Chapter 4
The Visual Power of Brand Names
Names associated with strong visual images are nearly impossible to forget. Just as people with names like Daisy, Forrest, or Chopper are easily remembered because they evoke clear mental pictures, brand names with strong imagery cement themselves in our brains. This is demonstrated through a memory exercise where random letters (W SJBL TDM VFD RNY CNH LDOJ) are much harder to recall than the same letters grouped into familiar acronyms (WSJ BLT DMV FDR NYC NHL DOJ).
However, imagery can backfire spectacularly-like ToiletTree (a personal care products company) which evokes disgusting bathroom visuals despite selling oral hygiene products. Similarly, Norcal Waste Systems needed rebranding because "waste" created negative imagery for environmentally-conscious customers, despite the company being an industry leader in recycling and composting. They successfully rebranded as Recology, fusing "recycle" and "ecology" to create a name that employees could feel proud of.
The power of visual imagery explains why names like Grasshopper, Ironwood, and Oaktree stick with us-they instantly create pictures in our minds that help us remember and relate to the brand. When choosing a name, ask yourself: "What image does this name create in someone's mind?" If the answer is nothing or something negative, reconsider your choice.
Chapter 5
Names That Go the Distance
Names with "legs" provide endless verbal branding opportunities through a strong theme that extends to taglines, blogs, promotional items, and more. Latitude Margaritaville retirement communities brilliantly extend their theme to street names like Flip Flop Court and Lost Shaker Way. PR professional Lynette Hoy rebranded from her personal name to Firetalker PR, then extended the fire theme throughout her business with packages like "Fire Starter" and "Fan the Flame of Success."
The most extendable themes include fire, magic, music, travel, nature, romance, art, and food. In contrast, names made of meaningless letters or created just to secure a domain often struggle with theme extension. Noom, a weight-loss app, awkwardly forces wordplay with terms like "Noomtastic" and "Noomily" that feel contrived rather than clever.
Developing a naming theme early helps tremendously when launching product families. Apple masterfully did this with iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad and iCloud. Other effective approaches include the straightforward "Help I Have a Headache" medication family, Ben & Jerry's personality-driven ice cream names (Cherry Garcia, Chubby Hubby), and Ford's "F" initial letter strategy (Fairmont, Falcon, Focus).
A catchy name can even become a revenue stream through merchandise. Hooters makes "an obscene amount of money" selling over 250 branded items. With the right name, customers will actually pay you to advertise your brand, wearing your logo on hats, shirts and other merchandise. This additional revenue stream can be substantial for businesses with names that resonate emotionally with customers.
Chapter 6
The Emotional Impact of a Great Name
Names that make us feel good can directly influence purchasing decisions. According to Forrester Research, 50% of every buying decision is driven by emotion. The author once bought an expensive "Boss Lady Ring" simply because the name made her feel empowered. When comparing similar products, an emotionally resonant name can be the deciding factor-like choosing "The Executioner" mosquito zapper over competitors with weaker names like "BugKwikZap" or "Zurgon," despite its higher price.
Wine buyers frequently select bottles based on appealing names like "Fat Bastard" or "7 Deadly Zins." Hotel Vitale saw a 25% increase in wedding business simply by renaming services from generic terms to emotionally engaging ones like changing "Post-Reception Bar Rental" to "Last Call for Alcohol" and "Coed Bridal Shower" to "Shower Together." These clever name changes brought levity to wedding planning while adding perceived value-with no other marketing changes required.
B2B companies often fear unconventional names will prevent them being taken seriously, but the author's own firm "Eat My Words" has attracted high-profile clients including Coca-Cola, Disney, and Google. Law firm "Bedrock" transformed its business after rebranding from the founder's difficult-to-pronounce surname. Their revenue increased and they attracted better-fit clients because the name showed confidence without self-importance. As the author concludes, "If a law firm can enjoy success with an unconventional name, any business can. Objection overruled."
Chapter 7
The SCRATCH Test: Seven Deadly Naming Sins
Just as important as knowing what makes a great name is understanding what makes a terrible one. The SCRATCH test identifies seven fatal flaws that can doom your brand name from the start: Spelling-challenged, Copycat, Restrictive, Annoying, Tame, Curse of knowledge, and Hard-to-pronounce.
