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{ "episode": { "guest": "David Placek", "expertise_tags": [ "Brand Naming", "Linguistics", "Sound Symbolism", "Creative Strategy", "Brand Building", "Cognitive Science", "Product Naming", "Trademark Law" ], "summary": "David Placek, founder of Lexicon Branding, discusses the science and art of brand naming. He explains why great names are worth the investment, revealing that a brand name receives more use and longevity than design or messaging. Placek details his three-step process: identify (understanding behavior and experience), invent (creative teams generating thousands of name ideas with linguistic analysis), and implement (creating prototypes and research). He shares stories behind iconic names like Pentium, Sonos, Azure, and Windsurf, and emphasizes that polarization within teams signals a strong name. For founders with limited resources, he recommends a diamond exercise focusing on winning definition, existing advantages, needed advantages, and required messaging.", "key_frameworks": [ "Three-step naming process: Identify, Invent, Implement", "Diamond exercise for startups (Win/Have to Win/Need to Win/Need to Say)", "Sound symbolism and letter vibration analysis", "Asymmetric advantage and cumulative advantage", "Synchronicity principle for connecting unrelated ideas", "Processing fluency in cognitive science", "Competitive landscape mapping", "Polarization as sign of name strength" ] }, "topics": [ { "id": "topic_1", "title": "The Power of Great Brand Names", "summary": "Discussion of why brand names are critically important to businesses. Names are used more frequently and for longer than any other brand element. Great names create cumulative advantage (bond strengthens with repeated exposure) and asymmetric advantage (starting with marketplace edge). A great name can be worth significant investment.", "timestamp_start": "00:00:00", "timestamp_end": "00:04:48", "line_start": 1, "line_end": 104 }, { "id": "topic_2", "title": "The Sonos Name and Client Resistance", "summary": "David shares the story of convincing Sonos founders to accept the name despite their initial rejection. The name was rejected as not entertainment-like, but David argued it positioned them correctly in the market. He flew back to Santa Barbara to advocate for the name, and founder Bob MacFarlane ultimately agreed when reframing the decision from naming for themselves to naming for the marketplace.", "timestamp_start": "00:00:09", "timestamp_end": "00:07:58", "line_start": 4, "line_end": 51 }, { "id": "topic_3", "title": "Why People Don't Recognize Great Names Immediately", "summary": "David explains the psychology behind why people think they'll know a great name when they see it, but almost never do. Humans prefer comfort and familiar successful patterns. The brain resists unfamiliar ideas. Great names require people to shift thinking from past patterns to imagining future experiences. This is why bolder, more imaginative names receive initial resistance.", "timestamp_start": "00:08:07", "timestamp_end": "00:11:34", "line_start": 55, "line_end": 68 }, { "id": "topic_4", "title": "Microsoft Azure: The Power of Bold Naming", "summary": "Story of how Lexicon presented Azure to Microsoft after the client initially requested cloud-based names. David explains Azure is different from descriptive alternatives like Cloud Pro, relating to blue sky and clouds metaphorically while using powerful linguistics. The client initially rejected it as a dumb idea, but it became a $100 billion brand by making a statement rather than a description.", "timestamp_start": "00:11:44", "timestamp_end": "00:14:34", "line_start": 73, "line_end": 105 }, { "id": "topic_5", "title": "The Three-Step Naming Process", "summary": "David outlines Lexicon's methodology: Identify (understanding behavior and marketplace landscape), Invent (generating names through creative teams and linguistic analysis), and Implement (prototyping and presenting names to stakeholders). The process combines creativity with discipline, using tools like creative frameworks and linguistic databases.", "timestamp_start": "00:18:12", "timestamp_end": "00:28:08", "line_start": 107, "line_end": 143 }, { "id": "topic_6", "title": "The Identify Phase: Understanding Behavior and Experience", "summary": "In the identify phase, Lexicon discovers how clients behave now versus how they want to behave in the future. They examine both marketplace behavior toward the brand and brand behavior toward the marketplace. They study competitive landscape, extract rhythm from experience discussions, and create creative frameworks that serve as metaphorical windows for teams to explore.", "timestamp_start": "00:18:42", "timestamp_end": "00:21:44", "line_start": 112, "line_end": 119 }, { "id": "topic_7", "title": "The Invent