How I Beat Google at Naming Their Product Feature: A Lesson in Product Marketing

Google’s recent announcement of a new feature made me question the thought process behind the naming of features

Big companies are often bad at naming their products and features. A good recent example is Microsoft Copilot+PC.

I mean, they could’ve asked their own GPT-4 to name their new line of AI computers. But, that’s not what I’m here to talk about.

I’m here to discuss how not to name a product feature, using Google as a case study. Is this just going to be just gyaan?

Of course not! I will also be coming up with a logical, catchy name for the feature in the end.

Let’s dive in, shall we?

‘Adaptive Audio’ for Google Meet

In May 2024, I came across a blog post on the Google Workspace blog titled “Introducing adaptive audio in Google Meet: creating ad-hoc meeting spaces with multiple laptops”.

At first glance, I had no idea what the feature was about.

However, from the name, I thought the adaptive noise cancellation feature, which is quite common in high-end headphones and earphones, was coming to Google Meet.

It made sense because Google Meet already has a noise cancellation feature. So, it was logical for me to think that maybe they were enhancing the feature to isolate noise and boost the voice of a co-worker who is sitting next to you and joining you on the same call.

I was right. Well, kind of…

According to Google’s blog,

“With ‘adaptive audio,’ you and your team can join Google Meet using multiple laptops in proximity without awkward echoes and audio feedback. This is a great benefit for organizations with not enough video conferencing rooms or without resources for dedicated conference room equipment.

Adaptive audio in Meet will automatically detect the presence of multiple laptops in the room and synchronize the microphones and speakers for a seamless audio experience. This allows teams to create ad-hoc meeting spaces anywhere with just their laptops, where everyone can be heard clearly, without the inconvenience of crowding around a single laptop.”

To put it simply, when multiple people sit next to each other with their mics and speakers turned on and join the same meeting, there’s an annoying feedback noise/echo. Adaptive audio fixes that problem and makes it easy to join a call from the same room.

I have two issues with the name:

1. The name, ‘Adaptive Audio,’ doesn’t convey the value of the feature.

2. And, there is another feature named ‘Adaptive Sound’ available for Google Pixel Buds.

Whaaat!

Adaptive Sound in Google Pixel Buds

According to Google’s support documentation,

“Adaptive Sound subtly and automatically optimizes volume based on the noise level of your environment.”

So, for Google users who already use Google Pixel Buds and Google Meet, the names ‘Adaptive Audio’ and ‘Adaptive Sound’ might sound similar and can be confusing.

But, how did Google fail to notice this?

I have a theory.

The Bias of Sticking to Internal Names

A lot of times, the team working on a feature will have a ‘working title,’ which eventually becomes the final title. This could be due to a rushed deadline or lack of creativity.

When I was working as a product marketer at Freshworks, we worked on a drag-and-drop workflow editor for Freshservice.

The internal working name for the feature was “Graphical Workflow Editor (GWE)”. People in the team got so used to the name, it almost became the final name for the feature. But, at the last minute, the product team and the marketers discussed and came up with the name “Workflow Automator”.

So, the bias is real.

The same might have happened at Google. ‘Adaptive Audio’ would’ve been an internal name in the beginning and eventually would’ve made its way to the release.

How can companies avoid this situation?

Large organizations like Google, Microsoft, and Apple — who have multiple products and hundreds of features — should have an internal feature directory. Teams should search their new feature names to make sure they don’t overlap or sound similar to their other features.

Solution: How Would I Rename ‘Adaptive Audio’?

If I were a product marketer at Google Meet, how would I rename ‘Adaptive Audio’?

Simple. I would’ve named the feature “Echo Fix”.

It fixes the echo that arises when a bunch of laptops are close to each other. The name says it all.

Sometimes the name of the feature lies in the outcome. You just have to use it as it is. Apple is a pioneer when it comes to naming features.

Here are some feature names that instantly communicate their value through their names

• FaceTime
• Time Machine
• AirDrop
• Shortcuts
• AirPlay
• CarPlay
• Screen Time

You get the idea. The best way to name a feature is by choosing a simple name that defines the outcome a user is going to get when they use it.

That’s why my choice for ‘Adaptive Audio’ is ‘Echo Fix’.

If you were to come up with a name for this feature, what would it be? Let me know in the comments.