Names with non-intuitive spellings aren't clever-they're frustrating. Companies like "Boottique" (boot rack) and "Speesees" (organic baby clothing) force employees to constantly explain their spellings. The organic baby clothing company Speesees exemplifies problematic naming. Employees had to constantly explain the bizarre spelling, saying things like "That's Stacey with an e, S-T-A-C-E-Y at Speesees dot com. S-P-E-E-S-E-E-S." Beyond being embarrassing, the name was creepy for baby products and broke a fundamental naming rule: your business name should not rhyme with "feces." Speesees is now out of business.
Multiple spelling options require explanation and create confusion. "Bawte" (pronounced like "bot") forces explanations like "It's Bawte, as in, 'we bought the domain name for 99 cents,' but you spell it B-A-W-T-E." Like many startups with problematic names, Bawte eventually failed.
Numbers in names work when written as heard (23andMe, 21st Amendment Brewery), but using numerals as word substitutes looks amateurish and requires explanation. With names like "love2learn," you'll "4ever have 2 spell your name" when saying it aloud. The ultimate test for spelling-challenged names is how voice recognition systems handle them. If Siri garbles your name or autocorrect suggests wrong words, you've glimpsed your customers' future frustration.
Chapter 8
Avoiding the Copycat Trap
Hijacking another company's naming concept damages your business reputation and customer trust. Copycat names appear lazy, unoriginal, and risk trademark infringement. Pinkberry's success spawned numerous imitators with "berry" names (Yoberry, Blissberry, Yogiberry), many facing legal challenges.
Stay away from played-out naming styles that instantly date your brand: eAnything (hopelessly dated), iAnything (unless you're Apple), uAnything, words ending in "ly" (especially with .ly domains), fruit names (Apple copycats), and overused words like "monkey," "rocket," "daddy," "zen," "bright," and "belly." Color-noun combinations are particularly saturated-"the only one left is beigekumquat.com."
With only 26 letters in the English alphabet, it's nearly impossible to find a completely unique "dictionary word" name. Unrelated brands can share names when audiences won't confuse them-when showering with Dove soap, you don't think of Dove ice cream bars, just as Magnum ice cream doesn't evoke Magnum condoms. However, avoid using names of highly recognizable brands like Rolls Royce, Apple, or Virgin, which would invite legal challenges.
Chapter 9
Names That Grow With Your Business
Choose a name wide enough to accommodate future growth. Canadian Tire sells everything from toasters to trampolines despite its restrictive name, requiring the apologetic tagline "There is a lot more to Canadian Tire than tires." Amazon, conversely, was named to suggest "enormous" from the beginning, allowing it to expand far beyond books. The lawn care startup "Lawn Love" quickly outgrew its name when adding snow removal and Christmas light installation services-a broader name like "A Cut Above" would have provided more flexibility.
A name with an age limit can severely restrict your business growth. See Jane Farm discovered this when younger audiences missed the reference to Dick and Jane primers. They wisely rebranded to "Plenty"-a timeless, globally relevant name that helped them secure over $200M in funding. Similarly, Amazon chose a name that would never limit its scope, unlike restrictive names like "Book Barn." Other cautionary examples include 99 Only Stores (now selling items up to $3.99), 24 Hour Fitness (limited hours at some locations), and Hotel Tonight (taking reservations 100 days out). The key lesson: choose a name that gives your business room to evolve.
Chapter 10
The Annoying, Tame, and Confusing
Names that feel contrived, nonsensical, or grammatically incorrect frustrate customers and damage your brand. Inventing words for your brand is tricky business. Forced mashups like "Femfessionals" make people cringe rather than connect. Lazy word modifications (Learnia, Washio) show a complete lack of creativity. Even natural food brands fall into this trap with names like Activia and Enviga that ironically sound artificial.
Intentional ambiguity is a branding disaster. ThirdLove's cofounder actually boasted, "We like that the meaning is ambiguous"-but customers don't share this enthusiasm, often associating the name with menage a trois or third nipples. Equally confusing is Orangetheory, a gym name that sounds more like a pretentious juice bar. Your brand name should clarify, not mystify.
