Chinese Naming for Online Brands: How to Stand Out from Competitors

The internet age has struck almost every corner of the globe. We use the internet to obtain information, to check the news, to indulge in online shopping, and to expand our social circle. In China, over 450 million people now use the internet – this is more than the entire population of the U.S (Wright, Bryan; January 19, 2011). About 92% of all internet users in China engage in some sort of social media, whereas this is true of only 72% of Americans (Millward, Steven; May 2, 2011).

In a world of continuous competition and innovation, these online platforms such as social networking or e-commerce sites aim to establish their own unique symbolic identity.Such sites have surfaced all over the world, but only those that manage to connect with the majority of users remain successful. Regardless of where such online platforms are founded, the company’s brand name is essential to public recognition. Its careful creation can carry inherent value to the brand and the service that it provides.

What You Need to Know
An effective brand name serves as a means of communication, an embodiment of the culture or personality of the company, and can impart a desired user experience. This is especially true for social networking sites, where word of mouth and regular exposure are the key methods of familiarization. Foreign brands that are not rooted in the local culture can easily lose their original appeal with just a wrong choice in a name. Taking into account the way a brand sounds or how it looks is not the sole important factor in creating a suitable brand name. When entering a new market such as China, it is essential to create a brand that communicates and connects with its Chinese consumers. In order to succeed, a foreign brand must secure a position in the local market. The brand must be conceptually identifiable in the context of local consumers. Creating a brand name using the Chinese language will help companies reach more Chinese users. Once local users are able to recognize and relate to a familiar identity, whether through language or an underlying cultural meaning, they will be more willing to continue using the brand or service. Take the famous social networking site LinkedIn for example, one of the few widely used American sites that is not blocked in China, and yet does not have a Chinese name. Could this be why LinkedIn is not highly acknowledged in China? Without a means of local communication such as a recognizable name or label, there is perhaps less hope in cultivating public popularity.

Local Social Networking and E-Commerce Naming Practices
How do social networking and e-commerce sites attract and maintain regular users? Current trends in popular names within China reveal that many of these companies tend to incorporate Hanyu pinyin (the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet), numbers, word repetition, as well as hidden underlying meanings into their brand names. China’s well-known online shopping site TaoBao (淘宝), as well as local micro-blogging site Weibo (微博), both use Hanyu pinyin in their name. TaoBao (淘宝), which literally means ‘to look for treasure’, conveys the idea that consumers can easily discover what they desire by using the services their site has to offer. Another social networking site RenRen (人人) utilizes pinyin as well as repetition to enhance brand impression on local users. The Chinese name 人人网 (RenRen Network) literally means ‘a site for everyone’, which suggests a very welcoming and friendly environment where people can get to know each other.

Furthermore, top social networking site 51 as number 8 sounds similar to the Chinese characterwell as e-commerce site hc360 lean toward the 发 (fa) which means to prosper, and the number usage of numbers in their brand name, which 9 is a homophone for the character 久 (jiu), which has also sparked much positive response from means long-lasting. Additionally, another popular
Chinese consumers. In China, different numbers strategy among Chinese brand names is the use can have different meanings, such as the numbers of integrating English words or phrases, such as 5, 8, and 9. The number 5 is considered lucky in Qzone, Alibaba, and Moonbasa, which evoke a sort Chinese philosophy, as it is associated with the 5 of foreign and exotic feeling (refer to tables below
Elements (Water, Fire, Earth, Wood, and Metal). The for more examples).

Table 1 Popular Chinese Social Networking Site Names

Table 2 Popular Chinese E-commerce Site Names

Foreign Online Brands and Chinese Names
For foreign companies attempting to enter the Chinese market, creating a newly localized brand name is a must. Many companies commonly use one of these three methods of translation: phonetic, semantic (meaning), or a mixture of the two. Studies suggest that the majority of such brands tend to use direct phonetic translations of brand names. Although this could be useful in preserving the country origin of the brand to remind Chinese consumers that it is foreign brand, it may also be hard for Chinese users to remember and identify with the name, as there is no existing meaning behind it.

Companies that choose to phonetically translate their brand into a name devoid of real meaning could be doing more harm to themselves than good. For example, the American search engine Google attempted to translate its name into Chinese in April 2006. They announced their new Chinese name to be谷歌 (GuGe), which does not exactly have a true meaning, but literally translates into “harvest song.” The outcome – Google did not successfully promote its services in the Chinese market, as the new name seemed to suggest an old fashion feel associated with agriculture. Perhaps this is a reason why Baidu is such a widely accepted search engine in China.

Another example of an unsuccessful brand name creation is the case of American social networking site MySpace, which officially declared its Chinese name to be Juyou (聚友) – ‘bringing friends together’. Many Chinese users criticized this new name, as they believed that the purpose of MySpace was not just to make friends. They argued that this name did not entirely represent the true function of MySpace, and thus was misleading to consumers.

Conclusion
All in all, an appropriate brand name is the first step to building a lasting impression. Regardless of the type of company you are or the type of service you wish to provide, your brand name needs to be catered to the local context of your consumers – what better way than to be identifiable in the local language? Generating a good brand name is not just a simply brainstorming exercise- great consideration and skill goes into fashioning a name that leaves a permanent imprint in the minds of local consumers. It is particularly important for social networking sites and e-commerce sites who do not have multiple touch points with its consumers to have a brand in the local Chinese language. This way, community users can easily refer to such sites and also form a deeper connection with the company’s services. Creating a local brand name requires a set of skills: creativity, linguistic accuracy, and knowledge to conduct proper legal and market checks to develop the best Chinese brand name. It is necessary to take such meticulous care in the process of creating a brand name that applies to the Chinese market – especially for foreign companies who aim to thrive in China. As has seen in the previous examples, a wrong move could lead to detrimental consequences and diminished success.