Brand Naming Strategies

---
name: brand-naming-strategies
description: Use when naming or renaming a company, product, or startup, generating or scoring name candidates, or checking domain and trademark availability for a name. Keywords - brand name, naming strategy, SMILE and SCRATCH test, descriptive vs invented vs abstract names, sound symbolism, naming matrix, domain availability, trademark screening.
---

# 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:

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.

---

## 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](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

### 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 full naming sessions, the `brand-naming-specialist` agent contains 800+ lines of methodology including detailed output formats, generation exercises, and the full professional process.