AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF
SECOND EDITION
by Eli Altman
Who is Eli Altman?
Eli Altman is Creative Director of the naming company A Hundred Monkeys.
My General Thoughts on the Book
This is a good product naming book, you just have to get past the odd format and excessive use of graphics and note-taking pages. It contains some fabulous nuggets of wisdom, you just have to work a bit to find them. Like most books that are specific to product naming, it is short and easy to read. If you can’t afford to hire a naming expert, this is a must read and is worth every penny.
Chapter 1: Aim for the Eyes – How names make our lives easier
I love that the book leads with some brutal wisdom, namely:
“When you were in grade school, some librarian probably told you not to judge a book by its cover. Then he or she probably went on to tell you how you shouldn’t judge people by their proverbial covers because we’re all so complex and on and on. Seems like good enough advice, right? The only problem is, everyone judges books by their covers.”
The chapter does a great job of highlighting how we are in an era in which we are bombarded by data and that “we subconsciously set up simple tests to take small amounts of sruface-level information, like what a company is called and how it looks, in order to instantaneously decide whether it’s worth paying attention to.” Eli makes the point that “we pay attention to the content that catches our attention,” and “the name is often the first thing anyone will come in contact with.” The power of a good name is undeniable, it grabs attention, it can make a consumer smile, laugh, or feel a certain way, and it is the center of “word of mouth” referrals.
Chapter 2: You’re Awful at This
When it comes to naming, experts often disagree on where competitive intelligence/analysis fits into the product naming process, if at all. This book suggests that one of the first exercises you should focus on is coming up with bad names for your product/service. I like this idea for the naming DIY’er, and Eli explains that “figuring out what makes names bad is a good place to start thinking about what makes names good.” As with most product naming books, there is some mischaracterization of types of product names; in one of the examples the book lists the Airbus mark as a descriptive name, whereas in the trademark law world it is a classic example of a suggestive mark, but this is splitting hairs.
Another great point in this chapter is that “great names should be timeless – not dying to fit in with a passing trend.” Think about the current trend of including the “cloud” in product names; the reality is that all these names will sound outdated within 5 years when there is a new buzzword for the cloud.
Chapter 3: Ready, Set – The name is the start of the story
This chapter starts off talking about taking risks, which I agree with, but continues on to say “because the easier a name is to spell or pronounce or recognize or label, the easier it is to forget,” which I don’t agree with. I do whole-heartedly agree with Eli’s point that “your name is the first word in your story about who you are and why you matter – bad names get a story off to a bad start.”
Chapter 4: Get to the Point – Good names know what they’re doing
“What do I want my audience to feel when they hear my name?” Eli points out that this is a good place to start in product naming. I agree, but prefer the “creative brief” concept outlined in my review of the book “Hello My Name is Awesome.” The chapter does make the following great point:
“Avoid trying to say you’re the best, greatest, fastest, or most reliable at anything. It might be true, but people are so used to hearing it, they aren’t going to believe you.”
So true, and this is a common mistake of DIY product namers.
Oddly, the chapter seems to suggest that the name Arc’teryx, for an outdoor apparel company, is a good name. Frankly, I was expecting the discussion to turn to why it is a bad name. Sure, it is “decidedly different than its mountaineering predecessors,” but I think it is a horrible name – which just goes to show there is no one right answer and experts often disagree.
Chapter 5: Jumping Through Hoops – Naming without a checklist
“If your entire business doesn’t exist exclusively on the internet, you’re probably better off finding a strong name that grabs people’s attention and then finding a URL that works.” I agree with Eli, even if your business does exist exclusively on the internet.
I don’t agree with some aspects of this chapter’s discussion of “pronouceability and spell-ability.” While I agree that some companies should embrace the strange and bizarre, I don’t agree that you should “embrace the difficult.” I can’t think of a single difficult product/service name that I have embraced.