Phase: Creative Teams and Linguistic Science", "summary": "The invent phase uses small teams of two people, often with different briefings to open creative possibilities. Lexicon employs 253 linguists over four decades and maintains a network of 108 linguists in 76 countries. They use proprietary sound symbolism research to understand how the 26 alphabet letters evoke different experiences. From 2,000-3,000 initial ideas, they filter through legal and linguistic screens to present curated names.", "timestamp_start": "00:21:44", "timestamp_end": "00:27:22", "line_start": 121, "line_end": 140 }, { "id": "topic_8", "title": "Creative Team Composition and Hiring Philosophy", "summary": "Lexicon seeks curious, hardworking people with low egos. Ideal candidates come from backgrounds requiring rapid output and rejection resilience: newspaper reporters, novelists, speechwriters, agency creatives. The role demands tenacity to generate hundreds of names knowing most will be rejected. Candidates must churn out 200-300 names in 3-4 days.", "timestamp_start": "00:28:31", "timestamp_end": "00:31:25", "line_start": 151, "line_end": 159 }, { "id": "topic_9", "title": "Windsurf: Naming Intangible Products", "summary": "When naming intangible products like software, Lexicon makes concepts tangible. With Windsurf (originally Codium), they gave teams the task of exploring words/metaphors communicating flow and dynamics. Teams identified windsurfing as embodying the smooth, dynamic process desired. Compounds like Windsurf are multipliers—creating more associations than single words.", "timestamp_start": "00:32:11", "timestamp_end": "00:36:11", "line_start": 181, "line_end": 197 }, { "id": "topic_10", "title": "Naming AI Products: Different Challenges", "summary": "AI naming presents unique challenges. Engineers want sophisticated, descriptive names (Codium, Anduril, Anthropic). Lexicon conducted consumer research across Europe, South Korea, America, and developers, finding consumers skeptical and worried about AI while developers are optimistic. Consumer psychology requires more tangible, natural names (Windsurf) over technical descriptors.", "timestamp_start": "00:36:25", "timestamp_end": "00:39:23", "line_start": 202, "line_end": 210 }, { "id": "topic_11", "title": "When to Rename: Pivots and Company Changes", "summary": "Companies should rename in three situations: startups that chose temporary names need better ones, companies that pivoted need names reflecting new identity, and merged companies need names signaling new capabilities. Renaming is challenging for large companies with existing customer bases. Companies should only rename if the benefit justifies the cost.", "timestamp_start": "00:39:37", "timestamp_end": "00:41:38", "line_start": 212, "line_end": 221 }, { "id": "topic_12", "title": "Linguistic Screening and Cultural Sensitivity", "summary": "Lexicon's network of linguists evaluates names for negative meanings, cultural implications, and political sensitivity across markets. They eliminate names with sexual connotations or unintended meanings. They know cultural expressions that could make names problematic. In approximately one-third of projects, they find names to eliminate that they never show clients.", "timestamp_start": "00:43:12", "timestamp_end": "00:45:55", "line_start": 244, "line_end": 266 }, { "id": "topic_13", "title": "Sound Symbolism: Letter Energy and Vibrance", "summary": "Each letter of the alphabet sends a signal creating specific vibration or experience. V is the most alive and vibrant sound (Corvette, Viagra). B is reliable (Blackberry has two Bs). Z is noisy (Azure). X is fast and crisp (innovation connotations). Semantic value and sound symbolism combine to create balanced names that stand out in competitive markets.", "timestamp_start": "00:46:11", "timestamp_end": "00:50:13", "line_start": 271, "line_end": 284 }, { "id": "topic_14", "title": "Processing Fluency and Brand Naming", "summary": "Based on cognitive science, names should be easy for brains to process. The brain is lazy and avoids complexity. Compound names like Vercel demonstrate processing fluency—combining familiar elements (ver from verde/vino veritas, cel from accelerate). Complexity is a liability. Well-designed names have relative ease that makes brains lean in rather than dismiss.", "timestamp_start": "00:48:29", "timestamp_end": "00:50:13", "line_start": 280, "line_end": 284 }, { "id": "topic_15", "title": "The Implement Phase: Prototyping and Stakeholder Buy-In", "summary": "Implementation involves helping clients present names internally through rationales, prototypes (name on baseball caps, T-shirts, mock ads), and consumer research. Research tests whether names fire imagination and create predisposition to consider products, not whether they're comfortable or fit concepts. Consumer