Using free software to (help) generate perfume names

    In a recent article I wrote about the value a coined name -- an invented name -- could give a new perfume. One technique I've mentioned in a book on naming new perfumes is to use automatic name generating software. This will not -- except in the most extraordinary circumstances -- give you a good name, a usable name, for your perfume but it can help open up your imagination in a way that will lead you to a good, usable, totally original perfume name.

    In the book I've mentioned a few websites that let you use their automatic name generators without charge. None are particularly useful except to get you started moving around ideas, words, and letters.

    Free to use, automatic word generators exist to help expectant parents generate baby names and entrepreneurs name new websites or even new companies or even new products. While baby names can be useful in perfume naming -- particularly in popping up rare names or names from other cultures, they may be best used when used as only part of the naming process, by starting with the conventional and then working into the "Sally to Shallie" mode, transforming adding and subtracting letters until a new -- appropriate -- name is coined.

    Then continue to play with it. Think about the sound, the color the name might suggest, and the scent. (The name should at least help suggest a scent.)

    I've been playing around with two name generators -- just for fun (and because, at present, I have two fragrances that need names!) My toys today have been a baby name generator (where they ask for "Mom's name" and "Dad's name," just enter some themes from your scent story), and a business and product name generator (just keep clicking and you'll see some wild names and, with enough clicks, you might get something close to useful.)

    Even if you aren't naming a fragrance today, play around with these toys now. You might want to come back to them -- strictly for inspiration -- in the future.

    (These comments were inspired by my book, How To Create A More Valuable Name For Your Perfume.)

Is it possible to find a "perfect" name for a new perfume?

There is a standard formula. The name, scent, and marketing must all tell the same story. The scent "is" the name, the marketing sells precisely what the name and scent suggest. This is the creative side of naming a new perfume.

But there is more to it. While you would not rush to abandon a name that fills the standard formula perfectly, there are some additional considerations that can help you cement your sole possession of this name so that nobody else can use it -- unless they pay you for the rights.

By now you're probably thinking "trademark" -- if I trademark my name I'll be fully protected -- and you could be but you might not be. It depends on ... on the name you've chosen and how you are using it. It's not complicated but a little knowledge here can help you obtain more valuable rights for your perfume's name.

If you are an individual or a small company, you're probably asking "What will it cost?" Here the good news is that, if your perfume name isn't already being used by somebody else, you can obtain some very valuable rights to that name without spending a penny.

Of course the most important step in naming a perfume is to develop a name that harmonizes with your scent and marketing strategy. This is about 90 percent of the game. But if you want that extra 10 percent, that extra value that might even allow you to sell your name to someone else some day, read more here.