Hello My Name Is Awesome

How to Create Brand Names That Stick

De: Alexandra Watkins

Narrado por: Claire Buchignani

The ultimate guide to naming your product or business has been updated throughout, with twice as many resources as before, new stories (of both hits and flops), and an entirely new chapter on the power of names in the workplace.

Too many new companies and products have names that look like the results of a drunken Scrabble game (Xobni, Svbtle, Doostang). In this entertaining and engaging book, ace naming consultant Alexandra Watkins explains how anyone - even noncreative types - can create memorable and effective brand names. No degree in linguistics is required.

The heart of the book is Watkins' proven SMILE and SCRATCH test. A great name makes you SMILE because it is Suggestive: evokes something about your brand; is Memorable: makes an association with the familiar; uses Imagery: aids memory through evocative visuals; has Legs: lends itself to a theme for extended mileage; and is Emotional: moves people.

A bad name, on the other hand, makes you SCRATCH your head because it is Spelling challenged: looks like a typo; is a Copycat: similar to competitors’ names; is Restrictive: limits future growth; is Annoying: seems forced and frustrates customers; is Tame: feels flat, merely descriptive, and uninspired; suffers from the Curse of knowledge: speaks only to insiders; and is Hard to pronounce: confuses and distances customers.

This 50 percent - new second edition has double the number of brainstorming tools and techniques, even more secrets and strategies to nab an available domain name, and a brand-new chapter on how companies are using creative names around the office to add personality to everything from cafeterias to conference rooms and much more.

©2019 Alexandra Watkins (P)2019 Alexandra Watkins

Perfect for creatives who have “awesome” ideas all the time

If you’re creative like me, you probably need boundaries, like me. I have a million “awesome” name ideas all the time - but they aren’t really awesome. In fact, they are way too complicated and fancy and don’t get to the point.

This book is hilarious and clever - and most importantly, gave me the boundaries I need while pondering names for every piece of my business.

BONUS: the other best part of this audiobook is the narrator! She is AWESOME (sorry, had to say it) and seriously the most perfect fit for an audiobook I have ever listened too! A+ sister! (And I’m an audiobook junkie so I’ve listened to many boring voices that don’t fit the tone of the writing. In fact, this is my first review ever for an audiobook due to this great vocal personality experience.)

I am so happy to have this book in my business branding arsenal and will highly recommend it to all of my clients who struggle with naming too :)

FANTASTIC, extremely helpful, and entertaining!

This book SAVED me. As an entrepreneur building my third company, I needed this name to be stellar. I also didn't want to spend a fortune to have someone come up with a name for me. Thanks to Alexandra's unlimited suggestions, guidelines, and entertaining name examples, I was able to brainstorm all sorts of names that I loved for my new company, and then narrow it down to one that I am confident will stand out and grow with my company. Alexandra reads the book herself and is very fun to listen to! I love how she inserts her personality (a lot more than other books) and makes you smile and giggle as you listen to it. I craved having moments to listen to this book and may even go through it again. Thank you, Alexandra and team, for sharing your wisdom and guiding me to success!

Engaging Story Telling

I have been spending the last couple of weeks trying to come up with a name for my company. While I understood the importance of brainstorming ideas and just getting things down on paper, this audiobook gave me a system to follow in order to be successful! By following the processes, leveraging the tools and resources recommended, I already have a dozen brand name ideas that I feel confident about!

In regards to digesting the information, I appreciated the amount of storytelling that went into the book, it allowed me to fully understand each and every concept and made it fun and engaging as well! Highly recommend :)

GREAT RESOURCE!!

Very informative!! Loads of information and resources to take in presented in a comical way. Highly recommend to all starting a brand!

Great Book to have in your back pocket

I loved the insight that came from the author. Ms. Alexander and Watkins does a fine job of talking about product name creation. She provides great examples from her own experience and the world around her. This gives the reader the insight to see that it can be a lucrative and rewarding career. She’s a shining example of what’s possible.

Very helpful

Incredibly helpful and actionable. Great run-through of the process to get to an awesome name.

Insightful and fun

Expert advice with plenty of fun. Helped me how to approach naming. Good work !

Helpful, Honest, and Humorous

I’ve read “Hello, My Name is Awesome” and have also taken the masterclass. They both provide a WEALTH of information which is super helpful when naming or renaming anything in your business. I was able to generate so many ideas that I wouldn't have been able to come up with on my own. I’ve also met with Alexandra and a few of her team members, and they are all super helpful! Very nice, personable, and understood exactly what I needed! I always refer back to the book whenever I need a creative name for anything!

Stop! Read this before finalizing brand name.

If you are even at the just "thinking about it stage" of branding and naming, this is a MUST read!
I wish I had. But I finished this book in about 1 day and immediately implemented tips.
I used techniques for grabbing some awesome related .com domains.
Reading this book you gain such clarity and with that confidence in your brand. If you think you know yourself and your brand, read this book and see if you get the same answer. So much value, so many takeaways. I have an audio version and the book.


Do not rush to buy that domain name yet, listen to this first.
Your brand is an investment, sometimes a major one. This a book that can truly help make the right move before setting to the starting line.

Not only have I made changes, but this book also inspired group names under my brand umbrella.
I will never look at brand names the same.
I feel pretty darn confident my brand names will have a complete impact and scalability for years.

I wish Alexandra had written this book 20 years ago and I had read it then!

I could have avoided so many naming mistakes over the years.

- Silly names with numbers in them to replace parts of the words. Looks clever but is a nightmare to explain to others.

- Names that say nothing about what the business is all about. When people read it they are still as far from understanding what we do as before. And worse, after understanding what we do the name still makes no sense.

- Even the name of one of my five kids is violating one of her tests, she will forever have to help people spell it, even though it is the coolest name ever.

- Names in your local language. Our current business has an awesome name in Norway, but it is bad in the other European languages. This one is the reason why I bought "Hello, My name is Awesome".

My wife and I have been running this business for four years now, so renaming it will hurt, a lot, but it is the right choice. I sort of already knew, but after listening to the book I am certain.

I am super happy that I got the Audible version as it highlights the different ways names can be pronounced. I have been listening to it twice now back to back.

In the book Alexandra provides us with two sets of rules, one set SMILE is what a name should adhere to, and the other set is SCRATCH which are rules about what to avoid when finding a name. She shows all rules with plenty of examples making it extra clear what to look for.

She also describes her process of finding catchy memorable names and this is especially interesting as that is the hardest part of it all. It is easy enough to validate a name against the SMILE and SCRATCH test, but finding a new name out of the blue is hard. Having a process that you can go through is a great help.

And finally, she is making the ultimate MMO game of finding a domain name easier with some smart tips.

So yes, whenever I hear someone is looking for a name, whether for something new or to replace an existing name, I recommend them to read this book first before they decide on anything.