research happens about 50% of the time. Implementation builds internal consensus for bold choices.", "timestamp_start": "00:50:26", "timestamp_end": "00:53:27", "line_start": 289, "line_end": 311 }, { "id": "topic_16", "title": "The Diamond Exercise for Startups", "summary": "For startups with limited resources, David recommends a diamond exercise: top point is 'Win' (how do we define winning?), right is 'Have to Win' (existing advantages), bottom is 'Need to Win' (required advantages like talent/resources/the right name), left is 'Need to Say' (required messaging). This frames naming as creating experience rather than finding a word, launching productive internal discussion.", "timestamp_start": "00:55:30", "timestamp_end": "01:01:03", "line_start": 337, "line_end": 378 }, { "id": "topic_17", "title": "Generating Enough Name Options and Suspending Judgment", "summary": "Most startups stop at 200 names but should generate 1,000-1,500. Quantity matters because many ideas don't pass legal/linguistic screens. Critical advice: suspend judgment during generation, then speculate on potential rather than evaluate. Avoid premature elimination of bold options. Generate multiple lists of 200 names before making decisions.", "timestamp_start": "01:01:55", "timestamp_end": "01:04:20", "line_start": 394, "line_end": 401 }, { "id": "topic_18", "title": "Differentiation and Avoiding Descriptive Names", "summary": "Look for what's truly different between names on your list and what's different from marketplace names. Descriptive names blend in (Cloud Pro vs Azure). Humans only pay attention to what's new or different. Azure works partly because it relates to blue sky (logical connection) but mainly because it's different. Bold names create permission to move forward.", "timestamp_start": "01:04:55", "timestamp_end": "01:06:16", "line_start": 412, "line_end": 413 }, { "id": "topic_19", "title": "Testing Names With Stakeholders and Competitors", "summary": "Instead of asking 'What do you think of this name?', ask 'What does this name do for us?' or 'A competitor just launched called X, what do you think?' This frames feedback as imaginative potential rather than preference evaluation. If someone says 'We know they're not like the other guys,' that signals success—the name creates predisposition to consider the product.", "timestamp_start": "01:06:16", "timestamp_end": "01:08:30", "line_start": 414, "line_end": 423 }, { "id": "topic_20", "title": "Polarization as Sign of Name Strength", "summary": "Great names create polarization—some people love it, some hate it. This tension indicates strength. Andy Grove taught this principle at Intel when deciding between ProChip and Pentium. Polarization means energy and boldness. Look for this sign within teams. Absence of disagreement suggests the name lacks power. Tension in arguing about names is what you want.", "timestamp_start": "01:08:38", "timestamp_end": "01:10:47", "line_start": 427, "line_end": 437 }, { "id": "topic_21", "title": "Domain Names Are No Longer Critical", "summary": "The .com URL is now an area code—it no longer makes a meaningful difference. With AI and SEO changes, domain type matters less. Get the right name first. If .com is unavailable, use .ai or add prefixes/suffixes. Some older founders get hung up on .com, but it hasn't mattered for 25-30 years. If necessary, negotiate .com purchase for $15-30K, but invest that money in marketing instead.", "timestamp_start": "01:11:10", "timestamp_end": "01:12:42", "line_start": 448, "line_end": 453 }, { "id": "topic_22", "title": "Synchronicity: Connecting Unrelated Ideas", "summary": "David's core creative philosophy: connect two unrelated ideas together. Example: naming a sailboat company by reading hunting or flying magazines to find unexpected words. This forces creative connections and prevents tunnel vision. The principle applies to small teams being given different project contexts—teams removed from actual assignment generate better names through fresh perspective connections.", "timestamp_start": "01:13:06", "timestamp_end": "01:14:36", "line_start": 460, "line_end": 470 }, { "id": "topic_23", "title": "Final Advice and Lexicon's Philosophy", "summary": "David emphasizes that great names have nearly unlimited value when done right. He encourages founders to invest time, budget, and resources properly. He offers office hours to help people navigate naming processes. The long-term game involves viewing naming as strategic investment, not just bureaucratic task. Great names are experiences, not words.", "timestamp_start": "01:14:55", "timestamp_end": "01:15:58", "line_start": 475, "line_end": 479 }, { "id": "topic_24", "title": "Lightning Round: Books, Media, and Philosophy", "summary": "David recommends Resilience by a former Navy SEAL and Andrew Roberts' Winston Churchill biography for