Brand Naming Strategies

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

"Legs" explained: A name should provide "a theme with mileage you can build a brand around."

SCRATCH: 7 deal breakers

Sound symbolism quick guide (Lexicon/Placek)

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:

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

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.

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

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

Read reference/templates.md when producing a deliverable the user will keep, such as a filled worksheet, a documented decision, or a final write-up. Skip it for conceptual questions and quick recommendations, which this file covers. It opens with a table of contents, so load only the template needed:

• 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