Hello My Name Is Awesome

How to Create Brand Names That Stick

By: Alexandra Watkins

Narrated by: 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.

A decent read

It was a decent read but not wow. I learned 2 or 3 new name tricks only. To me it was not very informative. I enjoyed few of the chapters. I did not like the narrative! But that’s just me.

Read this book - and find your PERFECT name!

At the end of October and beginning of November 2019, we had an issue. A big one. We needed a name for our new company. But not just a name. A perfect name, which can stand the test of time.

We wanted to achieve this until Black Friday. Long story short, we made it one day before the set date!

Before that, we read every article and listened to every video we could find on the topic.

We tried several techniques from the content we found. But no 'AHA' moment, sadly.

Then one day, I said to myself: "Wait, there should be someone who wrote a book on a subject!" And there it was: "Hello, My Name Is Awesome" by Alexandra Watkins.

I am a die-hard perfectionist, so I did my research on the author and her book. I decided to buy it. And wow, I'm glad I did!

After several weeks of brainstorming with my business partner and papers with unusable names, the book changed everything.

Alexandra's advice finally connected all the dots.

The advice in the book is easy to understand and implement. I loved the real-life examples the book gives. Particularly I liked the "Spoon Me yogurt" example. OMG! After hearing the story, I wanted to achieve this for our company's name.

With the help of her book, we were able to find the perfect name, a free .com domain, merchandise ideas, and much more! People who hear our name for the first time always smile.

"Hello, My Name Is Awesome" book is the ONLY resource you need to find a name for your company, book, products ...

Whenever I find people with naming issues, I point them to Alexandra's book. That's all I have to do!

In the end, the book is fun, informative, and packed with the author's experiences.

Now is the time that your company stands out from the crowd, be unforgettable, and make history!

Alexandra, thank you!

Learn more about what not to do

The book is fast and energetic which is fun. I learnt more of what I should avoid than what I should target. Helpful overall. The author mentions Made to Stick twice. Definitely a great resource worth listening to along with this book.

Practical and effective

This book is a must read for anyone naming, branding, or renaming any part of their business. Alexandra provides clear and effective tools, strategies, and recommendations for brand names, product names, and even meeting room names.

A useful book with beneficial points/perspectives

This book teaches relevant and often-unheard viewpoints regarding brands and branding; overall, it was a worthwhile read,

I’m glad I pushed beyond the first several chapters in which the author went on and on about how good her book is, using phrases like ‘What’s new pussycat?’, ‘brand-spanking new’, as she affirmed that ‘This is Solid gold, baby’. 

The hype grew tiring, though not nearly as tiring as the reader’s strident, often over-animated, voice that exhaustingly yet indefatigably carried on thru the whole book. 



In the author’s defense, I find my own criticisms above kind of like getting on an amusement park Tilt-A-Whirl, and then grumbling about getting dizzy. Given the book’s title, I knew what I was getting in to in that regard —and since I may be rather too sober and circumspect at times, I sought to complement my own inclination with a somewhat more flamboyant and energetic, 'Californian' perspective. I'm still ambivalent over whether I'd do better to criticise the narration style as I have, or change my soul and adopt part of it —no, that's too much, but you get my gist.

All in all, a useful read, with beneficial points and valuable perspectives.