What's in a name? For some, it's everything. Donald Trump, author and television personality, is perhaps best known for his real estate business, The Trump Organization. Considered by many a publicity hound and not known for shying away from the limelight, Trump plasters his name across all of his businesses and many of his real estate holdings: Trump Towers, Trump Plaza, etc.

Recently Trump has sued Trump Entertainment Resorts to have his name taken off two Atlantic City casinos which he no longer has control over and believes doesn't represent him at the quality and style to which his brand belongs. Clearly, for Donald Trump, his name is his brand and critically important.

This is an example of a name being chosen because of the brand experience associated with it. For Exxon, as an example, the name was chosen partly because it had no meaning. Created by its predecessor, Esso (Standard Oil of New Jersey) in the early 1970s, its evolution included variations that were dismissed for different reasons. One, Enco, was eliminated because it was too similar to a Japanese slang term enko, meaning, "stalled car," perhaps not great for the name of an oil & gasoline company.