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Brand Naming Strategies
Quick reference for strategic brand naming using expert methodologies from Lexicon, Eat My Words, Catchword, and Igor.
"A name should make you smile instead of scratch your head. If it makes you scratch your head, scratch it off the list." — Alexandra Watkins
Key Statistics
- 2.5x increase in company value after Emode renamed to Tickle (4 months)
- 30% traffic increase from name change alone
- 2 syllables = optimal for memorability
- 1,000-3,000 candidates needed before finding gems (Lexicon)
The SMILE & SCRATCH Framework (Alexandra Watkins)
SMILE — 5 Qualities of a Great Name
| Letter | Quality | Description | Example |
|---|
| S | Suggestive | Evokes something about your brand | Amazon suggests vastness |
| M | Memorable | Makes an association with the familiar | Apple connects to something everyone knows |
| I | Imagery | Aids memory through evocative visuals | Jaguar creates immediate mental picture |
| L | Legs | Lends itself to extended wordplay and branding | Nike allows "Just Do It" mythology |
| E | Emotional | Moves people | Patagonia evokes adventure |
"Legs" Explained : A name should provide "a theme with mileage you can build a brand around."
SCRATCH — 7 Deal Breakers
| Letter | Deal Breaker | Red Flag |
|---|
| S | Spelling Challenged | Looks like a typo |
| C | Copycat | Sounds like existing brand |
| R | Restrictive | Limits future growth (Boston Market) |
| A | Annoying | Forced, excessive wordplay |
| T | Tame | Flat, descriptive, uninspired |
| C | Curse of Knowledge | Speaks only to insiders |
| H | Hard to Pronounce | If people avoid saying it, they avoid you |
Sound Symbolism Quick Guide (Lexicon/Placek)
| Sound | Psychological Impact | Example Names |
|---|
| V | Vibrant, alive | Corvette, Vercel, Viagra |
| B | Reliable, solid | BlackBerry |
| Z | Attention-getting | Azure, Zara |
| X | Innovative | Xerox, SpaceX |
| Plosives (b, c, k, p) | Memorable | Coca-Cola, Kodak |
| Soft sounds (l, m, n) | Approachable | Lululemon, Amazon |
The Naming Matrix
Position names on two axes — Approach (descriptive to abstract) and Construct (real-word to coined):
CONSTRUCT
Real-Word Compound Coined
↓ ↓ ↓
┌─────────┬─────────────┬──────────┐
Abstract │ Roku │ YouTube │ Xerox │
│ Apple │ Snapchat │ Kodak │
↑ ├─────────┼─────────────┼──────────┤
│ │ Amazon │ Airbnb │ Spotify │
Suggestive│ Slack │ Pinterest │ Verizon │
│ ├─────────┼─────────────┼──────────┤
↓ │ PayPal │ Salesforce │Accenture │
Descriptive│General │ TripAdvisor │ (rare) │
│Motors │ │ │
└─────────┴─────────────┴──────────┘
APPROACH
The Clarity vs. Creativity Spectrum
Descriptive ─────────── Suggestive ─────────── Abstract
100% clarity Sweet spot 100% creativity
0% creativity Balance of both 0% clarity
Sweet spot for most startups : Suggestive names (Netflix, Airbnb, Slack)
Marty Neumeier's 8 Criteria
A great name should be:
- Distinctive — Stands apart from competitors
- Brief — Short enough to remember and type
- Appropriate — Fits the brand personality
- Easy to spell — No guessing required
- Easy to pronounce — Flows naturally when spoken
- Likeable — Creates positive first impression
- Extendible — Works across products and markets
- Protectable — Can be trademarked
Catchword's 10 Touchstones
| Touchstone | What It Means
---|---|---
1 | Available | .com and social handles obtainable
2 | Trademarkable | Can be legally protected
3 | Memorable | Sticks after one hearing
4 | Scalable | Allows business expansion
5 | Short | Few syllables, easy to type
6 | Positive Affect | Creates good feelings
7 | Good for SEO | Searchable, not too generic
8 | Easy to Pronounce | No stumbling
9 | Easy to Spell | Intuitive spelling
10 | Distinctive | Unique in category
Name Generation Techniques (Quick Reference)
- Three Words Technique — Each person writes 3 words that should describe the brand
- Syllable Recombination — Cut words into syllables, combine randomly
- Root Word Mining — Greek/Latin roots for professional-sounding names (Xerox from "xeros")
- Portmanteau Creation — Blend two words (Pinterest = Pin + Interest)
- Sound Symbolism — Use letters that evoke desired feelings
- Free Association — Idioms, proverbs, song lyrics, foreign words
- Novel Spelling — Phonetically equivalent spellings (careful: don't fail SCRATCH)
Key Principle : Generate 1,000+ candidates before evaluating. Quantity leads to quality.
The Naming Funnel
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 1,000-3,000 candidates │ ← Wide generation
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 200-300 initial screen │ ← Basic criteria
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 30 for availability │ ← Domain/TM checks
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 10-15 for presentation │ ← Full vetting
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 5-7 vetted options │ ← Client decision
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
Domain Strategy
Priority Order
- [name].com — Always check first, highest value
- [name].io — Strong for tech startups
- [name].co — Viable alternative
- [name]app.com — If product-focused
- get[name].com — Action-oriented alternative
Social Handle Considerations
- Keep under 15 characters for Twitter/X
- Check consistency across platforms
- Tools: BrandSnag, Namechk, Knowem
Common Naming Mistakes
- Generic/Descriptive — "Best Tech Solutions" fails to differentiate
- Ignoring Availability — Falling in love before checking domains
- Cultural Blindspots — Names with negative meanings in other languages
- Too Complex — Long, hard-to-spell names frustrate customers
- Trendy Suffixes — "-ify", "-io", "-ly" date quickly
- Beauty Contest Testing — Testing for likeability produces bland names
Key Principles
"You need 1,000 to 1,500 names before you'll find gems." — David Placek (Lexicon)
"Comfort has no power in brand naming." — David Placek (Sonos was initially rejected)
"It's called branding, not blanding." — Catchword
"The hard part of naming is not coming up with a great idea. The hard part is finding an available name." — Jeremy Miller
Universal Truths
- Names are strategic assets — Every marketing dollar spent on a good name compounds
- Memorability beats cleverness — If they can't remember it, nothing else matters
- Sound shapes perception — Phonetics work subconsciously before meaning registers
- Legs enable growth — Names with extension potential multiply brand investment
- Availability is non-negotiable — Fall in love with names that are free to own
Templates
See reference/templates.md for:
- Name Evaluation Scorecard (SMILE + SCRATCH)
- Naming Brief Template (discovery questions)
- Name Candidate Table (for presenting options)
- Comparison Matrix Template
- Domain Availability Tracker
- Final Selection Documentation Template
- Output Validation Checklist
When to Apply This Knowledge
During Name Development
- Use SMILE test to evaluate candidates
- Apply SCRATCH filter to eliminate deal-breakers
- Consider sound symbolism for strategic impact
During Name Evaluation
- Reference Catchword's 10 Touchstones
- Check Marty Neumeier's 8 Criteria
- Use comparison matrix for objective scoring
During Presentation
- Position names on the Naming Matrix
- Explain strategic rationale for each
- Prioritize .com availability
During Final Selection
- Verify domain still available (can change quickly)
- Recommend immediate purchase
- Check trademark conflicts
Deep Methodology
For comprehensive naming sessions, the brand-naming-specialist agent contains 800+ lines of expert methodology including detailed output formats, generation exercises, and full professional process.
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