themes of tenacity. He loves Yellowstone and particularly 1883 for depicting true American West history. He recently purchased a Hardy fly rod for Montana fly fishing. His favorite motto comes from T.E. Lawrence about dreamers of the day being dangerous men who act on dreams with open eyes.", "timestamp_start": "01:16:03", "timestamp_end": "01:20:40", "line_start": 484, "line_end": 571 } ], "insights": [ { "id": "insight_1", "text": "Your brand name will be used more often and for longer than any other brand element. Design will change, messaging will change, products will change, but that name is there.", "context": "Explains why naming deserves significant investment and attention", "topic_id": "topic_1", "line_start": 2, "line_end": 2 }, { "id": "insight_2", "text": "There is no power in comfort, not in the marketplace. Part of our job is to help people give themselves the confidence that going bolder, and bigger, and being uncomfortable is the right move.", "context": "Addresses why clients resist bold names and how to overcome internal resistance", "topic_id": "topic_3", "line_start": 59, "line_end": 59 }, { "id": "insight_3", "text": "Most clients 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.", "context": "Explains why name selection is difficult and requires a systematic process", "topic_id": "topic_3", "line_start": 14, "line_end": 14 }, { "id": "insight_4", "text": "If your team is comfortable with the name, chances are you don't have the name yet. We look for polarization. We look for tension in a team arguing about these things. Polarization is a sign of strength in the word.", "context": "Describes the relationship between team consensus and name quality", "topic_id": "topic_20", "line_start": 11, "line_end": 14 }, { "id": "insight_5", "text": "You don't want to make a statement here. You want to start a story. Azure is going to behave differently in the marketplace than Cloud Pro, which creates asymmetric advantage.", "context": "Contrasts descriptive naming with experiential naming and marketplace impact", "topic_id": "topic_4", "line_start": 83, "line_end": 83 }, { "id": "insight_6", "text": "A great name creates cumulative advantage. Over time, as people buy more and more of the product, they see it more often, that their bond between them and the brand becomes stronger and stronger. You want that name to be distinctive.", "context": "Explains how naming creates long-term competitive advantage through repeated exposure", "topic_id": "topic_1", "line_start": 89, "line_end": 89 }, { "id": "insight_7", "text": "Even before you launch this brand, why not start with an advantage in the marketplace? You won't get an advantage if you're descriptive. If you are Cloud Pro and there's 10 other cloud services, you won't stand out.", "context": "Argues for distinctive naming at launch to create immediate market advantage", "topic_id": "topic_1", "line_start": 92, "line_end": 92 }, { "id": "insight_8", "text": "It's not about the past. You're actually creating the future. We're not creating a name, we're creating an experience for you. We're going to work together.", "context": "Reframes naming from selection to creation of future experience", "topic_id": "topic_3", "line_start": 65, "line_end": 65 }, { "id": "insight_9", "text": "Our conversations start with 'Talk to us about how you behave now and how you want to behave in the future' as opposed to 'Tell me about your positioning, tell me about your values.' That's old thinking.", "context": "Describes modern naming approach focused on behavior over traditional positioning statements", "topic_id": "topic_5", "line_start": 68, "line_end": 68 }, { "id": "insight_10", "text": "Most of our names come from the second or third team because they're free to make all kinds of mistakes when working on what they know is not the real assignment.", "context": "Explains why teams removed from actual project generate better creative solutions", "topic_id": "topic_7", "line_start": 125, "line_end": 125 }, { "id": "insight_11", "text": "We've invested millions of dollars in research about an area of language called sound symbolism. Each letter of the alphabet sends out a signal that creates a certain sort of vibration or experience.", "context": "Describes proprietary linguistic research underlying Lexicon's naming science", "topic_id": "topic_7", "line_start": 131, "line_end": 131 }, { "id": "insight_12", "text": "With technology intangible products, we have to make them tangible. Sometimes we do that by giving a team the assignment not to create ideas for the brand itself, but to dive into a particular context.", "context": "Explains tactic for naming abstract/intangible products like software", "topic_id": "topic_9", "line_start": 191, "line_end": 191 }, { "id": "insight_13", "text": "Compounds like Powerbook or Facebook are multipliers of associations. 