Naming expert shares the process behind creating billion-dollar brand names like Azure, Vercel, Windsurf, Sonos, Blackberry, and Impossible Burger | David Placek (Lexicon Branding)
David Plasik, founder of Lexicon Branding, shares his specific process for finding winning brand names, including why great names are often uncomfortable and a simple exercise for founders to find the right name in just a few weeks.
Deep Dive Analysis
16 Topic Outline
Sonos: Fighting for a Bold Brand Name
Why Clients Resist Imaginative Brand Names
Microsoft Azure: From 'Dumb Idea' to Success
The Asymmetric and Cumulative Advantage of Naming
Lexicon's Three-Step Naming Process: Identify, Invent, Implement
Qualities of Effective Brand Name Creators
The Windsurf Case Study and Intangible Naming
Naming Challenges and Trends in the AI Era
When and Why to Change Your Company Name
The Critical Role of Linguists in Global Naming
The Psychological Vibration and Power of Letters
Vercel: Coinage and Processing Fluency
The Implementation Phase: Arming Clients for Success
The Diamond Framework for DIY Naming
Suspending Judgment and Embracing Polarization in Naming
Why Domain Names No Longer Matter
6 Key Concepts
Polarization as a Sign of Strength
When a name evokes strong, divided opinions within a team, it indicates inherent energy and distinctiveness, which is desirable in a competitive marketplace. This tension suggests the name is bold and not merely comfortable.
Asymmetric Advantage
A distinctive brand name provides an inherent advantage in the marketplace even before launch, helping a brand stand out from competitors. It allows a company to start with an edge that marketing budgets alone cannot buy.
Cumulative Advantage
A strong, memorable brand name reinforces its distinctiveness over time as customers repeatedly encounter and engage with the product. This consistent exposure strengthens their bond with the brand and its recognition.
Sound Symbolism
The inherent psychological vibrations or experiences evoked by individual letters and sounds in language. This linguistic phenomenon can be leveraged in brand naming to create specific feelings or associations, like 'V' for vibrancy or 'B' for reliability.
Processing Fluency
The ease with which the brain processes information. Brand names that are relatively easy for the brain to process are more likely to be accepted, remembered, and leaned into by consumers, as the brain tends to avoid complex stimuli.
Creative Framework (Naming)
A metaphorical 'window' that guides creative teams and linguists, opening up possibilities for names with depth and breadth, rather than narrow, logical objectives. It helps teams explore diverse ideas beyond traditional positioning statements.
8 Questions Answered
Clients often seek comfort and familiarity, preferring names that resemble past successes, rather than embracing the discomfort and uncertainty that often accompanies truly distinctive and future-oriented names. They believe they will 'know it when they see it,' which rarely happens.
A great brand name provides both an 'asymmetric advantage' by helping a brand stand out from the start and a 'cumulative advantage' by strengthening the bond with customers over time as it's used frequently. It is the most enduring and frequently used element of a brand.
Lexicon focuses on creating the 'right name' for clients, which delivers asymmetric and cumulative advantage, rather than just a 'good name.' They aim to create an experience, not just a word, that resonates with future behavior.
Large brainstorming sessions are less effective than small teams because they tend to stifle creativity and risk-taking. Small teams, especially when given disguised or tangential assignments, are freer to make 'mistakes' that often lead to innovative names.
Each letter carries a specific psychological vibration or experience; for example, 'V' is associated with aliveness and vibrancy (e.g., Corvette, Viagra), while 'B' suggests reliability (e.g., BlackBerry). These 'sound symbols' can be intentionally used to evoke desired feelings.
Companies should consider changing their name if they started with a temporary name for early-stage documents, have significantly pivoted their business model and the old name no longer reflects their identity, or have merged and need a new identity to reflect expanded capabilities and a fresh start.
Domain names are no longer as critical as they once were, functioning more like an 'area code' in the digital world. The primary focus should be on securing the right brand name first, with domain acquisition being a secondary, often negotiable, consideration, or using alternative extensions like .ai.
