How a bad brand name can kill future growth

TS Eliot wrote, ‘In my beginning is my end.” And in branding, that couldn’t be truer.

Somewhere between the brainstorm and the brief, between “we’ll just call it what it is” and “let’s make it sound big and international”, many brands have stumbled into the Name Trap: a decision that feels logical in the moment, but quietly limits what the brand can become tomorrow.

Because, a brand name isn’t merely an identifier. It is intent, direction, cultural meaning, business vision and future relevance, all compressed into a few syllables.

The name trap

Deb Liu, the former vice president-marketplace at Facebook and current CEO of Ancestry, had once said, “A name isn’t just what you call your brand. It’s what you confine it to.”

At launch, most names feel right. They capture the founder’s vision, the product’s essence, the thrill of a new idea. They sound catchy, clever and distinctive.

But over time, the same name can age, polarise, or worst of all, trap the brand in a meaning system that no longer fits the world it lives in. We’ve seen this play out repeatedly.

Fair & Lovely once reflected a cultural ideal, fairness as beauty and worked brilliantly. But, as social meanings shifted, the name became exclusionary, even a bit regressive. The move to Glow & Lovely was not just cosmetic; it was a recognition that culture had changed and the brand had to change with it.

Or, Karachi Bakery, a name that once signified heritage, now alienates parts of its audience within a heightened geopolitical reality.

That’s how meaning morphs, not overnight, but through subtle shifts in culture, context, sentiment, and symbolism.

Beyond an identifier: The name as intent

Many founders treat a name as a practical label, a way to tell one product from another. But a name is intent made visible. It signals what a brand stands for, who it includes, and what it aspires to become.

So, a brand called ‘Man Company’, is clearly focused on men products and needs, never women. As compared to say weight watchers, a functional title that they decided to widen from single-purpose dieting or weight as context, towards wellness, lifestyle services and holistic health. Similarly, Dunkin’ Donuts became Dunkin’ to make room for a wider menu and a different tempo.

A name defines direction, not just definition. It can tell you if a brand intends to grow wide or deep, if it sees itself as rooted or global, inclusive or elite, playful or purposeful.

Then there are the names that are simply too tight. Names that intentionally or unintentionally box themselves in with hyper-niche identifiers like ‘The Juice Wala’ or ‘Chai Point’, where the name tells you exactly what’s inside, but leaves no room for what could be next.

The minute your name defines your category, it traps your brand in it. If Juicewala wants to expand into smoothies or healthy snacks tomorrow, the name becomes a straitjacket. Similarly, ‘Wow! Momo’ has to have a ‘Wow! China’ to enter a new food space, because the core name was too specific to momo.

And these are not isolated examples, there are so many brands even today that have words like ‘Fans, Cooler / Heater / Electrical’ in their names, which limits extension into home decor, smart devices or lifestyle, because the name keeps them tied to a product or appliance.

Think AquaGuard, where the mental grammar of the name makes some extensions feel credible and others jarring. Here, the name itself becomes the cage. Because, names are the first promises a brand makes. When the promise is too narrow, future moves feel incongruent.

This is why Vispy Doctor, managing director of Ormax Consultants, often says, that a brand can evolve only as far as its name allows it to go.

When the name boxes you in

Family and founder names are another double-edged sword. A surname can be a trust cue, like Patel Jewellers, Gupta Textiles, Kothari Garments. But it also carries generational baggage and cultural specificity that can make modernisation awkward. Younger audiences often look for attitude and universality, where a family name can feel rooted in an older code.

Contrast this with Paper Boat. Its name evokes nostalgia without anchoring the brand to a single context, community or product. That emotional flexibility makes it easier to stretch into adjacent categories: beverages, snacks, content, experiences.

Names that work regionally may not travel nationally or globally. Balaji Wafers may be a household name in Gujarat. But its strong regional identity can become a constraint when the brand seeks a pan-India or export audience.

Similarly, Musaji Tea will carry community recognition in some areas and bafflement in others. By contrast, Nykaa, with roots in the Sanskrit nayika but a modern, fluid sound, manages to feel both local and global, cultural and contemporary.

The real risk in fast-changing markets such as India, where premiumisation, regional expansion and digital-first behaviour are rewriting consumer expectations, is not merely irrelevance but incongruence.

A name is the cognitive handle consumers form first, and the last one they forget. When it no longer represents who you are, it doesn’t just confuse; it corrodes equity.

Naming as a strategic act

So how should brands approach naming? The question must shift from Does it sound good now? to Will it still make sense when the world changes around me?

Good names aren’t only creative, they’re strategic. They answer not what your brand is today, but what it wishes to become tomorrow. So, if you are in the middle of a naming decision, ask four diagnostic questions before you settle on one:

1. What will this name mean when culture shifts?
2. Will it sound dated, divisive, or dull?
3. Can it stretch into new territories without losing credibility?
4. Does it carry emotion, not just description?

Naming must be deliberate, not accidental. It requires foresight, not just flair. It should be tested for extendability, memorability, cross-language clarity, cultural resonance and alignment with brand intent.

A great name doesn’t merely sound right today. It stays relevant tomorrow. And in business as in poetry, beginnings and ends are entwined; choose a name that lets the story continue.

- Adnan Pocketwala, growth partner at Ormax WhatNext