1 + 1 = 3, right? Wind creates associations, surf creates associations, together they're more powerful.", "context": "Explains linguistic power of compound names over single words", "topic_id": "topic_9", "line_start": 194, "line_end": 194 }, { "id": "insight_14", "text": "Processing fluency is when the brain processes information easily. Our brains are a little bit on the lazy side. We don't like complex things. So we really strive to make all solutions relatively easy for the brain to process.", "context": "Applies cognitive science principle to make names memorable and appealing", "topic_id": "topic_14", "line_start": 284, "line_end": 284 }, { "id": "insight_15", "text": "Engineers often come to us wanting sophisticated names when they should end up with tangible, natural names. Consumer psychology requires different approach than engineer satisfaction.", "context": "Describes tension between engineer preferences and market psychology in AI naming", "topic_id": "topic_10", "line_start": 203, "line_end": 204 }, { "id": "insight_16", "text": "When presenting names, separate the decision from management approval. It's not about making your boss happy. It has to do with the marketplace. This is a very human thing, but people want their boss to be happy.", "context": "Provides strategy for internal stakeholder management around bold naming decisions", "topic_id": "topic_15", "line_start": 305, "line_end": 305 }, { "id": "insight_17", "text": "Humans only pay attention to what is new or what is different. If you're looking at shoes and they're all black, black, black, and then red, that's the first thing you focus on.", "context": "Explains psychological mechanism for why differentiation in naming matters", "topic_id": "topic_18", "line_start": 413, "line_end": 413 }, { "id": "insight_18", "text": "When you test a name, don't ask 'What do you think of this name?' Ask 'What do you think this name could do for us?' That's a much better question.", "context": "Provides tactical advice for gathering feedback on potential names", "topic_id": "topic_19", "line_start": 416, "line_end": 416 }, { "id": "insight_19", "text": "If a consumer says 'I don't really know much about that product, but I know that they're not like the other guys,' that's when you know you have a good name because it creates a predisposition to consider this product.", "context": "Describes the psychological impact of a successful name on consumer perception", "topic_id": "topic_19", "line_start": 422, "line_end": 422 }, { "id": "insight_20", "text": "Suspend judgment and speculate. Don't evaluate. Ask 'What could we do with this name? What's the potential here?' There's a lot of overevaluation in this industry.", "context": "Key advice for startups generating their own name lists", "topic_id": "topic_17", "line_start": 398, "line_end": 398 }, { "id": "insight_21", "text": "V is the most alive and vibrant sound in the English alphabet. B is one of the most reliable sounds. Z is noisy. X is fast and crisp.", "context": "Examples of sound symbolism research findings that guide name creation", "topic_id": "topic_13", "line_start": 272, "line_end": 275 }, { "id": "insight_22", "text": "The .com domain has become an area code. It doesn't really matter at all anymore. With AI and SEO changes, domain type matters far less than it did 25-30 years ago.", "context": "Reframes founder anxiety about domain availability as outdated concern", "topic_id": "topic_21", "line_start": 449, "line_end": 449 }, { "id": "insight_23", "text": "The fastest moving progressing category I have ever experienced is AI. The internet compared to this looks like a daycare school. We're challenged by just keeping up with developments.", "context": "Describes unique pace and complexity of AI product naming challenges", "topic_id": "topic_10", "line_start": 203, "line_end": 203 }, { "id": "insight_24", "text": "Our mission is not creating good names. A lot of people can do that. Our mission is to create the right name, because the right name does deliver asymmetric advantage and cumulative advantage. That has almost unlimited value.", "context": "Articulates Lexicon's core value proposition and naming philosophy", "topic_id": "topic_1", "line_start": 95, "line_end": 95 }, { "id": "insight_25", "text": "Marketing is really about asymmetric advantage. If you start from the very beginning with an advantage, that's the value of a name.", "context": "Connects naming strategy to broader marketing principle from Melian Dialogues", "topic_id": "topic_1", "line_start": 104, "line_end": 104 }, { "id": "insight_26", "text": "If someone hands you a new phone that's tangible with shape and color, it's easier to name. But intangible concepts like code or software require making them tangible through metaphor.", "context": "Explains difficulty