Grammatically challenged names like Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, RetailMeNot, and Be Relax appear unprofessional and turn off customers. The worst offender? Toys "R" Us violates nearly every rule of English in just seven letters. Poor grammar sets a bad example and undermines your credibility.
Unless you're looking in a rearview mirror, backward names like "neerg" (green spelled backward) are frustratingly annoying. The rare exception is Harpo (Oprah backward), which works because it's already a recognizable name (Harpo Marx) that creates a smile in either direction.
In a world where people check their phones 150 times daily, boring names get lost. Unless you have a gazillion-dollar ad budget, you can't afford a tame, uninspiring name. Your name can be descriptive without being bland. Creative descriptive names like Range Rover, Gentle Dental, and True Measure stand out. Springfree Trampolines brilliantly conveys both product feature (free of springs) and emotional benefit (springing free). Contrast these with forgettable names like LendingClub, Instacart, and DocuSign, or the countless indistinguishable "cloud" companies (CloudBus, CloudNOW, CloudTek) that blend together in a competitive fog.
Chapter 11
When Only Insiders Understand
When you're deeply immersed in your industry, it's easy to forget what outsiders don't know. This "curse of knowledge" leads to names that alienate potential customers through insider jargon and obscure references.
Even Apple stumbled with OS names like "Mavericks" (a surf beach familiar mainly to Californians) and "Yosemite" (often mispronounced). The founders of "HealthSouk" failed to realize most North Americans don't know what a "souk" is-hardly an appealing association for dental services anyway. Remember: what's obvious to you might be completely foreign to your customers.
Alphanumeric product names like M202, VS63, and HX802 may make sense internally but are meaningless and annoying to consumers. When Eat My Words renamed these Altec Lansing products as Moondance, Backbeat, and Expressionist, they transformed forgettable codes into memorable brands that connected emotionally with customers.
While foreign language disasters are rare (like Colgate's "Cue" toothpaste sharing a name with French porn), they can be costly. For global brands, invest in professional linguistic screening. And don't forget to check Urban Dictionary for troublesome slang meanings-a step that could have saved Beaner's Coffee from a million-dollar rebrand after discovering their name was a racial slur, or prevented Yellow Fever restaurant from associating with both a deadly disease and racial fetishism.
Before finalizing any name, search Urban Dictionary to avoid unintended associations. While you shouldn't panic over a few thumbs-up votes for an obscure definition, be wary of names with multiple unfortunate meanings and substantial engagement. This simple step could have prevented embarrassments like SARS software (named before but not changed after the disease outbreak) and saved many otherwise good names from entering the "sexicon."
Just as you might avoid ordering "millefeuille" to prevent embarrassment, customers avoid brands they can't pronounce. UCLA research shows stocks with difficult names are purchased less frequently, and politicians with hard-to-pronounce names lag in polls. Names in all caps cause confusion (like ING mistaken for "ing" rhyming with "bling"), and CamelCasing creates visual stumbling blocks. Multiple pronunciation possibilities (like Ouray's "you-RAY," "yer-AY," or "your-AY") create brand confusion, while diacritical marks like in "BRoo" frustrate users. Your brand name should be as welcoming as a front door sign, not a linguistic obstacle course.
Chapter 12
Domain Name Strategies That Won't Break the Bank
Domain names don't need to cause hair-pulling frustration. Some of the most memorable domains come from creative workarounds, like Peanut Butter & Co.'s unforgettable ILovePeanutButter.com. Many successful companies launched with alternative domains before acquiring their exact match-Tesla operated with TeslaMotors.com for 12 years, while Facebook began as thefacebook.com.
Don't start your naming process at a domain registrar-first create your brand name, then find a suitable domain. Remember that short isn't necessarily better; a memorable longer domain beats a meaningless short one every time. With over 342 million registered domains, no one expects new businesses to have short URLs-there simply aren't any real words left.
