There seems to be a never ending array of domain investors looking for “brandable” names. One of the dominant themes of domain wanted threads on Namepros.
I think that the broad request of brandable might be wasting a lot of people’s time. I see people argue all the time what is brandable and what is not, someone told me the mattress company that acquired Purple.com was stupid. They said, “Raymond purple is not brandable, I don’t care what anyone thinks!”
There was a post written on DNGeek.com where Keith DeBoer actually mentioned Purple as one of his hot companies with a terrible brand name, he also did not like Apple or Amazon. He also did not like Uber, to which one commenter said, You think Uber is a horrible brand? You should start over. This article is terrible.
When the article came out a friend of mine texted, “Did you see this article? Do you know that guy, is he taking any medication?”
My reply was brandable like beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The word has been diluted beyond recognition in the domain community. The word means different things to different people, I have had many people say or write, anything can be branded so my domain is a brandable.
In many cases, when people are referring to “brandable domains” they actually mean domains that are non-keyword names with no specific descriptive meaning. While the name and domain might have direct reference or meaning to the business or product, these domains don’t specifically spell it out. Instead they convey character, values, or qualities of the brand, product, or service. These non-descriptive domains build strong brand value over time; they are less likely to already be registered as domains (more likely available); and they also allow for flexibility in the brand in that they are not permanently tagged or associated with a narrow descriptive category.
Sometimes called “vessel” names, the majority of the domains on BrandBucket are non-keyword names that have no specific meaning. While our names may not have a direct relation to your business or product, they can convey qualities that are important to your company (like strength), or an overall feeling (like youth and fun).
Names that are free from keywords become strong brands over time, and allow you to expand your business without being restricted (and having to change your name in the future). If Google had launched as “SearchEngine.com”, their brand wouldn’t have become a verb, and they wouldn’t have been able to develop the many different products they are now famous for.
So what is your definition of a brandable domain? When you say you are looking for some, what are you actually looking for?
I think most domainers have no valuable names, so they make up any word and say it can be pronounceable so it brand worthy.
Keith’s article was mainly meant to stimulate some thinking about what makes a good brand and it seems like he achieved just that 🙂
I think most agree those weren’t really horrible brands but you could argue that some of them were mismatched. In my personal opinion, an ultra-premium domain name doesn’t automatically make it a good brand. It still has to match what a company does or stands for.
Purple is a brandable word and Purple.com as a domain name is obviously stellar. But does it make sense for a matress company?
To answer the question, I think a brandable domain name in the keyword category would be something like Orange.com, Rise.com, Bright.com, HorsePower.com – terms that evoke a strong, positive emotion. When a domain name is very descriptive like Shoes.com, CellPhones.com or OffshoreAccounting.com it doesn’t make for a great brand in my opinion.
Then there’s the invented category. This is where things get a bit more challenging but for me, an invented name is brandable when it’s easy to remember, spell, pronounce and short. Lazada, Envato, Rolex, Lexus, Spotify etc.
Then you have the hybrid category where a keyword forms the base of the name and some letters are added or removed. I’ve seen a lot of trends in startup naming come and go over the years.
A brand is something that sets you apart from the competition. Premium generic domains do just that.
It is like Faketionary.com
@VR yes people who can’t afford a one word premium do tend to focus on names they can hand register.
@Doron I like your site, but I am sorry Keith’s article was very weak, made it seem like he knew nothing about brandable domains. You need to defend him but the community has found it to be a poorly written article.
I never thought of an orange as strong, it’s certainly not stronger than purple.
Namepros is just people looking for ideas, send them a made up word and they will search to see a handreg slightly different.
The true meaning of “brandable” is a completely made up pronounceable name that could be used as a brand. At least it was many years ago. Over the years, as the popularity of the brandable domain niche has grown the cast of the net has gotten wider and wider that now almost anything is considered a brandable in the eyes of a domainer. Now, anything that could potentially name a company is considered a brandable even though that’s not the true, original meaning of the term.
The term “brandable” is so specific to the domain industry that most outside of the industry, including branding professionals are clueless to the term.
The worst thing is if you write and nobody reads it. I can see from mentions and comments, like the ones here, that people are reading it. That’s great. Most bloggers get criticized. it’s pretty common. We generally don’t follow the herd in our thinking and often have controversial opinions and perspectives. Which we share. For free. Some people like it. Some don’t. It’s OK as long as your reading it 🙂
When a person steps out into the public eye they become a target for both criticism and praise. I’ve received my fair share of both. It’s all good.
I’d like to write more on this topic but I gotta take my meds, get back into my straight jacket and make my lobotomy appointment 🙂
Cheers!
Hey Keith,
Great comment, I laughed. Anyways maybe we could talk about it. Why don’t you feel Uber, Purple, Apple and Amazon are good brand names? By actually understanding what you are saying everyone may learn something. I would love to hear your perspective. Thank you.
Domaineer1
?
I could give the definitive answer, but it would take too long and too much typing. It seems domainers really mean something made up, however, like Bogiton.com.
There can be cases in which the “brandability” of a real word is worth a fortune and even more than the literal use. For example, Jump.com.
Those unable to afford the one-word premium isn’t why brandables originate, not the brandables we’re talking about.
The brandable for a one-word generic is defined by those ABLE to buy, but don’t want it.
Random Example:
Coolant.com, for sale at Efty. It’s brandable now because PRESTONE won’t buy it.
Keywords that became brandables for being unusable in their industry are worth renewing in comparison to made-up hand regs.