of naming technology versus physical products", "topic_id": "topic_9", "line_start": 191, "line_end": 191 }, { "id": "insight_27", "text": "This process would work for a lot of things. Get people thinking about how they behave now versus how they want to behave. Think about metaphors because this is about experience. That usually sets them free.", "context": "Describes how the diamond exercise liberates teams from word-focused thinking", "topic_id": "topic_16", "line_start": 350, "line_end": 350 }, { "id": "insight_28", "text": "All five people in a room have a different definition of what winning means to the company. It's good to sort that out because it helps identify different creative avenues.", "context": "Explains why defining winning is critical first step in naming process", "topic_id": "topic_16", "line_start": 368, "line_end": 368 } ], "examples": [ { "id": "example_1", "explicit_text": "When we presented Sonos, it was rejected because it's not entertainment-like.", "inferred_identity": "Sonos", "confidence": "explicit", "tags": [ "Sonos", "audio", "speakers", "consumer electronics", "branding", "client resistance", "design win", "retail", "smart speakers", "home entertainment" ], "lesson": "Demonstrates how to advocate for bold, distinctive names that don't fit obvious category descriptors. Shows value of founders reconsidering market positioning over internal comfort.", "topic_id": "topic_2", "line_start": 8, "line_end": 50 }, { "id": "example_2", "explicit_text": "When Microsoft came to us, they were pretty much stuck. They came to us wanting a name that started or ended with cloud. We said if you do that, you're going to be in an ocean of other cloud this, cloud that.", "inferred_identity": "Microsoft Azure", "confidence": "explicit", "tags": [ "Microsoft", "Azure", "cloud computing", "SaaS", "B2B", "enterprise", "differentiation", "descriptive naming failure", "rebrand", "$100 billion brand" ], "lesson": "Shows how descriptive naming creates commoditization. Demonstrates that emotional, metaphorical names create asymmetric advantage even for mature enterprises. Azure became $100B brand.", "topic_id": "topic_4", "line_start": 74, "line_end": 84 }, { "id": "example_3", "explicit_text": "Pentium versus ProChip. Andy Grove said 'Because I see the polarization here in it amongst people. That tells me there's energy for Pentium here.'", "inferred_identity": "Intel Pentium", "confidence": "explicit", "tags": [ "Intel", "Pentium", "processor", "chip", "technology", "B2B", "founder approval", "polarization", "bold naming", "market dominance" ], "lesson": "Illustrates how polarization and tension within teams indicates name strength. Shows importance of leadership understanding that disagreement is positive signal for bold names.", "topic_id": "topic_20", "line_start": 428, "line_end": 432 }, { "id": "example_4", "explicit_text": "Vercel is a coin solution. Ver as in vino veritas, truth in wine, things like that. Verde, green. Cel like accelerate.", "inferred_identity": "Vercel", "confidence": "explicit", "tags": [ "Vercel", "infrastructure", "deployment", "SaaS", "developer tools", "compound name", "processing fluency", "startup", "Y Combinator", "processing speed" ], "lesson": "Demonstrates how compound names combine familiar elements to create new meaning while maintaining brain processing fluency. Shows linguistic layering creating multiple associations.", "topic_id": "topic_14", "line_start": 281, "line_end": 281 }, { "id": "example_5", "explicit_text": "Windsurf comes from teams exploring flow and dynamics in sports. The name was sitting on a list for communicating that kind of movement and smooth process.", "inferred_identity": "Windsurf (formerly Codium)", "confidence": "explicit", "tags": [ "Windsurf", "Codium", "AI IDE", "developer tools", "software", "product pivot", "intangible naming", "metaphorical naming", "tech startup", "flow optimization" ], "lesson": "Shows how removing teams from actual product context allows discovery of tangible metaphors for intangible products. Demonstrates power of exploring experience/behavior rather than product features.", "topic_id": "topic_9", "line_start": 191, "line_end": 197 }, { "id": "example_6", "explicit_text": "Blackberry had two Bs, which is one of the most reliable sounds in the English alphabet. It's a compound with 'black' representing technology and 'berry' familiar.", "inferred_identity": "Blackberry", "confidence": "explicit", "tags": [ "Blackberry", "RIM", "smartphone", "mobile", "consumer electronics", "B2C", "iconic brand", "sound symbolism", "compound name", "market dominance" ], "lesson": "Illustrates how sound symbolism (reliable B sound) combines with semantic elements (black for tech, berry for familiarity) to create strong, credible compound names.", "topic_id": "topic_13", "line_start": 272, "line_end": 