Your brand name, when used right, does a lot for you.

It’s a source indicator: Your TV being Sony and not a Sorny means something about its quality.

It’s a relationship tool: You might buy a slop bowl, but your relationship is with Chipotle.

It’s a protectable business asset: If you’re Louis Vuitton, you can go after "Chewy Vuiton" though parody may win out…

The longer, and more intentionally you use it, the more your name alone can do some heavy duty lifting for you and your brand.

Why do some brands play fast and loose with theirs?

I have a lot to say about the risks of not using your name the right way. (See How to Use Your Brand Name and TLC for Your TM.) But I have answered a few big questions in this last year about how and why and when to use a nickname for your brand.

(Here is a very very rich piece of research to dig into if you find yourself battling a nicknaming war inside your brand right now.)

Nicknames are friendly. Familiar. Typically shorter (which we ADORE!).

But in most cases, taking on a nickname your customers gave you can create more problems than it solves.

And when brands adopt their own nicknames, the risks almost certainly outweigh the rewards. (Remember when RadioShack tried to introduce themselves as The Shack???)

Let’s talk about why.

Every time a name is used the same way, in the right context, it reinforces what that brand stands for.

Nicknames muddy the waters.

A name’s value is built over time through disciplined, consistent use. Water it down with too many variations, and the impact starts to erode.

No one likes a naming hall monitor, but guess what: Here I come.

Trademarks exist to protect the uniqueness of a brand’s name. But legal protection is only as strong as the brand’s discipline in using its name properly.

These are some basic practices—and yes, these ARE sometimes annoying to implement consistently—you should make sure everyone who communicates for your brand is putting into use:

✔ Use the trademark as an adjective, not a noun. (e.g., New Balance shoes, not just New Balances.)
✔ Keep capitalization and formatting consistent. (e.g., LEGO bricks, not legos.)
✔ Avoid using the name in possessive or plural forms. (e.g., Ford’s latest innovation vs. the latest Fords.)
✔ Use trademark symbols (™ or ®) when possible, especially at first mention.

Failing to follow these practices puts brands at risk of genericide—when a name becomes so commonly used that it stops being associated with a single brand. Think Escalator, Aspirin, and Thermos—all former trademarks that lost legal protection.

Some of the world’s most recognizable brands experiment with nicknames in marketing:

These brands have deep consumer loyalty and decades of built-in equity, which gives them some room to play.

But even they run into problems.

In 2010, Chevrolet tried to ban “Chevy” from its own marketing to reinforce brand consistency. The backlash was swift. They had to walk it back within days, proving just how hard it is to control a nickname once it’s in the wild.

There’s a key difference between a nickname that emerges organically from customers and one that a brand imposes on itself.

A 2024 study in the Journal of Marketing found that nickname branding negatively impacts brand performance, reducing engagement and even purchase intent.

What is worth paying attention to here? If customers give your brand a nickname, you can acknowledge it. You can maybe use it occasionally in a social post or as a brand for a non-core offering (the Nordy Club or UO Rewards are good examples—they’re applied to loyalty programs, where the connection to the brand can feel friendly and informal)

But trying to manufacture one yourself is generally as cool as trying to give yourself a nickname. If you stick to it long enough, you might get results, but you’ll always see a little bit of emptiness behind your friends’ eyes when they call you Mr. Blades.

In most cases, no. But there are some strategic ways to incorporate shorthand branding without compromising your main name:

✔ Sub-brands or programs: If the nickname signals a distinct offering (e.g., Nordy Club for Nordstrom’s loyalty program), it can work.
✔ Navigational clarity: If a shorter name helps customers distinguish a brand from their expectations that the real name carries(e.g., Bloomie’s for a smaller-format store), it might make sense.
✔ Casual use in marketing copy: If the goal is warmth and familiarity in specific contexts, a little bit of nickname use as a treat can be ok.

But even then—discipline is key.

If you’re not sure whether a nickname is helping or hurting your brand, the safest bet is to stick with what you know works: the name you’ve already built.

Think your organization might be over-nicknaming? Interested in what I think your brand’s nickname should be (just for fun, because you’re not going to do anything with it…right?)? 

Let’s talk.

— Caitlin Barrett
Founder and naming expert, Wild Geese Studio
Your strategic naming partner for development, operations, and evaluation.