What’s in a name? Why copywriting is critical in brand positioning

One of the biggest blessings of being a self-employed writer is that you’re often invited in at the start. This is when founders and entrepreneurs are at their most creative.

I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved in some incredible brand success stories. One of these is a brilliant childcare brand. Their founder had spotted a market gap. She recognised that while working lives had changed, childcare hadn't.

More households than ever had both parents working. Many people in her location had moved far away from family networks that could lend a hand. And there was general widespread frustration over the inflexibility of holiday clubs and wraparound care.  

The idea was simple: To create a totally flexible approach to childcare, where parents could get genuinely useful support as and when they needed it. Everything was in place. Local parents were already loving it. The founder just needed some help with positioning.

The importance of choosing

a brand name

Your brand name is the most important part of your story. Before anyone sees anything else you’ve written–website, emails, social media–they will read your name. It should give them a flavour of who you are, what you do and what you stand for.

Names need narrative, not novelty. The best brand names do some of the work upfront, make marketing feel easy, and create a platform for future storytelling. They also need to be unique, which, if you don't know your way around legalities, can be a costly mistake.

Copywriting not copyrighted

I’ve always loved coming up with names for new products and services. But you quickly learn the pitfalls. Often, great names are taken, trademarked, or too close to someone else’s brand in your category to avoid a lawsuit.

A local restaurant near me was forced to change its name recently after a Scottish brand with the same name won a legal battle against it. This cost the owners a great deal of unnecessary stress and expense. They got through it and are still incredibly successful, but it just proves that due diligence is worth it in the long run.

This is one of my favourite brand names. It's both literal and figurative, informative and warm.

Shaping brand tone and personality

That's just the boring nitty-gritty. First, the creativity. When I was asked to come up with a name for this new style of childcare brand, it helped to get to know the founder.

Sophie wanted parents to feel like her clubs were second homes to their children.

To be the crazy aunts, the funcles and the glam-mas they didn’t have around the corner.

To make sure they never felt punished for being five minutes late picking up their child.

Sophie spoke with such emotion, passion and conviction about what she wanted to create. It was my job to channel that into an unforgettable brand name. I spent about half a day brainstorming and supplied Sophie with roughly forty ideas across four distinct territories to help her play with tone and meaning.

There was one clear winner: Practically Family.

The brand name shaped the tone of voice, which was grounded in caring, empathy and warmth.

Telling the brand story off the page

As well as doing a Ronseal job (we offer families practical childcare solutions), this name conveyed the brand promise perfectly: To make parents feel like they were leaving their kids with someone they could trust implicitly, like an actual family member.

Once she'd chosen the name, I helped the founder write her brand positioning. We created a set of brand guidelines about what Practically Family meant to her staff, parents and carers, and the children in her care. We then worked with a local designer to bring it all to life through a website, email recruitment campaign, parent packs and social media.

The foundations for sustained growth

Over the years, Practically Family has really grown, but the company still lives by these guiding principles. Just last year, the founder approached me again to help her develop positioning for another part of her business.

Her reason for using me after all this time was that I ‘just get it’.

That’s the difference between working with a creative copywriter and going it alone. You don’t just get words on a page that have been seen and said before. You get someone who actually listens and cares about what you’re trying to achieve. You get a real person who desperately wants you to succeed as much as you do: Practically Family.

Original design: Dotto Studio

Marketing support: Queen Bee

If you need help with positioning your brand, whether it’s a name, strapline, social hooks, web copy, literature or launch campaign, get in touch.

Victoria Green is a senior conceptual copywriter based in the UK. With over 25 years of experience supporting big brands, marketing agencies and local independents, Vicks helps healthcare, B2C and B2B clients find their voice. If you want a writer who can work with AI but leads with human insight, contact vicky@greencopyandco.com