It is very true that “if you want people to remember you, embrace the one thing that will help them do just that: stand out.” Further, “there’s no point in coming up with a name that makes you sound like everyone else and then spending a bunch of money on marketing that tries to convince them you’re different.” Well said! Some other bits of gold in this chapter include:
“A name acquires the personality traits you give it. Branding and design are used to help people see a name in light you’re intending.”
“Remember, interesting names have a backstory – they come from somewhere, they arouse curiosity.”
“Don’t fall into the same Valium-induced stupor where you’ll find words like “synergy,” “innovation,” and “solutions” – words acting like not-so-radiant beacons, telling the world you want to be just like everyone else.”
Chapter 6: Make Some Headroom – Naming in the right frame of mind
I am not a fan of this chapter, as this is the point at which a DIY’er needs help. I do however agree with Eli that:
“People don’t want to be sold a product or a service, they want to be sold an idea. They want to understand how their lives are going to be better with your company in it. The literal, along with basic concepts like “it’s faster,” and “it’s more reliable,” doesn’t cut it.”
Chapter 7: The Attention Deficit – First job of naming: getting people to give a shit
The subtitle of this chapter is gold. Always keep this in mind. Additionally, Eli points out “one of the biggest mistakes people make in branding is drastically overestimating the degree to which people care about what you’re doing.” So true! A name should arouse curiosity and “to get there, you’re going to need a name that draws them in.”
Chapter 8: Show Don’t Tell – Why “trust me” says “don’t trust me”
Once again, Eli nails it with this chapter’s subtitle and points out “it seems like everyone wants their brand to be trustworthy, approachable, fun, engaging, and innovative.” He points out that “trust and innovation need to be earned,” and that “when someone says they’re trustworthy, your inclination is not to trust them.” This chapter contains great material.
Chapter 9: Wordsmash – Lexical synergy or a head-on collision?
Eli observes “it would appear that a lot of companies have gotten the idea that if you smash two words together, people are somehow going to place you at the mental intersection of these two word’s definitions.”
Chapter 10: Kids, Dogs, Goldfish – What you aren’t naming
“You want to be the one they can’t forget. And you can’t accomplish that with a name that says you’re afraid to stand out.” Yes, yes, and yes. However, Eli smartly points out that “there’s risk built into standing out,” yet “what people don’t talk about, though, is the risk you take when you don’t stand out” and “not having an engaging name represents a pretty big risk.”
Chapter 11: I’m with Stupid – Don’t do naming for idiots
There are parts of this chapter that I don’t agree with such as Eli’s belief that it is a mistake to believe that “if people can’t spell it, there’s no way they’re going to want to associate with it.” Yet I agree with several of his rationales, specifically that “people spend more time on something they don’t understand right away,” “everything is not for everyone,” and “just because people might not understand your name or brand right away, doesn’t mean they aren’t going to be attracted to it.” The chapter does contain an odd exercise regarding identifying your audience, which is important, but the exercise is odd and seems like an afterthought.
Chapter 12: Don’t Reinvent the Wheel – Where do good names come from?
“Some names are created and others are found. Apple, Virgin, Nike, and Starbucks were found,” while names like Snapchat, Evernote, and Waze were created. Eli points out that “when it comes to developing names on your own, you should almost always be in the mode of finding words,” and “made-up words usually take a lot of work for people to remember.” I tend to agree, but there are always exceptions.
Chapter 13: The Power of Isolation – Some words are better on their own
The first few sentences of this chapter are powerful, read this twice:
“Names can assume a different character when you abstract them from the sentences and paragraphs in which we’re accustomed to seeing them. A lot of popular names like Square, Apple, and Gap feel pedestrian when you look at their traditional usage and definitions. When you isolate them they feel more powerful and ubiquitous.”
Chapter 14: New Species Discovered Daily – Name taxonomy
This chapter provides an overview of 29 different types of names that Eli’s agency have identified. The chapter is interesting and filled with examples of names that we are all familiar with, but doesn’t provide the reader with earth shattering information or tips.
