Crystal Light Bulb Award — Brilliant Brand Names That Shine
I’ll confess… not every great brand name comes from Tungsten. Ouch! There, I said it. It seems to be good sport these days to make fun of the names that other naming firms create, and with good reason. Some of them do seem a bit on the dim side, probably due to client, trademark or legal constraints we never hear about. But what I notice most are the really great names, the ones that make us light up and take notice. I always recognize when I see or hear one of these high wattage names because my first thought is “Wow! I wish I had thought of that one!” 
Creating one of these names requires the naming trifecta of skill, opportunity and good fortune.
So I’m going public with my naming jealousy. As to completely purge myself of these inner naming demons, I am going to openly confess and list some of these names for all to see. Perhaps you’ve also come across great, clever, original and witty brand names that were blindingly brilliant. If so, feel free to add your suggestions to the list. Perhaps we’ll send the top nominee a Crystal Light Bulb in honor of the recognition. Here’s my list…
FireFly – A mobile phone for kids. Not only does this name have awesome alliteration, it’s also evocative and engaging. It engenders a sense of carefree summer nights, running barefoot through grassy meadows, and the glowing illumination of these mysterious wonders. Kudos to whoever came up with this one. I wrote to the company to provide proper credit but have not heard back.
Spoon Me – This one was coined by my good friend Alexandra Watkins at EatMyWords.com. Alexandra and her team do a great job, especially with food and product names. And this fun loving name for a fast growing frozen yogurt franchise simply tastes great. It provides the perfect double entendre for scooping up dessert while snuggling your significant other. The owners of this company should fork over a bonus for dishing up this winner.
PODS – Okay, so I cheated. I added one of our own names. But it’s not very often that an acronym name actually works. Portable On Demand Storage proved to be a hit with the client and their customers, helping to define the category. This type of branding opportunity doesn’t come along often, so we did our best to think “inside the box.”
Roomba – How often does a name work on this many levels? This round little vacuum made by iRobot moves all over a “room” in dance-like fashion (as in the Cuban rhumba) sweeping debris right off it feet. This is one name that does everything but suck.
So that’s the start of the list. Add on, disagree, vote, or groan. Just send in the best and the brightest and we’ll see if there’s a clear winner.
