We Like Your Name: July 2012

ZzzQuil is brought to you by the makers of NyQuil. ZzzQuil is Vick’s new sleep-aid for use when you’re not sick, but just can’t fall asleep. They’ve already said “night,” so they found another way to name this product, and what better way to say sleep than “Zzz”?

The Stir: Events by Match.com reflects Match.com's efforts to continually change the way people meet. They recently introduced their Stir events, so singles can mingle offline. With fun venues, a variety of activities, and a friendlier name than “mixer,” these events are sure to stir some emotions.

Scratch Bread is the name of a Brooklyn bakery, eschewing the possibly itchy associations of their name in favor of how well it tells the company’s story: breads made with care, from scratch. It’s a reflection of the effort and back-to-basics approach to food that’s evident in the final product.

Veda Bars make the Hindu system of traditional medicine, Ayurveda, which may not be the easiest concept for mainstream consumers to grasp, more accessible by turning it into tasty, whole food bars. The name clues you into the product’s philosophy, but even if that doesn’t resonate with you, the word Veda has a certain balance and simplicity that just sounds healthy.

Faraday won a design competition for its electronic bike, and now has taken to Kickstarter to raise money to make their beautiful concept a reality. The company’s name is already sending the right message: Faraday says “electric” by referencing (we assume) Michael Faraday, the father of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. But even if you don’t get the association, the name works. It has a light and airy tonality, and suggests the kind of “fair day” that would be perfect to spend on a bike.

Whisk uses synecdoche to its best effect. This Brooklyn-based kitchen supply store (with a new Manhattan location) uses a single kitchen implement to name its entire storefull of kitchen goods. The aptly chosen name works because it carries a number of other positive associations: enjoyment (being whisked away), whipping something up, and the light, sweeping motion of whisking.

Elepath is coined from “telepath.” The name of this start-up software company suggests a lot about their philosophy and idea generation, which is built around spontaneity and a “Darwinian framework,” (only the fittest projects survive). In keeping with their naming strategy, they’re also releasing a new platform for discovering and watching films called Elevision.

Graymail is Microsoft's new way of talking about the almost-but-not-quite spam that we get everyday, what they define as the “every-growing amount of newsletters, deals and updates that fill you inbox.” Since this stuff falls in somewhat of a gray area — sometimes you can’t stand them, sometimes you can’t live without them — Microsoft may have just found the perfect name for it.