Chapter 15: Push and Pull – Same name, different meaning
An interesting chapter, but nothing particularly noteworthy.
Chapter 16: Apples and Alligators – Names aren’t brands, yet
The chapter subtitle says it all.
Chapter 17: Love at First Sight – Why naming isn’t a romantic comedy
In the first sentence of the chapter it is like Eli is tapping my phone, he says “something I hear a lot is that people will know the right name when they hear it.” Clients “want to be blown away by a name.” Clients “want to fall in love instantly.” Eli correctly states “this couldn’t be farther from reality,” “names, like relationships, can be a perfect fit – they just never start out that way,” and “if you’re looking for perfection from the start you’re going to go home empty-handed.”
Chapter 18: Names are Living Beings – Perception is reality
The main take-away from this chapter is that “it’s a natural feeling to want to control every aspect of how the name and brand are perceived, it’s important to accept that some of it will always be outside of your control.”
Chapter 19: How to Ask Friends – Don’t
Again, Eli nails it with the chapter title and is spot-on in saying “nothing ruins creativity like too many voices weighing in.” This chapter explains the Ice Cream Principle – which is to “tell 10 people to go get ice cream with one condition: they all have to agree on one flavor.” What is the result? It is always chocolate or vanilla. Eli explains “groups of people don’t agree on what’s cool or interesting, they agree on what’s easy to agree on,” and your goal should not be to “pick a name strictly because it’s the top vote-getter.” Further, the same is true regarding focus groups, and Eli states “you can’t focus group names because creativity is hard to test and harder to quantify.” This is a great chapter.
Chapter 20: Climbing Over Cliches – Your business is bigger than a web address
This chapter hammers home that “my name is bigger than my URL.”
Chapter 21: To Verb or Not to Verb – Can a “verbable” name help you?
I am not a fan of this chapter.
Chapter 22: Field Exercises – What your name says about you
This chapter contains a good example, but is too much to try to summarize here.
Chapter 23: The Proving Grounds – Do your names have the right stuff?
As is true with most naming books, the last chapter of this book finally touches on the legal aspects of product naming, and does so in only a cursory manner. Treating the legal aspects of product naming as an afterthought is a surefire way to shoot yourself in the foot. In fact, waiting until the end of the process to perform full-fledged due diligence is a great way to flush your investment of time and money on your product naming project down the toilet. My goal is to flip this out-dated process on its head. After all, over my 16 years of practice, I have watched client after client fall in love with a name only to later do the legal work and realize there are dark gray clouds on the horizon, either regarding the protectability of the name (what I think of as the left hand) or from the perspective of clearance, or risk (what I think of as the right hand). Rarely is it ever 100% black or white, but I want my clients to only have the opportunity to fall in love with names that have a high likelihood of protectability and are broad in nature, and a low likelihood of the client receiving a cease and desist letter, or worse finding themselves on the receiving end of a lawsuit. This is what makes the Wobble ™ naming services totally unique, we try to eliminate the possibility of a client falling in love with a name that is overcast with those dark gray clouds. After all, as I have witnessed first-hand too many times to count, once a client falls in love with a name, they do their best to rationalize why those dark gray clouds aren’t as dark as they appear, and that they probably don’t suggest a thunderstorm (when in fact they do), and that it is highly unlikely to contain lightening (when they generally do). The reality is that clients are about to make a major investment of time and money building a brand around this name, and it is my responsibility to only present them with options that don’t come surrounded by dark gray clouds and minimize the opportunities to rationalize why the likely storm is unlikely. I am in the business of solving problems by ensuring that clients avoid potential problems.
The Take-Away
This is a good book that is definitely worthy of your time and money. Will it help you create a product name that minimizes the wobble? Most likely.
I hope you enjoyed this book review. Please join our email list if you would like to be notified when I post additional reviews of product naming books by brand name experts; and don’t hesitate to email me (Dave@HobbleTheWobble.com) with suggestions of additional books to review.