275 }, { "id": "example_7", "explicit_text": "Corvette and Viagra both use V, the most alive and vibrant sound in the English alphabet. Both represent fast, powerful, energetic products.", "inferred_identity": "Corvette and Viagra", "confidence": "explicit", "tags": [ "Corvette", "Viagra", "sound symbolism", "powerful products", "vibrancy", "consumer products", "automotive", "pharmaceutical", "high energy", "letter V energy" ], "lesson": "Demonstrates consistent application of sound symbolism across different industries. Shows how V's vibrant quality transfers appropriate energy to both automotive and pharmaceutical contexts.", "topic_id": "topic_13", "line_start": 272, "line_end": 272 }, { "id": "example_8", "explicit_text": "Google versus Infoseek. Google is an experience. Google says 'I don't know what these guys are going to do, but it's not this practical mundane Infoseek.'", "inferred_identity": "Google vs Infoseek", "confidence": "explicit", "tags": [ "Google", "Infoseek", "search engine", "tech", "B2C", "market dominance", "descriptive failure", "bold naming", "innovation signal", "experiential naming" ], "lesson": "Classic contrast showing how experiential naming (Google) creates consumer intrigue versus descriptive naming (Infoseek) that defines limitations. Google signals unlimited potential.", "topic_id": "topic_16", "line_start": 347, "line_end": 347 }, { "id": "example_9", "explicit_text": "Harry Potter was rejected 16 or 18 times. Call of the Wild was rejected even more times. Publishers said 'You're saying a dog becomes a wolf? I've never heard of anything like that.'", "inferred_identity": "Harry Potter and Call of the Wild", "confidence": "explicit", "tags": [ "Harry Potter", "Call of the Wild", "book publishing", "novels", "literary", "rejection history", "brand creation", "iconic IP", "comfort bias", "unfamiliar concepts" ], "lesson": "Illustrates that even highly successful names/titles face initial rejection because they're unfamiliar. Shows human tendency to reject innovation and how persistence overcomes comfort bias.", "topic_id": "topic_3", "line_start": 65, "line_end": 65 }, { "id": "example_10", "explicit_text": "Powerbook, Pentium, Blackberry, Swiffer, the Impossible Burger, Vercel, Windsurf, CapCut, and Azure are names Lexicon created.", "inferred_identity": "Lexicon Branding Portfolio", "confidence": "explicit", "tags": [ "Lexicon Branding", "brand naming", "naming agency", "multiple industries", "iconic brands", "B2B and B2C", "consumer products", "technology", "food brands", "portfolio excellence" ], "lesson": "Demonstrates breadth of Lexicon's experience across sectors (tech, consumer, food, tools) and ability to create distinctive names within diverse categories.", "topic_id": "topic_1", "line_start": 20, "line_end": 20 }, { "id": "example_11", "explicit_text": "DreamWorks is a wonderful name. It's a compound, dream and works, check all the boxes. They've created an experience, the experience of dreaming in a movie. I wish I'd done it.", "inferred_identity": "DreamWorks", "confidence": "explicit", "tags": [ "DreamWorks", "animation", "film studio", "entertainment", "compound name", "experiential naming", "studio creation", "consumer entertainment", "branding excellence", "creative industry" ], "lesson": "Shows how compound names create rich associations (dream expectations + creative work). Illustrates that entertainment industry often uses mundane names, making DreamWorks stand out as exceptional.", "topic_id": "topic_23", "line_start": 575, "line_end": 575 }, { "id": "example_12", "explicit_text": "Anduril and Anthropic are examples of sophisticated names engineers want, but consumer research showed consumers prefer more tangible, natural names like Windsurf.", "inferred_identity": "Anduril and Anthropic", "confidence": "explicit", "tags": [ "Anduril", "Anthropic", "AI startups", "defense tech", "AI research", "B2B enterprise", "engineer preferences", "sophisticated naming", "consumer skepticism", "naming tension" ], "lesson": "Demonstrates that engineer team preferences for sophisticated descriptive names often misalign with consumer psychology, which requires tangible, natural naming for acceptance.", "topic_id": "topic_10", "line_start": 203, "line_end": 204 }, { "id": "example_13", "explicit_text": "Dasani has a lot of rhythm to it. It's calming. We extract things from discussion on experience and begin to think about rhythm of the name.", "inferred_identity": "Dasani", "confidence": "explicit", "tags": [ "Dasani", "Coca-Cola", "water brand", "beverage", "consumer goods", "B2C retail", "rhythm analysis", "sound quality", "calm experience", "sensory naming" ], "lesson": "Shows how rhythm and phonetic quality contribute to brand experience. Dasani's calm quality matches water category expectations while remaining