Output format·Design & Media

Brand Naming Strategies

Provides brand naming frameworks, evaluation criteria, and templates for startup naming work.

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Buy it · $29 Read it before you buy $29 Written by mike-coulbourn · unverified publisher
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2 files · 19.5 kBtext throughout, nothing executable
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MITpaid listing
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Servers it uses
Noneruns standalone

What it does

Provides brand naming frameworks, evaluation criteria, and templates for startup naming work. Auto-activates during brand name development, name evaluation, domain checking, and trademark research. Use when discussing brand name, company name, product name, naming strategy, SMILE SCRATCH framework, domain availability, trademark, name evaluation, sound symbolism, or naming matrix.

Installed, it changes the agent in these ways.

What this skill changes about the agent is not written down here yet. The listing was collected from its source, and the description is in its own SKILL.md.

Output format

Produces one artefact, exactly shaped.

Filed under

Design & Media

The skill itself

This is the whole product. A skill is instructions the model reads, so there is nothing behind the listing you cannot see first — the front matter loads with every session, and the body below it loads when the skill triggers.

SKILL.md10.0 kB · 251 lines
--- name: brand-naming-strategies description: Provides brand naming frameworks, evaluation criteria, and templates for startup naming work. Auto-activates during brand name development, name evaluation, domain checking, and trademark research. Use when discussing brand name, company name, product name, naming strategy, SMILE SCRATCH framework, domain availability, trademark, name evaluation, sound symbolism, or naming matrix. ---
6# Brand Naming Strategies
7
8Quick reference for strategic brand naming using expert methodologies from Lexicon, Eat My Words, Catchword, and Igor.
9
10> "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
11
12---
13
14## Key Statistics
15
16- **2.5x increase** in company value after Emode renamed to Tickle (4 months)
17- **30% traffic increase** from name change alone
18- **2 syllables** = optimal for memorability
19- **1,000-3,000 candidates** needed before finding gems (Lexicon)
20
21---
22
23## The SMILE & SCRATCH Framework (Alexandra Watkins)
24
25### SMILE — 5 Qualities of a Great Name
26
27| Letter | Quality | Description | Example |
28|--------|---------|-------------|---------|
29| **S** | Suggestive | Evokes something about your brand | Amazon suggests vastness |
30| **M** | Memorable | Makes an association with the familiar | Apple connects to something everyone knows |
31| **I** | Imagery | Aids memory through evocative visuals | Jaguar creates immediate mental picture |
32| **L** | Legs | Lends itself to extended wordplay and branding | Nike allows "Just Do It" mythology |
33| **E** | Emotional | Moves people | Patagonia evokes adventure |
34
35**"Legs" Explained**: A name should provide "a theme with mileage you can build a brand around."
36
37### SCRATCH — 7 Deal Breakers
38
39| Letter | Deal Breaker | Red Flag |
40|--------|--------------|----------|
41| **S** | Spelling Challenged | Looks like a typo |
42| **C** | Copycat | Sounds like existing brand |
43| **R** | Restrictive | Limits future growth (Boston Market) |
44| **A** | Annoying | Forced, excessive wordplay |
45| **T** | Tame | Flat, descriptive, uninspired |
46| **C** | Curse of Knowledge | Speaks only to insiders |
47| **H** | Hard to Pronounce | If people avoid saying it, they avoid you |
48
49---
50
51## Sound Symbolism Quick Guide (Lexicon/Placek)
52
53| Sound | Psychological Impact | Example Names |
54|-------|---------------------|---------------|
55| **V** | Vibrant, alive | Corvette, Vercel, Viagra |
56| **B** | Reliable, solid | BlackBerry |
57| **Z** | Attention-getting | Azure, Zara |
58| **X** | Innovative | Xerox, SpaceX |
59| **Plosives (b, c, k, p)** | Memorable | Coca-Cola, Kodak |
60| **Soft sounds (l, m, n)** | Approachable | Lululemon, Amazon |
61
62---
63
64## The Naming Matrix
65
66Position names on two axes — **Approach** (descriptive to abstract) and **Construct** (real-word to coined):
67
68```
69 CONSTRUCT
70
71 Real-Word Compound Coined
72 ↓ ↓ ↓
73 ┌─────────┬─────────────┬──────────┐
74Abstract │ Roku │ YouTube │ Xerox │
75 │ Apple │ Snapchat │ Kodak │
76 ↑ ├─────────┼─────────────┼──────────┤
77 │ │ Amazon │ Airbnb │ Spotify │
78Suggestive│ Slack │ Pinterest │ Verizon │
79 │ ├─────────┼─────────────┼──────────┤
80 ↓ │ PayPal │ Salesforce │Accenture │
81Descriptive│General │ TripAdvisor │ (rare) │
82 │Motors │ │ │
83 └─────────┴─────────────┴──────────┘
84
85APPROACH
86```
87
88### The Clarity vs. Creativity Spectrum
89
90```
91Descriptive ─────────── Suggestive ─────────── Abstract
92100% clarity Sweet spot 100% creativity
930% creativity Balance of both 0% clarity
94```
95
96**Sweet spot for most startups**: Suggestive names (Netflix, Airbnb, Slack)
97
98---
99
100## Marty Neumeier's 8 Criteria
101
102A great name should be:
103
1041. **Distinctive** — Stands apart from competitors
1052. **Brief** — Short enough to remember and type
1063. **Appropriate** — Fits the brand personality
1074. **Easy to spell** — No guessing required
1085. **Easy to pronounce** — Flows naturally when spoken
1096. **Likeable** — Creates positive first impression