Instead of spending thousands on meaningless "wurdz" like Bxus, Vyrr, or Quabe from domain aftermarkets, try these five strategies to secure an available domain that's easy to spell, pronounce, and understand for just $9.95:
1. Add a modifier: Adding a simple modifier to your name is now common and perfectly acceptable. Goodbit, a cryptocurrency education company, secured Goodbit101.com for about $10 in Bitcoin. International brands like Luxor (WorldOfLuxor.com), Swig (SwigLife.com), and Bliss (BlissWorld.com) all use this strategy successfully.
2. Use domain suggestion tools: Tools like NameStudio by Verisign can generate extensive ranges of real-word modifiers and related words when your ideal domain isn't available.
3. Try a memorable phrase: Creating an unforgettable phrase related to your business makes a lasting impression and helps customers find you when they can't recall your business name. Examples include GobbleGobble.com (Greenberg Smoked Turkey), VeggiesMadeEasy.com (Mann Packing), and JoeKnowsCoffee.com (Paramount Coffee Company).
4. Make your domain name a call to action: Just like powerful ad campaign taglines, domain names can inspire action. Restaurant Honor Society uses EatWithHonor.com, while technology futurist Patrick Schwerdtfeger directs meeting planners to BookPatrick.com.
5. Consider .net extensions: While dot-com is most desirable for business, .net is a trusted alternative used by established sites like Speedtest.net, SlidesShare.net, and Whois.net.
Chapter 13
The Creative Naming Process
Before jumping into brainstorming names, it's essential to complete a creative brief that defines exactly what your brand is and what you want the name to convey. This brief serves as an ingredients list for cooking up the perfect name, helping you stay focused and preventing you from choosing the wrong name.
A comprehensive creative brief includes the goal of your naming project, brand positioning, consumer insights, target audience information, competitors' names, desired brand experiences, and personality traits. One particularly helpful element is listing brand names from your industry that you like and dislike, with reasons why. While your brief may contain hundreds of words, remember that your final name will be only one to three words and can't say everything.
The creative brief prompts you to identify 5-10 adjectives that best describe your brand's personality. For a frozen yogurt shop example, these might include fun, lighthearted, playful, modern, hip, likeable, cool, and nice. This exercise is most effective when you think of your brand as a person.
The brief includes sections for words to potentially include in your name (like Zen, Green, Yo, Eco, Fro, Hangout) and words to explicitly avoid (Health/Healthy as it "doesn't appeal to teens," Natural as "boring," and Bytes as "silly"). This helps focus your brainstorming in productive directions.
Chapter 14
Brainstorming That Actually Works
Brainstorming names should be fun and productive when using proven tools and techniques. The traditional approach of conference room meetings or gathering friends over wine doesn't work well. Instead, brainstorming is most effective when done individually at your computer, using the internet as your primary tool. This allows you to explore unexpected connections and go down creative "rabbit holes" that can lead to brilliant name ideas.
Innovation rarely happens in sterile conference rooms with fluorescent lighting and whiteboards. Group brainstorming typically results in a chaotic process where extroverts dominate while introverts hesitate to contribute. The resulting names are often mediocre compromises that meet the least resistance rather than truly exceptional brand names.
The ideal number of participants for brainstorming names is one-you-and the optimal place is in front of your computer. The internet is the single most powerful brainstorming tool, allowing you to explore unexpected connections and follow creative tangents. As the author's mother says, "The creative process is an idea orgy, where you can jump into bed with any enticing idea that comes along."
Before starting, keep the SMILE & SCRATCH test handy to quickly evaluate your ideas. Three tips to maximize creativity: 1) Open your mind and let it become a playground-be fearless with no one to shoot down your ideas; 2) Write down every idea, even those that don't feel right, categorizing them as "Spot On," "Maybe," and "Sparks"; and 3) Have your creative brief handy as your ingredients list.
Chapter 15
Creative Naming Beyond Products
From McDonald's to Microsoft, creative naming in corporate environments delights employees, breaks monotony, improves morale, and positively impacts culture. Companies like Etsy use musician-food mash-ups for conference rooms (Fleetwood Mac 'n' Cheese), while Yahoo calls its cybersecurity team "The Paranoids." Even conservative corporations can benefit from injecting levity through thoughtful naming practices.
