An effective brand name can be created using a number of linguistic approaches. The small business owner must endeavor to find the name that will be most effective for the business by investigating a range of options using a number of different techniques and approaches. One of these techniques is the word merger.  This branding strategy fuses two very meaningful and positive words to create a unique and indentifiable brand name.  This technique is effective because, firstly, it prompts the consumer to engage in an extended cognitive process as the word combination is identified, understood, and appreciated. Moreover, even if the word combination is not identified consciously, it will still have a positive effect on the consumer subconsciously. For example, many consumers are very familiar with the Verizon brand name. However, the majority have probably never taken the time to consider the origin of the brand, which is a merger of “vertical” and “horizon.” Nevertheless, the subconscious mind does recognize and absorb the meaning of both words in the merger, which has a positive impact on consumer’s perception of the brand.

Secondly, the meanings of the two words create positive meaning which is then transferred to the brand.  The best word mergers will create a new, distinct “word”, in effect, which clearly conveys the meaning of both words simultaneously. The brand “Fruitopia” is an excellent example because the brand creates its own unique meaning – “a utopia characterized by an abundance of fruit”. Similarly, “Striant” could be defined as “striding forward with confidence and defiance”, and “Travelocity” as “planning a trip or traveling with speed, ease, and convenience.” Note that Travelocity has the additional feature of fitting both words together seamlessly as the last three letters of “travel” are the first three letters of “velocity.”  In fact, Nextel, Striant, Fruitopia, and Verizon all have this characteristic, although not to the same level of elegance as Travelocity.

It is worth mentioning the Accenture brand, which is interesting in that the words in the merger are ambiguous.  It could be a merge of "accent" and "adventure," but the brand is actually intended to convey "an accent on the future."  The logo helps to clarify the meaning by using the accent mark above the "t" to suggest the word "accent", and the direction of the mark to imply the word "future". 

Here are some additional examples of word mergers: