Would you trust thousands of strangers to name your company?

Ad agency DW+H is giving it a try.

The Santa Monica firm has jumped on one of the hottest trends in business – “crowdsourcing” – to come up with a new name.

Crowdsourcing involves asking online groups to help with tasks ranging from the simple to the complex. The idea is that the crowd is smarter than the smartest person in the room.

Firm co-founder Lucas Donat said he decided a crowdsourced name could raise the profile of his company, which is not well known even though it has worked on high-profile campaigns, such as for Santa Monica-based dating site eHarmony.

“There is something very powerful about crowdsourcing that can make our industry better,” said Donat, who co-founded the firm about 20 years ago with his wife.

Donat has hired Victors & Spoils, a Boulder, Colo., ad agency to lead the process. Participants can register for free on VictorsandSpoils.com and submit ideas through Sept. 10. The new name will be announced before the end of the year, with the winner receiving $4,000.

The current name is simply an acronym representing the last names of Donat, his wife and another principal. Donat said he wants something punchier representing the firm’s philosophy that businesses can create positive societal change.

“It’s a tee-off to what your agency’s about,” he said.

– Bailey Brewer