brand-naming-strategies

What this skill does

# 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 |

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## 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 |

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## 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)

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## Marty Neumeier's 8 Criteria

A great name should be:

1. **Distinctive** — Stands apart from competitors
2. **Brief** — Short enough to remember and type
3. **Appropriate** — Fits the brand personality
4. **Easy to spell** — No guessing required
5. **Easy to pronounce** — Flows naturally when spoken
6. **Likeable** — Creates positive first impression
7. **Extendible** — Works across products and markets
8. **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)

1. **Three Words Technique** — Each person writes 3 words that should describe the brand
2. **Syllable Recombination** — Cut words into syllables, combine randomly
3. **Root Word Mining** — Greek/Latin roots for professional-sounding names (Xerox from "xeros")
4. **Portmanteau Creation** — Blend two words (Pinterest = Pin + Interest)
5. **Sound Symbolism** — Use letters that evoke desired feelings
6. **Free Association** — Idioms, proverbs, song lyrics, foreign words
7. **Novel Spelling** — Phonetically equivalent spellings (careful: don't fail SCRATCH)

**Key Principle**: Generate 1,000+ candidates before evaluating. Quantity leads to quality.

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## 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
1. **[name].com** — Always check first, highest value
2. **[name].io** — Strong for tech startups
3. **[name].co** — Viable alternative
4. **[name]app.com** — If product-focused
5. **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

1. **Generic/Descriptive** — "Best Tech Solutions" fails to differentiate
2. **Ignoring Availability** — Falling in love before checking domains
3. **Cultural Blindspots** — Names with negative meanings in other languages
4. **Too Complex** — Long, hard-to-spell names frustrate customers
5. **Trendy Suffixes** — "-ify", "-io", "-ly" date quickly
6. **Beauty Contest Testing** — Testing for likeability produces bland names

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## 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

1. **Names are strategic assets** — Every marketing dollar spent on a good name compounds
2. **Memorability beats cleverness** — If they can't remember it, nothing else matters
3. **Sound shapes perception** — Phonetics work subconsciously before meaning registers
4. **Legs enable growth** — Names with extension potential multiply brand investment
5. **Availability is non-negotiable** — Fall in love with names that are free to own

---

## Templates

See [reference/templates.md](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
- Chec