Imaginative meeting room names transform mundane spaces into sources of inspiration. LinkedIn's San Francisco headquarters names rooms after local events (Pillow Fight, Bay to Breakers), while Groupon embraces irreverence with names like "Elvis Is Alive in Here" and "Unlimited Salad and Breadsticks." Mozilla draws from movies and comics (Batcave, Death Star), while other companies use themes like candy, childhood toys, iconic dances, or tongue twisters to spark conversation and delight visitors.
Thoughtful ticker symbols extend brand mileage and create smiles. Veterinary Centers of America used WOOF, Heineken has HEINY, and DMC Global (specializing in explosive metalworking) chose BOOM. Other clever examples include GRR (Asia Tigers Fund), RACE (Ferrari), FAN (Global Wind Energy), and FUN (Cedar Fair).
Corporate cafeterias benefit from playful naming: Ogilvy & Mather's was Hell's Kitchen, Etsy has Eatsy, and Dropbox offers the Tuck Shop (though they missed opportunities like Lunchbox or Breadbox). Workday embraces tech themes with Cloud Cafe, Byte Cafe, and Data Diner. Bland cafeterias could be transformed with names like The Dish, Chop-Chop, or Dine & Dash (if the food is free).
Internal creative departments deserve distinctive branding that reflects their innovative spirit. Rather than generic "Creative Services," teams gain pride through names like McDonald's Agency 123 (named for Pantone 123, the golden arches color). Other inspiring examples include 96 Octane (Progressive Insurance), Agency Inside (Intel), The Cooler (Experian), Green Dot Agency (Deloitte), and Yellow Tag Productions (Best Buy). Disney's brilliantly named Yellow Shoes creative agency pays homage to Mickey Mouse's iconic footwear.
Creative job titles can transform workplace culture and employee wellbeing. While some might shy away from titles like "Software Ninjaneer" or "Lord of the Fries," research shows self-reflective titles reduce emotional exhaustion. A Make-A-Wish Foundation study found 85% of employees reported better stress management after adopting titles like Fairy Godmother of Wishes, Magic Messenger, and King of Cashola. These titles fostered equality, reduced hierarchy intimidation, lightened serious work, improved workplace relationships, and instilled pride-proving that meaningful titles can genuinely transform workplace experience.
Chapter 16
Making the Final Decision
Building consensus around name choices requires structure rather than haphazard approaches. Counter-intuitively, the process works best when stakeholders first review names independently rather than in group settings, allowing everyone fair consideration without intimidation. This preparation leads to more constructive group discussions where people champion favorites instead of criticizing options.
The key to building consensus is avoiding initial group discussions. Instead, distribute name lists to stakeholders for independent review, allowing them to enjoy options without intimidation. This approach ensures everyone has fair input before meeting as a group after several days of consideration. When they do convene, reviewers come prepared to champion favorites rather than criticize others' choices-a remarkably civil process.
Success in name approval requires strategy: provide dozens of options to increase agreement odds; include brief rationales explaining why each name fits the brand; demonstrate contextual usage in sentences; distribute hard copies rather than digital lists; encourage multiple reviews over several days; include the SMILE & SCRATCH test as evaluation criteria; and attach the approved creative brief to maintain focus on agreed goals.
After everyone has reviewed names for a few days, collect and sort them to identify consensus. Meet as a group where individuals can champion names they believe are right for the brand-this helps others see merits they might have missed. As heads nod in agreement, winners will emerge naturally. Rank names by preference before beginning trademark screening, but critically, avoid polling outsiders for opinions.
Focus groups inevitably water down choices to the safest rather than strongest options. Many successful brand names would have been rejected if focus-tested: Fossil ("sounds like a dirty old relic"), Lush ("a passed-out alcoholic"), Coach ("worst place on an airplane"), Skinny Cow ("implies I'm fat"), The Body Shop ("greasy auto repair place"), True Religion ("blasphemous!"), and others that initially seem problematic but became iconic brands.
With the knowledge and tools from this book, you now possess the ability to create brand names that make people smile rather than scratch their heads. Remember to protect your final name by registering the trademark immediately-don't delay this crucial step. A brilliant name paired with a talented graphic designer's visual identity will set your brand on the path to success, creating a powerful first impression that will be seen, said, and heard countless times throughout its life.