Suspend judgment and focus on 'speculation' ('What could we do with this name?') rather than immediate 'evaluation.' Additionally, look for polarization within a team as a sign of a name's inherent energy and boldness, as humans tend to pay attention to what is new or different.
23 Actionable Insights
1. Embrace Discomfort in Naming
Don’t seek comfort when choosing a name; bolder, more imaginative names are often initially uncomfortable but are necessary to stand out in the marketplace, as there is no power in comfort.
2. Seek Polarization in Naming
Look for tension and arguments within your team about a name, as polarization is a sign of strength in the word. This indicates a bold name that will stand out and have energy in the marketplace.
3. Use the “Win” Diamond Exercise for Naming
Draw a diamond. At the top, define “Win” (how you define winning). On the right, list “What you have to win” (current strengths). At the bottom, list “What you need to win” (resources, talent). On the left, list “What you have to say to win” (messaging, behavior, experience). This exercise helps frame the naming process around behavior and experience, not just words.
4. Focus on Creating an Experience, Not Just a Word
When naming, think beyond a mere word; aim to create an experience for your customers and the marketplace, emphasizing future behavior rather than past successes or traditional positioning.
5. Invest in a Great Name for Cumulative & Asymmetric Advantage
Recognize that a brand name is the most enduring and frequently used element of your brand; a distinctive name provides cumulative advantage over time and asymmetric advantage from the start, delivering almost unlimited value.
6. Avoid Descriptive Names for Distinctiveness
Do not choose descriptive names (e.g., “Cloud Pro”) as they blend in with competitors and prevent your brand from standing out and achieving asymmetric advantage in a crowded marketplace.
7. Start a Story, Don’t Make a Statement
A great name should initiate a story and evoke imagination, rather than simply making a descriptive statement about the product or service, allowing for flexibility and future growth.
8. Don’t Expect Instant Recognition for a Great Name
Understand that you likely won’t immediately recognize a great name when you first see it; it requires processing and thinking, as humans naturally seek comfort in familiar things, making bold names initially feel ‘off’.
9. Generate Many Ideas, Then Speculate, Don’t Evaluate
When brainstorming names, generate a large volume of ideas (e.g., 1000-1500) without immediate evaluation; instead, focus on speculating about the potential and possibilities of each name, suspending judgment.
10. Seek Distinctiveness in Naming
Actively look for names that are truly different from others on your list and, more importantly, from existing names in the marketplace, as humans are naturally drawn to what is new or unique.
11. Ask “What Can This Name Do?” Not “What Do You Think?”
When seeking feedback on names, ask employees or friends “What do you think this name could do for us?” or “What does that name do for you?” instead of “What do you think of this name?” to elicit more actionable insights about its potential and how it fires their imagination.
12. Aim for Names That Signal “Not Like the Others”
A successful name creates a predisposition to consider a product by signaling to consumers that it is different from competitors, rather than being just “another one of those things,” which helps overcome marketplace saturation.
13. Use Small, Varied Teams for Naming Brainstorms
Avoid large brainstorming sessions; instead, use small teams (e.g., two people) and give them different, sometimes disguised, briefings to open up creativity and encourage mistakes, leading to bolder names.
14. Encourage “Mistakes” by Disguising Naming Assignments
When generating names, give creative teams disguised assignments (e.g., naming a bicycle instead of a tech product) to free them from constraints and encourage “mistakes” that often lead to innovative names.
15. Make Intangible Concepts Tangible for Naming
When naming intangible products or services (like coding processes), focus on making the concept tangible by exploring metaphors, physical experiences, or dynamic movements to inspire name ideas.
16. Consider Compound Names for Multiplier Effect
Utilize compound names (e.g., Windsurf, PowerBook) as they can act as multipliers of associations, creating a richer experience and more dynamic imagery than single words, where one plus one equals three.
