Finding new perfume names with Scrabble tiles

    

 Naming a new perfume can be a casual lark or an intense creative effort depending on how much importance you give to that name. The more focused you are on the business of marketing your perfume, the more attention you give to a number of considerations that go into the naming process.

    In brief, you're looking for a name that is appropriate for the scent, a name that goes with the romance you are presenting for your scent. Due to the large number of fragrances on the market, this can take a bit of work.

    All too often you think you have a good name but a little research shows that your name is uncomfortably close to someone else's name. You have to back off and try again.

    On top of it all there's the trademark issue. Will you be establishing valuable rights to the name you have chosen or will you be infringing someone else's rights? In the first case you're gold; in the second, you're mud and you might be forced by someone's lawyers to rename your perfume.

    If, when you are naming a new perfume, you have the feeling that all the good names are taken, I have a suggestion for you, one that I have personally found quite helpful.

    Acquire a set of Scrabble tiles. You'll find them eBay for a few dollars. Then, clear off a tabletop and spread the tiles out in front of you. Then just start pushing them around, making words, words with offbeat spellings, non-words, and "almost" words.

    Give is some time, fifteen minutes here, half and hour there, over a period of a few days. There is something almost magical about having all these letters lying there, in random order, in front of you.

    What I've found as I push the tiles around is that they begin to form possible or almost possible names. I write these "words" down on paper and keep pushing, playing, looking for "words" that look right and sound right for the fragrance I am trying to name. Sometimes I see real words, sometimes I see "words" that might go beautifully with the fragrance even though they are not real words because, through their shape and sound, they suggest real emotions that are right for the fragrance I am trying to name.
   
    Give it a try. By doing this you might come up with some far more interesting names for your fragrances. And, a warning, before you make your final decision, be sure to do a Google search of the word you want, to see if others might be using it or something close to it. If so, you'll want to make sure that the image they are giving the word does not conflict with the image you are trying to establish. (When you do this reality check you can get some annoying surprises!)

    And last of all, before you finalize your selection, do a TESS search with the US Patent and Trademark Office to see is anyone has trademarked the name already. You can search online free. You're looking for conflicts in International Class 3.

    More in our book, How To Create A More Valuable Name For Your Perfume.