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In today's episode of Tiny Marketing, I, Sarah Noel Block, dive deep into the art of naming brands with the incredibly talented Alexandra Watkins, the mastermind behind names you know and love, like the Wendy's Baconator!

Biggest Takeaways

Smile and Scratch Framework: Alexandra Watkins provides a clear and effective methodology for naming brands through her "Smile and Scratch" framework. SMILE stands for Suggestive, Memorable, Imagery, Legs, and Emotional—qualities that make a name attractive and sticky. SCRATCH represents the pitfalls to avoid, ensuring the name doesn’t confuse or alienate potential customers.
Importance of Memorable Names: A great brand name should leverage existing knowledge or concepts to be memorable. For instance, using metaphors like "Kryptonite" for a bike lock plays on familiar themes (Superman’s weakness) to enhance recall and association.
Strategic Repulsion: Effective naming isn’t just about attracting the right audience but also about repelling the wrong one. This ensures that the business aligns more closely with its ideal customer base, enhancing satisfaction and efficiency.
Emotional Connection: Names should make a strong emotional connection with the audience. This connection can transform a mundane interaction into a memorable experience, fostering loyalty and positive associations with the brand.
Future-proofing Your Brand Name: It’s crucial to choose a name that doesn’t limit your business's growth. A name should be broad enough to encompass potential future expansions and not lock you into a narrow niche, preventing costly rebrands down the line.

Meet Alexandra

Alexandra Watkins is a leading and outspoken authority on brand names with buzz. If you have ever eaten a Wendy’s Baconator, you have literally eaten the words. For nearly 20 years, she and her naming firm, Eat My Words, have created love-at-first sight brand names for countless companies including Amazon, Coca-Cola, Disney, Twitter, and Google.

Free SMILE & SCRATCH Name Evaluation Test

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