What the world's 51–100 most valuable brand names get right
A look at the advantages, trade-offs and naming approaches behind the second tier of the world's most valuable brands.
In our previous piece we examined the world's top 50 most valuable brand names and analyzed their advantages, disadvantages and naming approaches. There is much to learn from their deep histories and outstanding success.
But the thing that struck us most: a search for meaning in names has always existed on the company / manager side. In practice, though, people — consumers, customers — rarely care about a name's meaning. How many of us know what "UBER" means? Yet the sounds and shapes of that name, together with the meanings loaded onto it by marketing, make us feel something when we hear it.
Names can give a company internal enthusiasm and perspective through their meaning — no one would object to that. But it is also true that many names with strong category association, clear differentiation and easy recall are meaningless, designed by leveraging the power of shape and sound. Below we analyze the second 50 brands on a global valuation firm's 2021 list.
Starbucks
Takes its name from the character Starbuck in Moby Dick. Borrowing a name from outside the category set it apart and added a mysterious stance.
Ford
Named after the founder's family — one of the era's most common methods. Short and universally easy to read.
L'Oréal
Spelling and pronunciation are relatively hard, but the rhythm of its soft letters makes it flow easily.
Citigroup
Universally easy to read; two meaningful words combined while keeping their meanings.
Goldman Sachs
Derived from the founders' surnames (Marcus Goldman, Samuel Sachs). For finance, longer names are sometimes felt to be more trustworthy.
eBay
A contraction of Echo Bay Technology Group; carries the sense of online shopping. Strong category association and short for the internet.
Philips
From Gerard Philips. Some spelling difficulty globally, but category fit is an advantage.
Porsche
From its founder. The harmony of its sounds makes it easy to say and evokes the brand promise.
Nissan
Derived from 'Nihon' (Japan) and 'Sangyo' (industries). A harmonious coinage; the repeated S creates a distinctive identity.
Siemens
Soft sounds combined; consistent, though with some global spelling/pronunciation difficulty.
Gillette
One of the names that gave its category its word. The repetition of sounds conveys product function clearly.
Nestlé
From Henri Nestlé. Short and easy to say, with global pronunciation advantages.
HP
An abbreviation of founders Hewlett-Packard. Rarely used today, but two opposing letter sounds make it as strong as a full word.
HSBC
Abbreviation of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. Hard to say and to remember; such names are hard to teach today.
Danone
Derived from the founder's son Daniel. Two easy syllables; the letters fit together visually.
Spotify
A meaningless coinage. Today such names are often chosen for the associative qualities of their sounds.
3M
Abbreviation of Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing. A creatively designed name that also feeds on a company built on creativity.
Colgate
Has some reading difficulty; a common derivation approach but with spelling/pronunciation friction.
Morgan Stanley
Spun off from JP Morgan and named in the era's common way. Similarity to JP Morgan is a slight disadvantage, yet it made the top 100.
Nintendo
Reputedly means 'leave luck to heaven.' Coined from three harmonious syllables, with very high category association.
Lego
From the Danish 'leg godt' (play well) — a short, creative name. Such short names face real trademark and domain difficulty today.
Kellogg's
From the founder's name. Sound repetition gives a visual advantage and a distinctive gusto, in harmony with its visual identity.
Cartier
French for 'world' (carte/quarter sense). A good example of a transfer name; short, with sounds that feel premium.
Santander
From Saint Emeterio. A good coinage example, though length and sound mismatch create some reading difficulty.
FedEx
A clean, simple coinage from Federal Express.
Ferrari
From founder Enzo Ferrari; means 'blacksmith,' nodding to horsepower. A meaningful transfer name with high category association via sound repetition.
Dior
From Christian Dior. Short and easy to read — a major advantage.
Corona
Spanish for 'crown.' Unfortunately carries a bad reputation today; how the brand recovers is a question.
Canon
Originally 'Kwanon' (Buddhist goddess of mercy); simplified to Canon in 1935 for global markets — a brilliant move giving it an easily perceived name.
DHL
From founders Dalsey, Hillblom and Lynn. Very short, but with global pronunciation difficulty.
Jack Daniel's
An assertive name built on the founder's story and name. The 'J' sound immediately sets it apart and makes it unique.
Caterpillar
Means 'centipede/caterpillar.' A strong, assertive metaphoric name with powerful associations to how it works.
LinkedIn
A two-word coinage that stands apart in its field with its original stance.
Hewlett Packard
From its founders' surnames.
Huawei
Means 'China's achievement.' Visual advantages, but hard to learn as a sound.
KIA
An abbreviation meaning 'rising out of Asia.' A unique two-syllable, three-letter name — clearly hard to register today.
Johnson & Johnson
Surname plus repetition; offers a strong visual advantage.
Panasonic
From 'pan' (all) and 'sonic' (sound).
Heineken
From the founder's surname. Long and hard to read, but its visual simplicity largely solves that.
John Deere
From the founder's name. Long but with few syllables, so easy to read.
Zoom
A meaningful word giving universal ease — unique. Short, with similar letters, supporting a creative, distinctive name.
Tiffany & Co
Derived from a surname; an out-of-category, creative stance.
KFC
One of the best abbreviation names — Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Prada
Follows fashion's surname tradition. Harmonious sounds and brevity ease saying and reading.
Hennessy
Another surname name; length and pronunciation difficulty are disadvantages.
MINI
A very clean, creative use of brand strategy. Short and universal — a big advantage.
Burberry
Another fashion surname name; sound repetition removes the disadvantage of its length.
Land Rover
A clear two-word name with strong category association; such names are easy to register and to get domains for.
UBER
A meaningful name (superior, better). Said in one breath, it's very easy to learn.
Sephora
Combines Greek 'sephos' (beautiful) and 'Zipporah' (Moses's wife) — a fine creative coinage.