Competing against established market leaders is one of the toughest challenges in business—but what if being second isn’t a setback, but a strategic advantage?
A new Amazon best-selling book, Winning the Naming Game When You’re Not First: Smart Strategies for Second Place Brands, offers practical guidance for companies entering crowded markets. Written by veteran naming expert John Hoeppner, the book fills a long-overlooked gap in branding literature by focusing on challenger brands and late entrants.
“The goal of effective brand naming is to develop and choose a name that reflects and fits your customers’ needs so precisely that the name sells the product,” said Hoeppner during a keynote at the International Trademark Association Forum.
Drawing on more than 30 years of experience naming products for Fortune 1000 companies worldwide, Hoeppner reveals how second-place brands can leverage the success and missteps of category pioneers to carve out distinctive positions. The book provides naming strategies that amplify differentiation, accelerate memorability, and drive long-term brand equity.
Early reviews from marketing and business leaders have been overwhelmingly positive:
- “Puts complex branding and marketing concepts into practical, understandable frameworks.”
- “A must-read for marketers, entrepreneurs, and strategists seeking to stand out in saturated markets.”
With real-world examples and actionable tools, each chapter equips readers with techniques to:
- Identify overlooked market opportunities
- Avoid common naming pitfalls
- Test and refine names for stronger emotional and strategic resonance
Hoeppner is the founder of Brand Name Quest, a global naming consultancy known for pioneering research-based linguistic data mining and industry-specific normative testing. His firm has completed successful naming initiatives for companies across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Hoeppner’s work has earned five consecutive Edison New Product Awards from the American Marketing Association, along with the Governor’s Award for Outstanding Industry Contributions.
More than just a theory-based branding guide, Winning the Naming Game When You’re Not First is a hands-on roadmap for businesses looking to cut through the noise. Whether launching a new product, rebranding a legacy name, or repositioning in a fast-moving category, the book helps brands become unforgettable—without being first.
Now available on Amazon, the book is already a Top 50 bestseller in the Product Management category.
About the Author
John Hoeppner is founder and president of Brand Name Quest, a leading brand naming and name research firm. With three decades of experience in verbal identity strategy, he has helped build and reposition brands across industries and continents. Hoeppner has been a featured speaker at the American Marketing Association, the International Trademark Association, and institutions such as the Thunderbird School of Global Management.
