SmallBusinessNewz

It may seem that what you decide to name your company is crucial to the life of your brand. Basically, it is your brand, so naming it right from the beginning must be in your best interest for ensuring that that life is a long one.

The Wall Street Journal has posted an interesting look at company naming, featuring a test from name consultants "Eat my Words". The "Smile & Scratch Test" as it's called works this way:

To test out a company’s name, first ask if it possesses these qualities:

Simple –- one easy-to-understand concept
Meaningful –- customer instantly “get it”
Imagery –- visually evocative, creates a mental picture
Legs –- carries the brand, lends itself to wordplay
Emotional –- empowers, entertains, engages, enlightens

Then scratch the name if it’s got these deal-breakers:

Spelling-challenged — you have to tell people how to spell it
Copycat – similar to competitor’s names
Random – disconnected from the brand
Annoying – hidden meaning, forced
Tame – flat, uninspired, boring, nonemotional
Curse of knowledge – only insiders get it
Hard-to-pronounce – not obvious, relies on punctuation

I am not sure that I completely agree with this test. While it could certainly prove helpful, I think there are just too many examples of successful companies that don't pass it with flying colors for it to be gospel. 

At least one person was thinking the same thing I was when I read it and cited in the comments: Amazon, Yahoo, Google, YouTube, and eBay as failures of the test.

Of course, the test was probably not meant to be taken as gospen anwyay, and smile and scratch are still clever acronyms. The test is certainly worth acknowledging, and it does have some good guidelines, but if you've got a name in mind that doesn't quite pass the test, I think you still might be alright. Trust your gut. How you brand the name is what really counts.