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Brand Rounds

#14 | Alexandra Watkins | How to SMILE & SCRATCH Your Way to a Great Brand Name

May 12, 2020 Matthew Ray Scott Season 1 Episode 14
Brand Rounds
#14 | Alexandra Watkins | How to SMILE & SCRATCH Your Way to a Great Brand Name
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Brand Rounds
#14 | Alexandra Watkins | How to SMILE & SCRATCH Your Way to a Great Brand Name
May 12, 2020 Season 1 Episode 14
Matthew Ray Scott

Author of the branding bestseller, Hello, My Name is Awesome... How to Create Brand Names That Stick (an Inc. Magazine Top 10 Marketing Book), I am the founder of Eat My Words, the wildly creative naming firm behind countless love-at-first-sight brand names including Burger King's new Mac 'n Cheetos. (I also named Wendy's Baconator while contracting for another firm.) I am also a frequent guest lecturer at MBA programs and have been invited to present on multiple occasions to Stanford GSB, Haas Business School, Tuck @ Dartmouth, USC, USF, USD and SF State.

Eat My Words'​ clients include Coca-cola, Disney, Google, Frito-Lay, MIT, Wrigley, Fujitsu, Hasbro, Del Monte, and leading branding firms (like Landor) who put their good name on our great names.

  1. How would you describe what you do for a living to my Scottish Grandparents, Vene and Cordia?
  2. You were a copywriter at the prestigious ad agency, Ogilvy & Mather, any Mad Woman/Men stories you dare to share? 
  3. Why does a name matter?
  4. What made you curious enough to write the book, Hello My Name Is Awesome, How to Create Brand Names That Stick? Eat My Words, your brand naming firm, how did you come up with this name?
  5. The SMILE and SCRATCH is your proven approach for what makes or breaks a name. Tell us more.
  6. With clients such as Disney, Microsoft, Adobe and others, what advice do you give innovative medical technology companies that may be reluctant to create catchy and creative product names that make powerful emotional connections and create instant brand affinity?
  7. You have 12 Rules for Building Brand Name Consensus. Rule #2 states, The essential question to ask yourself when reviewing names, is not, Do I like it? which is subject to personal bias. The better question to ask is, Is it right? which is much more objective and effective.
  8. You share there is a right way to brainstorm names and a wrong way to brainstorm. Give us one example from each.
  9. What do you mean by "Curse of Knowledge" and how it can apply to our listening audience of healthcare professionals and medical device leaders.
  10. What's the first delightful or delectable thing you will treat yourself to once we receive the ALL-CLEAR post-coved-19? 
  11. What book are you reading that we should be reading?
  12. What's next for you?
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Show Notes

Author of the branding bestseller, Hello, My Name is Awesome... How to Create Brand Names That Stick (an Inc. Magazine Top 10 Marketing Book), I am the founder of Eat My Words, the wildly creative naming firm behind countless love-at-first-sight brand names including Burger King's new Mac 'n Cheetos. (I also named Wendy's Baconator while contracting for another firm.) I am also a frequent guest lecturer at MBA programs and have been invited to present on multiple occasions to Stanford GSB, Haas Business School, Tuck @ Dartmouth, USC, USF, USD and SF State.

Eat My Words'​ clients include Coca-cola, Disney, Google, Frito-Lay, MIT, Wrigley, Fujitsu, Hasbro, Del Monte, and leading branding firms (like Landor) who put their good name on our great names.

  1. How would you describe what you do for a living to my Scottish Grandparents, Vene and Cordia?
  2. You were a copywriter at the prestigious ad agency, Ogilvy & Mather, any Mad Woman/Men stories you dare to share? 
  3. Why does a name matter?
  4. What made you curious enough to write the book, Hello My Name Is Awesome, How to Create Brand Names That Stick? Eat My Words, your brand naming firm, how did you come up with this name?
  5. The SMILE and SCRATCH is your proven approach for what makes or breaks a name. Tell us more.
  6. With clients such as Disney, Microsoft, Adobe and others, what advice do you give innovative medical technology companies that may be reluctant to create catchy and creative product names that make powerful emotional connections and create instant brand affinity?
  7. You have 12 Rules for Building Brand Name Consensus. Rule #2 states, The essential question to ask yourself when reviewing names, is not, Do I like it? which is subject to personal bias. The better question to ask is, Is it right? which is much more objective and effective.
  8. You share there is a right way to brainstorm names and a wrong way to brainstorm. Give us one example from each.
  9. What do you mean by "Curse of Knowledge" and how it can apply to our listening audience of healthcare professionals and medical device leaders.
  10. What's the first delightful or delectable thing you will treat yourself to once we receive the ALL-CLEAR post-coved-19? 
  11. What book are you reading that we should be reading?
  12. What's next for you?