17. Prioritize Processing Fluency in Name Selection
Choose names that are easy for the brain to process (processing fluency), as complex names can be a liability and are often overlooked by busy consumers who tend to lean away from complicated things.
18. Create Prototypes to Sell a Name Internally
Develop prototypes (e.g., mock-ups on products, ads) to visually demonstrate the potential impact and “lift” of a new name, helping internal stakeholders, especially executives, envision its success and overcome discomfort.
19. Frame Naming Decisions Around Market & Customers
When presenting names internally, emphasize that the decision should be based on how the name will perform in the marketplace and with customers, not solely on internal preferences or a manager’s comfort, to ensure success.
20. Know When to Change Your Company Name
Consider changing your company name if you initially chose a temporary name as a startup, if the company has significantly pivoted and the old name no longer reflects its identity, or after a merger to signify a new beginning.
21. Prioritize Name Over .com Domain Availability
Focus on finding the right name first, as the .com domain is less critical than it once was, having become like an area code; if unavailable, there are workarounds like prefixes, suffixes, or alternative top-level domains.
22. Force Synchronicity for Naming Inspiration
To generate unexpected name ideas, force synchronicity by looking for inspiration in unrelated fields (e.g., hunting magazines for a sailboat company) and noting down words or expressions that resonate, betting that a unique connection will emerge.
23. Seek Expert Advice Through “Office Hours”
If struggling with naming, consider reaching out to experts like Lexicon Branding, who offer “office hours” to provide advice and guidance on the naming process, playing a long-term game of helpfulness.
7 Key Quotes
If your team is comfortable with the name, chances are you don't have the name yet.
David Placek
Polarization is a sign of strength in the word.
David Placek
Most clients, they come to a naming project absolutely believing with full confidence that they're going to know it when they see it. And the truth is, it almost never happens.
David Placek
There is no power in comfort, not in the marketplace.
David Placek
You don't want to make a statement here. You want to, you want to start a story.
David Placek
Your brand name, whether it's a product name or a company name, nothing's going to be used more often or for longer than that name.
David Placek
All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity, but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men for they may not on their for, for, for, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes to make them possible.
T.E. Lawrence (quoted by David Placek)
2 Protocols
Lexicon Branding's Three-Step Naming Process
David Placek- Identify: Understand the client's desired behavior and experience, analyze the competitive landscape for distinctiveness, and create a 'creative framework' (a metaphorical window for exploration, not logical objectives).
- Invent: Utilize small creative teams (typically 2 people each), often with disguised or tangential assignments to foster creativity. Leverage linguistic and cognitive science knowledge, including sound symbolism and proprietary databases of over 18,000 word units. Generate thousands of ideas (2,000-3,000).
- Implement: Clear trademarks, conduct linguistic analysis with a global network of linguists to check for negative connotations or cultural implications, present a curated set of names to clients, and help clients develop prototypes and rationales to present internally and conduct customer research.
DIY Diamond Framework for Naming (for Founders)
David Placek- Draw a diamond shape. At the top, write 'WIN' and define what winning means for your company.
- On the right-hand tip of the diamond, write 'What do we HAVE to win?' to identify existing strengths and advantages.
- At the bottom of the diamond, write 'What do we NEED to win?' to identify necessary resources or capabilities (e.g., talent, good distribution, the 'right name').
- On the left-hand tip of the diamond, write 'What do we NEED to SAY to win?' to focus on desired behavior, experience, and messaging flexibility, ensuring the name can evolve with the company.
- Generate a large volume of names (aim for 1,000-1,500 ideas/directions) without immediate evaluation.
- Hold meetings to 'speculate' on the potential of names ('What could we do with this name?'), rather than immediately 'evaluate' them, suspending judgment.
- Test potential names by asking others: 'Our new competitor just launched, and they're called [Name]. What do you think about that?' to gauge their imaginative response and predisposition to consider the product.