The Art and Science of Product Naming

When fragrance brand Snif was cooking up the name for its latest scent, which smelled of pancakes hot off the griddle — maple syrup, melted butter and “sugared musk,” — it went off instinct.

Taylor Merkel, Snif’s chief brand and creative officer landed on “Hot Cakes,” because it had “a direct connection for people of what they’re going to smell,” she said, which can be difficult to translate online. Plus, there was a double meaning — “selling like hot cakes,” making…