The Imagination Limitations of AI in Creative Brand Naming
Branders Magazine
Digital publication specialising in Branding, Innovation, Strategy & Design
At first glance, AI, particularly ChatGPT, may seem like the ultimate tool for generate names quickly and inexpensively. It's exciting to see it spit out dozens of suggestions in mere seconds. But it’s important to consider the creative naming limitations of AI. Despite its seemingly magical superpowers, AI simply cannot match the human ability to deeply engage with emotions and conceptual thinking that are essential for effective brand naming.
By Alexandra Watkins, Founder at Eat My Words. Brand Naming Expert
Why AI Falls Short: A Naming Masterclass from Eat My Words
In her sharp, entertaining, and insightful article, Alexandra Watkins, Founder of Eat My Words and the creative force behind iconic names, delivers a masterclass in what truly makes a brand name unforgettable—and why AI, for all its promise, just doesn’t get the joke.
As a seasoned naming professional behind successes like the Wendy’s Baconator, I've discovered that AI-generated names often lack the necessary spark of imagination, emotion, and originality—qualities that only human creativity can infuse into a brand.
I'll challenge ChatGPT to a creative naming smackdown any day.
Despite its potential, AI demonstrates significant shortcomings when it comes to creative names. It lacks the ability to generate clever suggestions. I say this drawing from my own experiences, such as when I prompted ChatGPT to 'give me clever and fun names for a family travel game company.' Chat, whose sense of humor can best be described as ''cornball,' spits out suggestions like Chuckle-filled Adventures, Jolly Journey, and Wacky Wayfarers. These safe, generic names fail to make people smile. To create names that resonate with consumers, namers must draw on a rich tapestry of experiences, emotions, and insights. Doing that, the names I came up with for the game company included Fun Amok, Travel Riot, Fee-Fi-Fo-Fam, Laughing All the Way, and Trippopotamus.
Because ChatGPT only draws on what's already out there, it has limited ability to suggest clever names. Consider love-at-first-sight names like Gringo Lingo for Spanish language school, Chuggernaut for beer growlers, Dream First for a bank, or a GPS for dogs named Retriever. These 'feel good' names connect with consumers on an emotional level that Chat simply cannot grasp, as it lacks the nuanced understanding of human sentiment and cultural context.
AI isn't 'in on the joke,' so to speak. The reality is that while it excels in some areas, it struggles notably when it comes to sophisticated name development of what I call 'wink wink' names—those with a playful or double entendre element that resonates with adults while sailing over the heads of children. I take particular joy in crafting these names because they add a layer of sophistication and humor that enriches a brand's identity. And clients are often able to monetize them with branded merchandise. People will clamor to wear cool names on a t-shirt as they have with Spoon Me frozen yogurt, San Francisco's Hand Job nail salon, The Church of Cupcakes, and Garden Society, a luxury cannabis brand targeted at mature women. (I just asked Chat to come up with clever names for the latter and got one-dimensional suggestions like Elderly Elegance, Splendid Serenity Sprigs, and Majestic Maiden's Munch. I did laugh when it suggested Opulent Oregano.)
The name Garden Society puts a playful and modern twist on an old-fashioned term. It evokes community, sophistication, and exclusivity, aligning with the brand’s vision and audience expectations compared to the suggestion from AI, which miss the mark.
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