The "Kendall" Reader, and Other Product Name Blunders

Amazon launched the Kindle almost a year ago, but it remained a niche product until Oprah said that this e-book reader was her "favorite new thing in the world". Overnight, hordes of curious consumers searched the web for the "kendall", the "kendel", the "kindell"... how do you spell that again? Amazon must be thrilled for all the publicity its Kindle is getting, but it should also be weeping over all the business lost to people who didn't catch the correct spelling. By simply coming up with a more easily understood, and harder to misspell name, Amazon could have made the most of this wave of interest in the wireless reading device.

Nintendo's Wii is another example of a product name that wreaked widespread confusion. Just how do you pronounce "wii"? Like "why", "we", or "w 2"? It's also the name that spawned a thousand pee jokes, and to me it still looks like it's describing a mini WWII (World War II). And with the Kindle, I still can't shake the mental image of a campfire ("kindling the fire", get it?). Amazon and Nintendo will be able to scrape by with misguided naming because they have other strengths to draw on: their clout as leaders in their fields, and their more recognizable parent brand names (which I think we'd all agree are far superior!).

However, if you're trying to get a new product or service of the ground, it's critical that you make it easy to remember. Since you can't rely on having a website that millions of people already visit, or on a loyal fanbase that's avidly waiting for your next release (whatever its silly name), here are a few tools and resources to help you find the perfect, catchy name to get you started.

The Name Inspector offers "10 tips for naming your company, product or service". For more advice on naming companies, read "Naming Your Business" from Entrepreneur.com.

NameWire, run by Name Development, is frequently updated with commentary on product naming news about visible companies such as Macy's, Google, and Apple.

If you need something to get those creative juices flowing, consider the name generator from WriteExpress. It's not something to rely on for your product, but it can't hurt to play around and get you thinking.

Advanced Level: If you're really going to take product naming seriously, check out the Igor Product Naming Guide, and peruse the website to learn more about brand positioning, competitive analysis, and see some of the names in Igor's portfolio.

Choosing a good name for your business or product is important to its success. This is how you help prospective customers remember you and find you. With the help of the above resources and a little imagination, you can come up with catchy and practical names on which you can launch your business. Professional naming help is nice, but it's expensive and can't guarantee success, just look at the Kindle and Wii to remind yourself that a little common sense can make a huge difference!