The Buzzword Trap: Why Brands Should Resist Naming Themselves After the Hype Cycle

Every era in technology brings its own language. These buzzwords, once fresh and exciting, quickly become shorthand for innovation. But as the industry moves forward, yesterday’s catchphrases often become today’s punchlines. For brands, especially those considering a name tied to the latest trend, the risk is clear: what feels current now may soon feel dated, or worse, irrelevant.

A brief look at the tech buzzword graveyard illustrates the point. In the 1990s, terms like “Information Superhighway” and “Cyberspace” dominated headlines. Companies raced to position themselves as leaders in the “Dot-Com Boom.” When the bubble burst, so did the credibility of brands that leaned too heavily on these fleeting terms.

The early 2000s brought “Web 2.0,” “AJAX,” and “User-Generated Content.” These concepts shaped a generation of startups, but as mobile apps took over, the language shifted. “There’s an App for That” became the rallying cry, only to fade as app fatigue set in and users consolidated their digital lives around a handful of core platforms.

Social media’s rise in the early 2010s introduced “Virality,” “Engagement,” and “Growth Hacking.” Marketers built entire strategies around these ideas, but as algorithms changed and the value of a “like” diminished, the industry moved on. The mid-2010s saw the “Cloud-First” movement, with acronyms like SaaS and IaaS becoming commonplace. Today, cloud is simply infrastructure, essential, but no longer a differentiator.

The late 2010s brought the “Crypto Carnival.” Words like “Blockchain,” “HODL,” and “Web3” promised a new digital frontier. Yet, after a wave of scams and market corrections, many of these terms now carry baggage rather than cachet.

Now, we are in the era of “AI Everything.” Terms like “Generative AI,” “LLM,” and “Prompt Engineering” are everywhere. The pace of change is relentless, and the future of these buzzwords is uncertain. Some will endure, but many will fade as the technology matures and the conversation shifts.

For brands, the lesson is straightforward. Naming your company after a buzzword may offer short-term relevance, but it carries long-term risk. The most resilient brands build their identity around enduring values, not passing trends. OpenAI, for example, faces a challenge: as artificial intelligence becomes ubiquitous, the name may lose its distinctiveness or even feel outdated as the field evolves.

A brand name should signal purpose, not just technology. It should be broad enough to grow with the company, yet specific enough to convey meaning. Names that tie themselves too closely to a single technology or trend risk being left behind when the industry moves on.

The best approach is to focus on what your brand stands for, not just what it does. Consider how your name will sound in five, ten, or twenty years. Will it still feel relevant if the technology landscape changes? Will it allow you to expand into new areas without feeling forced or inauthentic?

Buzzwords will always come and go. The brands that endure are those that resist the temptation to chase the hype and instead build on a foundation of clarity, purpose, and adaptability. In a world where language changes as quickly as the technology itself, a timeless brand name is one of the few true competitive advantages.