Were you ever asked to name a product, a company, an event? We’d like to think that it’s as simple as Shirley Ellis’s Name Game, but we all know it’s not. And of late, due to the battle for URLs, it’s becoming even more challenging. Isn’t that why we are seeing names like SpyPig, Crazy Egg, Wufoo, Wibba, Flixi, CarWoo that make us feel like we are just not-in-the-know when we can’t glean a clue about the nature of these companies. I have to admit, I do enjoy these names for their entertainment value. I admire the outside-the-box thinking that came up with them. But unless they are incredibly well-funded, the admiration ends right there. How are potential customers expected to identify with companies who seem to be in the midst of an identity crises all their own? Clever names that make one smile are always appreciated. Even if a serious business, sometimes it’s nice to know they have a sense of humor. But when they are so removed from the services offered, or so hard to spell, we’ll never find them in a search, you’ve got to wonder. While pondering this subject, I came across an interesting perspective. Thank you StartUpSmart for you entertaining insights on this subject
“These days, it seems a start-up name isn’t complete until it’s grammatically incorrect or almost meaningless with companies insisting the first letter in their company name should be lower case. needless exclamation marks! vowels missing and letters replaced by numb3rs.
Well, Old Taskmaster says this: If you’re choosing a business name, it’s time to do something really radical. Something to make you really stand out against all the other tech start-ups out there.
That’s right, it’s time to buy a vowel! No italics, no unnecessary ‘i’ or ‘e’ at the start of your company name. It’s time to really stand out from your competitors – by choosing an old-fashioned, grammatically correct business name!”
I also stumbled upon this Big Name Company Trivia Test. A fun way t test your branding recall. 
Alexandra Watson, founder of Eat My Words, has a few good stories and theories about naming that she shares in her new book, Hello My Name is Awesome. On November 5, as a keynote speaker at imarketingSf, she will be telling the story of her own, personal and unconventional journey to success along with the low down on what makes a brand name sticky and what makes a name suck. Alexandra Watkins is not afraid to name names. In addition, the first 50 registrants for imarketingsf will be given her new book, Hello My Name is Awesome, so get on board and register today: imarketingsf.com.