Two directions of naming shoe brands

Experts of the e-generator.ru portal, developing a name for a retail chain of shoe stores, found out that all names gravitate towards two semantic centers: "language game" and "walking".

Text: Konstantin Belousov, Natalia Zelyanskaya, E-generator.ru Analytical Department

Background for title development

Product / Service Description: a chain of middle-class shoe stores located in regional and large district centers of central Russia (Golden Ring).

The target audience: a buyer with an average income for the region, acquiring shoes for at least a season (oriented for two seasons). He is ready to pay a reasonable, not too high price and get a practical and beautiful product. He is not ready to overpay for the brand, prestige, he does not need the atmosphere of a boutique.

Communication content: a network of shoe stores that can meet the needs for shoes and accessories for all family members (men's, women's and children's shoes).

Additional Information: the name should evoke not so much “shoe” names as associations on the theme of fashion, style, as well as everything that may be associated with the purchase of shoes, for example, seasonal updates. The name should sound beautifully, figuratively, preferably so that you can pick up an interesting visual series for it.

Additional title requirements: Russian, consisting of no more than two words, easy to read, pronounced without errors, neologisms are possible.

The results

200 name options were recognized as adequate. In the course of the analysis of names, 19 semantic fields were revealed (see the table), reflecting the main directions of meaning formation used by the authors of the presented names.

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Having made a selection, we noticed that all the names in one way or another are concentrated around two semantic cores - the fields "walking" and "language game". If “walking” is a field associated with the name of a shoe store functionally through the purpose of the shoe, then “language game” is a universal mechanism that generates new meanings, linking fields of different meaning into a single meaningful whole. In other words, the "walking" field is directed to the real world, and the "language game" - to the world of language - the virtual world, easily playing with various concepts.

The fact that these two fields are connected by one of the two strongest ties indicates an active understanding at the level of linguistic creation of the walking process (and everything connected with it). For example, in the title “Hodiki " two meanings coexist: watches and shoes.

The meaning of shoes appears only in connection with the "shoe" theme, in other contexts it will not appear. The connection between the fields “walking” and “language game”, showing one of the most probable directions of naming, is not the only one. You may notice that such fields as “space”, “European”, “fashion”, and “aesthetic” are more closely related to the “language game” than to “walking”. And the fields “pairing”, “gender”, “shoes” correspond only to the “language game”. Moreover, some fields are associated only with virtual reality. For example, “space” is, first of all, the space of showcase reality: “Fashion course ”,“ Nozhkin’s house ”,“ Noah’s ark ”,“ Shoe’s yard ”,“ Season ” (country of all seasons), "Stilburg » etc.

What is characteristic, the real world is completely calmly dispensing with a gender theme, while the virtual world is actively using names in which the male and female principles are closely related: “Perfect couple ”,“ Brilliant couple ”,“ Fashionista and Fashionista ”.

Of particular interest is the “quality” field. It does not have any special significance for the sample and is located on the periphery, having weak connections with the fields “walking”, “space”, “European” and an insignificant connection with the “language game”. The connection “quality” - “walking” reflects the quality of shoes necessary for the buyer (lightness, comfort), which we see in the names “Easy walk ”,“ Dobrohod ”,“ Top Town ” (top is the top, but at the same time is associated with “stomping”). The relationship “quality” - “space” in this sample is present in those names that either focus on the importance of high-quality shoes for its real use (for example, “Easy road ”,“ Lord of the roads ”,“ SUV ”), or, more often, focus on the quality of brands living in a virtual “storefront” space (“Comfort "," Top Town "). In this case, the interaction “quality” - “space” is enhanced by the “European” field, which is due to the traditional idea of ​​the high quality of European products (“Comfortown ”,“ Futmaster ”, Foot Control) The fact that the “quality” field is not particularly significant for the analyzed names is apparently due to ideas about this type of product on the market. The problem of the quality of shoes, once important, went into the category of insignificant, which led to the highlighting of the problems of fashion, style, aesthetic evaluation of goods. However, the aesthetics of shoes so far is not essential for the reality in which the product is used, but for the "storefront" reality.

By the way, this is precisely why the field of “positive emotions” is weakly connected with the “language game” - the core of the virtual world. A person experiences emotions in reality as a result of his personal interested participation (see the significant connection with the “walking” field). It is very difficult to provoke an emotional response (all the more positive) to simulacra like posters, slogans, brands, etc., that exist separately from the living space of a particular person.

Thus, the semantic space of the names of a shoe store includes two main and opposite directions of naming: the first is related to the functional purpose of shoes in the real world; the second correlates with the virtual world represented by high fashion and well-known brands. And if the first direction is supported by a positive emotional response, then a positive attitude towards the second (at the level of associative components of the names) is only emerging and, obviously, will appear when the fashion is perceived as a necessary part of real life.