Top 10 things to look for in a naming company

f you’re looking for help naming a company or product, here are 10 simple things to look for in a naming company:

1. A pulse. Why do naming companies strap themselves into a straitjacket with terminally boring names like Namestormers and Nametrade and Namix? If they can’t name themselves, how can you expect them to name something for you?

2. Ability to get to the heart of the matter. It’s important to hire a naming company that keeps digging until they get to the important stuff. It’s all about asking good questions. You can’t get to the good names until you ask the right questions.

3. A nose for names. Naming companies that come up with names like Innova and Centrobe and Thrivent are barking up the wrong tree. Find a naming company that sees the world the way that you do.

4. Aware of the importance of mystery. It is often, though not always, the case that the more descriptive the name, the more boring and ordinary it is. Good names leave something to the imagination.

5. A knack for coming up with names that are provocative and human. A lot of naming companies believe that all of the good names are already taken. They then use this as an excuse to come up with ridiculous combinations of words and sounds that don’t mean anything to anyone. A good name will speak to your audience in a language that you both understand.

6. Can read and understand a bus schedule. Many consultants like to make things very complicated. Naming isn’t easy, but it certainly isn’t rocket science either. There is no point in making things more complicated than they have to be.

7. Understands where marketing and strategy fit into the picture. Linguistics is overplayed in the naming business. It’s about the marketing. Good names make marketing much easier to execute.

8. Adept at reframing reality. The right name will help your audience take the imaginative leap. Sometimes all they need is a little help.

9. Doesn’t pull any punches. A bad idea is a bad idea and a lousy name is a lousy name. Honesty is essential. The last thing you want is a ‘yes’ man.

10. No evidence of terminal blandness. Naming is not about risk avoidance. The biggest crime in naming (and marketing) is to bore people to death.