distinctive.", "topic_id": "topic_5", "line_start": 115, "line_end": 115 }, { "id": "example_14", "explicit_text": "Bob MacFarlane, founder of Sonos, realized 'We're trying to name this for ourselves, and what we really should be doing is naming it for the marketplace and customers.'", "inferred_identity": "Sonos Founder", "confidence": "explicit", "tags": [ "Bob MacFarlane", "Sonos founder", "founder insight", "marketplace thinking", "internal alignment", "decision reframing", "customer focus", "leadership moment", "strategy shift", "founder education" ], "lesson": "Shows transformative moment when founder reframes decision from internal approval to marketplace impact. This psychological shift enables acceptance of bolder names.", "topic_id": "topic_2", "line_start": 47, "line_end": 47 }, { "id": "example_15", "explicit_text": "Guillermo Rauch, CEO of Vercel, said 'Before David, the ability to name something was like charisma. It was so surreal to watch his team distill it down to a science.'", "inferred_identity": "Vercel CEO", "confidence": "explicit", "tags": [ "Guillermo Rauch", "Vercel CEO", "founder testimonial", "naming science", "demystification", "naming methodology", "founder perspective", "validation", "process improvement", "expertise recognition" ], "lesson": "Captures founder perspective on transformation from naming as intuition to naming as systematic science. Illustrates value of bringing process discipline to creative work.", "topic_id": "topic_5", "line_start": 107, "line_end": 107 }, { "id": "example_16", "explicit_text": "Lexicon created names for 4,000 projects. They employ 253 linguists over four decades, with 108 linguists in network across 76 countries.", "inferred_identity": "Lexicon Branding Operations", "confidence": "explicit", "tags": [ "Lexicon Branding", "naming agency", "linguists", "linguistics", "cognitive science", "international operations", "scale", "expertise", "research investment", "operational sophistication" ], "lesson": "Demonstrates massive investment in linguistic expertise as competitive advantage. Shows that professional naming requires deep scientific knowledge and global perspective.", "topic_id": "topic_7", "line_start": 134, "line_end": 134 }, { "id": "example_17", "explicit_text": "Lawrence of Arabia quote: 'All men dream, but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men for they may act on their dreams with open eyes to make them possible.'", "inferred_identity": "T.E. Lawrence / Lawrence of Arabia", "confidence": "explicit", "tags": [ "Lawrence of Arabia", "T.E. Lawrence", "quote", "philosophy", "action orientation", "vision execution", "personal motto", "historical figure", "inspiration", "daydreamer philosophy" ], "lesson": "Captures David's philosophy that naming, like other endeavors, requires moving beyond passive dreaming to active execution of bold visions.", "topic_id": "topic_24", "line_start": 557, "line_end": 557 }, { "id": "example_18", "explicit_text": "Andy Grove at Intel taught that polarization in team disagreement about Pentium versus ProChip indicated name strength and energy.", "inferred_identity": "Andy Grove / Intel", "confidence": "explicit", "tags": [ "Andy Grove", "Intel", "leadership", "decision making", "polarization insight", "Pentium success", "strategy thinking", "founder mentor", "naming wisdom", "business philosophy" ], "lesson": "Shows how experienced leaders recognize that polarization and team tension around names indicates boldness rather than weakness.", "topic_id": "topic_20", "line_start": 428, "line_end": 428 }, { "id": "example_19", "explicit_text": "David bought a Hardy fly rod for his wife but uses it himself on Montana rivers. His family includes two daughters and wife, all fly fishermen.", "inferred_identity": "David Placek Personal", "confidence": "explicit", "tags": [ "David Placek", "fly fishing", "Montana", "Hardy rods", "personal life", "hobbies", "family", "outdoor enthusiasm", "product appreciation", "lifestyle" ], "lesson": "Illustrates David's appreciation for quality products and well-designed names (Hardy is old British brand with strong heritage).", "topic_id": "topic_24", "line_start": 548, "line_end": 548 }, { "id": "example_20", "explicit_text": "David has property in Montana bought 28 years ago, enjoys 1883 and Yellowstone shows about American West, lives in Northern California near Lenny.", "inferred_identity": "David Placek Location", "confidence": "explicit", "tags": [ "David Placek", "Montana property", "Northern California", "Sausalito", "lifestyle", "geography", "television preferences", "American West", "remote work location", "nature appreciation" ], "lesson": "Shows David's connection to West Coast, natural environments, and historical narratives that influence his philosophical approach to naming.", "topic_id": "topic_24", "line_start": 509, "line_end": 533 } ] }