Chris Johnson, a Seattle-based branding consultant operating as The Name Inspector, has been watching a company name trend for several years now that is likely attributable to the success of Spotify: slapping “ify” on the end of otherwise perfectly good words.
Dating back to 2007, Johnson has counted some 337 such company names; 101 last year and 73 so far this year. The chart he fashioned is a bit big to be legible here, so let’s just list this year’s batch of namified names (prepare for some scrolling):
Accredify
Actifi
Aggify
Alertify Me
Algofy
Attify
Boastify
Boostify
Brainify
Brandify
Bucketify
Cenify
Changify
CISOfy
Cleanify
Cloudifyd
Collabify
Collabrify.IT
Consumerify
Contify
Coursify
Creafi
Cricfy
Dealify
Digify
Dipify
DMartify
Eggify
EMnify
Emplofy
Entefy
Eurekify
Eventify
Experfy
Fieldomobify
Floify
Forgotify
Gastrofy
Grabbify
groopify
Hastify
Infinify
Kiddify
Knowify
Librify
Mailify
mandarify
Meshify
Mixify
Odorify
OnBoardify
Parkifi
Photofy
Pingify
Pricify
Promotify
Proposify
Puridify
Quotesify
Scontify
Searchifi
Sendify
Startify
Successify
Tailify
Touchify
Trendify
Triplify
Trippifi
Volofy
Washlify
Welify
Yieldify
Johnson notes: “The normal function of the -ify suffix is to create a verb out of a noun or adjective. Some of the names here (in bold) put the suffix gratuitously onto a word that’s already a verb. That shows this is no normal English morphological process. Rather, it is a naming fad run amok.”
I emailed Johnson a few questions:
Why do startups do this given that it’s become so roundly ridiculed?
I think startups use the namifying strategy for different reasons. One is subconscious mimicry of successful companies like Spotify. Another is the desire to find a name that can be used as a verb.
Honestly, though, I don't know how aware founders are of this pattern or how it's been ridiculed. I think I've been the one leading the charge against this particular naming fad, and it's gotten a bit of press, but not a lot.
Have we just run out of good company names?
We haven't run out of good company names, but you certainly have to hunt harder to find one now. Good names are about good communication and good verbal design, and those things will never go away.
What would you tell a client who suggested such a name to you?
I would just show the client my chart and urge them to consider something more original.
Are you responsible for any of the names of the list?
I'm not responsible for any of the -ify names. In the interest of full disclosure, however, I should mention that I briefly had a blog before The Name Inspector that was called Linguify. So I have not been completely immune to the charms of the -ify suffix. (That was pre-Spotify, though.)
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