Market entry in China: What to consider to generate a good brand name in China ?

Have you heard about the story behind Coca-Cola in Chinese?

When Coca-Cola first entered Chinese Market on 1927, it was given the name “蝌蝌啃蜡”, which means ‘tadpole chews the wax’. It was really scary and nobody wanted to buy the products. The company then offered a reward of 350 English pounds for a good name. And the name “可口可乐” finally won. “可口可乐” is just perfectly transliterated from Coca-Cola English name and adds the auspiciousness meaning to it. With the good name, Coca-Cola soon gained success in Chinese Market. And 可口可乐remains the best translated name for an international brand in China.

We know, from a multitude of past experience, that a bad or good Chinese company name has a great impact to an international brand’s success in Chinese Market. Then here comes a question: how will define a good Chinese name for an international brand development in China?

Role of phonetic in Chinese brand name

Generally, a good name should imply a positive phonetic choice. It can help Chinese consumers easily associate the Chinese name with the original name and then enhance the brand recognition in China. The brand McDonald’s (麦当劳,mai dang lao) is a typical example. Not only because of the similarity in the phonetic aspect, but also because Chinese customers can easily know it is a brand providing catering service.

Role of evocation in Chinese brand name

Secondly, a good brand name in China should be evocative. Sometimes, due to the pronunciations, connotations of the Chinese characters vary greatly by region. An international brand should find a company name with good connotation and pronunciation in different dialects. The most successful names are the ones whose characters have positive meanings and make consumer understand their business at the first sight.

Role of values in Chinese brand name

As is known to all, auspiciousness, good fortune and happiness play important roles in Chinese culture. Therefore, to have a good Chinese company name, international brands should give top priority to these.

Take the brand OMO (奥妙) for an example. ‘Ao (奥)’ means ‘profound’ and ‘Miao（妙）’ means ‘excellence’. In Chinese, ‘奥妙Ao Miao’ is associated with the meaning of profoundness and secrecy. With the brand name conveying a message of professionalism and excellence clearly, it is regarded as a good Chinese company name.

However, it is also essential that a good Chinese brand name should be easy to read and remember. The characters should also be commonly used. Besides these indispensable elements, the brand’s name should be able to distinguish themselves from competitors.

There are thousands of Chinese names of international brands in Chinese Market. When it comes to finding a good brand name in Chinese market, contact Sinonym’s team, try our professionalism and methodological approach and save some embarrassment.