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1-Page Summary of Hello, My Name Is Awesome
Linguistic Games
Naming a business, product or service is not scientific and does not follow any particular pattern. Many successful names are derived from common words, like “Obsession perfume” or “Mayday tech support.” These evocative commercial names engage consumers and build sales.
Some companies spend a lot of time and money coming up with awful names. Names like Xobni, Sur La Table, Flickr, Eukanuba and Iams are hard to pronounce or even understand. These names are not engaging for consumers and might confuse them. It is better to avoid such confusing names because employees will have to spend too much time explaining what they mean.
Good names make you smile and remember them, while mediocre ones are forgettable. The SMILE & SCRATCH test is a way to evaluate the attractiveness and effectiveness of a name.
“SMILE” Names
A strong brand name is a powerful tool for businesses. A good name should be super-sticky, meaning that it sticks in the mind of customers and helps them remember your business. The acronym SMILE defines what makes a great brand name: “Suggestive,” “Memorable” and “Imaginative.” For example, Amazon’s founders wanted to create an enormous company with an endless supply of products for sale. They named their company after the largest river in the world to suggest that they would have as many products as there are water molecules in this massive body of water. Other examples include Apple (creating new technology), IBM (a computer giant) or Brawny paper towels (strong).
“Meaningful” – Your name is important to consumers. In 1983, Norcal Waste Systems began operations as a West Coast garbage collection firm. But the word “waste” has few positive connotations in environmentally conscious California. So in 2009, the company renamed itself Recology and combined “recycle and ecology.” The new name resonates positively with customers. Another example is “Repel insect repellent.”
A name needs to be memorable and have a strong mental hook. The names “Bloom” and “Enviga” are not as memorable as the name “Irish Spring soap.” Both of those examples also show that a good name can work for many brand uses, such as taglines, blog names, trade show themes, email signoffs and more. A great example of this is Lynette Hoy who gave herself the title Fire Chief when she changed her company’s name from Lynette Hoy PR to Firetalker PR. She has packages named Inferno, Controlled Burn and Matchbox which all use fire in some way or another (her ringtone is even called “Fire”). Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream exemplifies its brand personality with products like Cherry Garcia, Chocolate Therapy, Chubby Hubby, etc. Another positive example is Spoon Me frozen yogurt.
“Emotional” – The name of the product appeals to people’s feelings. Half of all buying decisions are based on emotion, according to Fast Company. When Hotel Vitale changed the names of its wedding-related events, sales increased by 25%. “Rehearsal Dinner” became “Meet the Parents,” and so on. Another example is “Snuggle fabric softener.”
“SCRATCH” Names
It’s important to have a memorable name for your company, but it doesn’t mean that every unique name is good. A lot of companies spend too much time coming up with a creative or unique name and don’t focus on how the public will perceive it.
The acronym SCRATCH identifies four problems with names: * “Spelling-challenged,” which makes it hard to find the company. This includes companies that use numbers in their name, like “Coast2coast and Friends 2b Made.” Another issue is using a misspelled word in the name—like “Houzz interior design.”
