Episode 239: Hook, Line, and Sinker: Creating Brand Names that Reel In Customers

Have you heard these myths about creating memorable brand names? Myth 1: All the good names are taken. Myth 2: It's too late to change your name. Myth 3: A name isn't that important. Well in this week's Food Biz Wiz episode, Alexandra Watkins, the Chief Executive Boss Lady of Eat My Words and a leading & outspoken authority on brand names, joins us to debunk these myths! In this episode, you'll hear all about...

🪪 What Alexandra's “SMILE & SCRATCH Test” is for creating names

🪪 Why it's not too late to re-brand and re-name your biz!

🪪 How you can even use this process for product or line names

🪪 And how you can enter the giveaway to win Alexandra's book, Hello, My Name is Awesome: How to Create Brand Names That Stick

Wizes, we are thrilled to share Alexandra’s actionable advice with you! Alexandra has generously offered to collaborate on a giveaway of her book, Hello, My Name is Awesome: How to Create Brand Names That Stick. Here’s how you can enter:

1️⃣ Tag us on Instagram at foodbizwiz and Alexandra at eatmywordsnames in a story. Feel free to re-share our posts about this episode and tag us!

2️⃣ If you want a second entry, write a review of the Food Biz Wiz podcast, take a screenshot of it, and DM it to us at foodbizwiz.

3️⃣ We’ll draw a winner at noon PST on Monday, April 15th!

In addition to her book, Alexandra is also offering Food Biz Wiz listeners $500 off her course, “How to Create Super Sticky Brand Names” here! Use code FOODBIZWIZ to receive $500 off.

As Alexandra mentioned in the episode, below is a list of 10 most arresting love-at-sight food & beverage names from Expo West 2024 (#expowest) who won the Eat My Words LOVE YOUR NAME Award! In addition to winning the pink heart trophy, recipients are able to tap Alexandra for a full year of free brainstorming and namestorming help + consulting. These 10 winners below are truly the cream of the crop.

🏆 Doughpamine - badass name for a frozen cookie dough company
🏆 Whipnotic - mesmerizing name for disruptive whipped cream
🏆 A Dozen Cousins - charming name inspired by a real family & family meals. (Check out our episode with Ibraheem Basir, the founder, here!)
🏆 Death Wish Coffee Company - killer name that makes no apologies
🏆 Frooze Balls - infectious name for yummy plant-powered energy balls
🏆 Madly Hadley - lyrical name of the founder of this plant-based co.
🏆 Date Better Snacks - super sweet name for super sweet products
🏆 Perfy - high-smileage name for a low sugar soda, sweet story behind it
🏆 Plantasia Foods - appetizing name + equally appetizing burgers & more
🏆 Rootine - clever name for daily drink mixes & a company rooted in science

MEET ALEXANDRA WATKINS: 

Chief Executive Boss Lady of Eat My Words, Alexandra Watkins is a leading and outspoken authority on brand names. Her breakthrough creativity book, Hello, My Name is Awesome: How to Create Brand Names That Stick, is considered “the brand name Bible” and was named a Top 10 Marketing Book by Inc. Magazine. She  is a former Author in Residence at the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center.

Since 2005, Alexandra and her firm have created love-at-first sight brand names for CPG companies including Frito-Lay, Coca-Cola, Clif Bar, Ocean Spray, and King’s Hawaiian. Her personal Name Hall of Fame includes The Wendy’s Baconator, Smitten ice cream, frozen yogurt franchise Spoon Me, and the Church of Cupcakes.

Fun fact: Alexandra has eaten her way through 50 countries where she’s sunk her teeth into delicacies including barbecued squirrel in Tanzania, ostrich carpaccio in South Africa, stewed camel meat in Libya, and lobster marinara in Cuba. Her favorite CPG food is JIF peanut butter (crunchy), which she once survived on for two days on the remote island of Amantani in Lake Titicaca, Peru.

Alexandra lives by the beach in San Diego and works out of her pool house office where she has a view of a colorful surfboard fence, tropical tiki bar, and chattering flocks of Point Loma’s famous green parrots. Her two giant inflatable pink flamingos are named Maui and Wowie.

You can check out Alexandra on LinkedIn here!

And find Eat My Words on their site, www.eatmywords.com, Instagram, on X, and on Facebook! 

SPONSORED BY: OUR SECRET SAUCE QUIZ!

Do you want to know what’s working in YOUR biz? Then make sure to take our Secret Sauce Quiz! You’ll answer 10 quick questions on yourself and your biz, and you’ll learn your brand's current strength & how you can leverage that this year. (We promise that it’ll take less than 2 minutes!) You’ll receive a curated list of free resources for your exact stage of business and your business superpower - so that you can do MORE of what’s working. Click here to take the quiz and receive your results and resources today!