1107. **Extendible** — Works across products and markets
1118. **Protectable** — Can be trademarked
112
113---
114
115## Catchword's 10 Touchstones
116
117| # | Touchstone | What It Means |
118|---|------------|---------------|
119| 1 | Available | .com and social handles obtainable |
120| 2 | Trademarkable | Can be legally protected |
121| 3 | Memorable | Sticks after one hearing |
122| 4 | Scalable | Allows business expansion |
123| 5 | Short | Few syllables, easy to type |
124| 6 | Positive Affect | Creates good feelings |
125| 7 | Good for SEO | Searchable, not too generic |
126| 8 | Easy to Pronounce | No stumbling |
127| 9 | Easy to Spell | Intuitive spelling |
128| 10 | Distinctive | Unique in category |
129
130---
131
132## Name Generation Techniques (Quick Reference)
133
1341. **Three Words Technique** — Each person writes 3 words that should describe the brand
1352. **Syllable Recombination** — Cut words into syllables, combine randomly
1363. **Root Word Mining** — Greek/Latin roots for professional-sounding names (Xerox from "xeros")
1374. **Portmanteau Creation** — Blend two words (Pinterest = Pin + Interest)
1385. **Sound Symbolism** — Use letters that evoke desired feelings
1396. **Free Association** — Idioms, proverbs, song lyrics, foreign words
1407. **Novel Spelling** — Phonetically equivalent spellings (careful: don't fail SCRATCH)
141
142**Key Principle**: Generate 1,000+ candidates before evaluating. Quantity leads to quality.
143
144---
145
146## The Naming Funnel
147
148```
149┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
150│ 1,000-3,000 candidates │ ← Wide generation
151├─────────────────────────────────────┤
152│ 200-300 initial screen │ ← Basic criteria
153├─────────────────────────────────────┤
154│ 30 for availability │ ← Domain/TM checks
155├─────────────────────────────────────┤
156│ 10-15 for presentation │ ← Full vetting
157├─────────────────────────────────────┤
158│ 5-7 vetted options │ ← Client decision
159└─────────────────────────────────────┘
160```
161
162---
163
164## Domain Strategy
165
166### Priority Order
1671. **[name].com** — Always check first, highest value
1682. **[name].io** — Strong for tech startups
1693. **[name].co** — Viable alternative
1704. **[name]app.com** — If product-focused
1715. **get[name].com** — Action-oriented alternative
172
173### Social Handle Considerations
174- Keep under 15 characters for Twitter/X
175- Check consistency across platforms
176- Tools: BrandSnag, Namechk, Knowem
177
178---
179
180## Common Naming Mistakes
181
1821. **Generic/Descriptive** — "Best Tech Solutions" fails to differentiate
1832. **Ignoring Availability** — Falling in love before checking domains
1843. **Cultural Blindspots** — Names with negative meanings in other languages
1854. **Too Complex** — Long, hard-to-spell names frustrate customers
1865. **Trendy Suffixes** — "-ify", "-io", "-ly" date quickly
1876. **Beauty Contest Testing** — Testing for likeability produces bland names
188
189---
190
191## Key Principles
192
193> **"You need 1,000 to 1,500 names before you'll find gems."** — David Placek (Lexicon)
194
195> **"Comfort has no power in brand naming."** — David Placek (Sonos was initially rejected)
196
197> **"It's called branding, not blanding."** — Catchword
198
199> **"The hard part of naming is not coming up with a great idea. The hard part is finding an available name."** — Jeremy Miller
200
201### Universal Truths
202
2031. **Names are strategic assets** — Every marketing dollar spent on a good name compounds
2042. **Memorability beats cleverness** — If they can't remember it, nothing else matters
2053. **Sound shapes perception** — Phonetics work subconsciously before meaning registers
2064. **Legs enable growth** — Names with extension potential multiply brand investment
2075. **Availability is non-negotiable** — Fall in love with names that are free to own
208
209---
210
211## Templates
212
213See [reference/templates.md](reference/templates.md) for:
214- Name Evaluation Scorecard (SMILE + SCRATCH)
215- Naming Brief Template (discovery questions)
216- Name Candidate Table (for presenting options)
217- Comparison Matrix Template
218- Domain Availability Tracker
219- Final Selection Documentation Template
220- Output Validation Checklist
221
222---
223
224## When to Apply This Knowledge
225
226### During Name Development
227- Use SMILE test to evaluate candidates
228- Apply SCRATCH filter to eliminate deal-breakers
229- Consider sound symbolism for strategic impact
230
231### During Name Evaluation
232- Reference Catchword's 10 Touchstones
233- Check Marty Neumeier's 8 Criteria
234- Use comparison matrix for objective scoring
235
236### During Presentation
237- Position names on the Naming Matrix
238- Explain strategic rationale for each
239- Prioritize .com availability
240
241### During Final Selection
242- Verify domain still available (can change quickly)
243- Recommend immediate purchase
244- Check trademark conflicts
245
246---
247
248## Deep Methodology
249
250For comprehensive naming sessions, the brand-naming-specialist agent contains 800+ lines of expert methodology including detailed output formats, generation exercises, and full professional process.
251
In the file
SKILL.md1,318 words
Files2
LicenceMIT
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  • reference/templates.md9.5 kB
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$29 once
Brand Naming Strategies · MIT · mike-coulbourn
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