better brand connect and recall. Another advantage — and one that marks a shift, however small, away from a predominantly family-owned business scenario — is the ease of selling a venture that does not carry the name of the proprietor.Says Chlorophyll Brand and Communications' Kiran Khalap, "A lateral brand name is always more memorable than a literal one." The branding consultancy came up with names such as Meru, after Mt Meru, for a taxi service that wanted to project dependability, and Exactus for a legal process outsourcing firm that wanted to highlight its 'no errors' promise. Happily Unmarried is not a name one would forget in a hurry. "We're a fun name," says co-founder Rahul Anand. He says it reflects everything the product retail brand is about — it's fun, it's funky and it encapsulates the carefree attitude of someone who is single. Anand and his partner Rajat Tuli had been thinking about possible names for their venture when one day, jogging in Lokhandwala, Mumbai, Tuli came up with Happily Unmarried. They both knew instantly it was the name for their brand and even ran to the nearest cyber café to buy the domain name.Their venture was originally designed to offer everything from property broking services and products to do up entire spaces for those living away from home. Though they found few takers for the house-hunting services, the products retail business boomed. The partners stayed with the name, however, as "it had great recall and represented the spirit of what they were offering"."The brand name is part of the gestalt — the whole that is more than a sum of its parts," explains Khalap, adding the brand owners' intention decides the name. So, if it is desired that the brand "should take a stand and stand out, so must the brand name". He cites the famous example of Virgin. The record label and airline brand got the name because owner Richard Branson and his employees were venturing into what was virgin territory for them at the time.So, how would you relate Red Fox to a budget hotel chain? Promoter Patu Keswani solves the mystery when he says the chain targets the business traveller and Red Fox aptly conveys the brand value — "it's sharp, it's zippy and it's youthful". Keswani, who pored over the dictionary and spearheaded many brainstorming sessions with friends to come up with the name, Lemon Tree Hotels, for his full-service hotel chain, adds the name Red Fox was for him a 'straight derivative'."My daughter thinks I look like a fox. I have a bump on my nose, and I turn red quite often. Therefore, Red Fox," he explains. He now hopes to build enough recall value around the Red Fox properties to open stand-alone eateries by the name Clever Fox Café.Popcorn, a brand that stands for children's furniture and learning aids, suggests fun and gaiety for founder Deepika Goyal, who is confident that she couldn't have thought of a better brand name. The brand supplies furniture to 600 schools across India and even has a corner at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, which, Goyal says, attracts you 'from a mile off'.
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