Diverse Teams With Different Briefs Create Better Names

The Lexicon Branding Naming Process: How to Create Distinctive Brand Names

David Plasik, founder of Lexicon Branding, has developed a systematic approach to creating powerful brand names that stand out in the marketplace. His process combines linguistic science, creative exploration, and strategic thinking to develop names that create experiences rather than just labels.

The Three-Step Naming Process

1. Identify

• Focus on behavior and experience rather than positioning or values
  • "How are you behaving now and how do you want to behave in the future?"
  • "How do you want the marketplace to behave towards you?"
• Analyze the competitive landscape to ensure distinctiveness
  • Examine existing brand names in the space
  • Identify language patterns to avoid in order to stand out
• Create a "creative framework" that serves as a window for exploration
  • Not narrow objectives, but guidelines that open up possibilities

2. Invent

• Use small creative teams rather than large brainstorming sessions
  • Work with 2-3 teams of two people each
  • Each team receives a different briefing to maximize creative diversity
  • One team knows everything about the actual project
  • Another team thinks they're working for a different company
  • A third team works on a completely different product category
• Apply linguistic science to guide name creation
  • Leverage sound symbolism - each letter evokes specific feelings
    • V is vibrant and alive (Vercel, Corvette, Viagra)
    • B conveys reliability (Blackberry)
    • Z creates noise and stands out (Azure)
    • X feels fast and crisp
  • Focus on "processing fluency" - names that are easy for the brain to process
  • Use a network of linguists to evaluate cultural implications
• Generate thousands of name ideas (3,000-4,000) before filtering
  • Not all are complete names, but directions and concepts
  • Look for "potential diamonds" among the ideas

3. Implement

• Help clients sell the name internally
  • Create prototypes showing the name on products, ads, etc.
  • Develop rationales explaining why the name makes sense
  • Focus on marketplace impact rather than internal comfort
• Conduct customer research focused on imagination, not comfort
  • Don't ask "does this fit the concept?" which leads to descriptive names
  • Look for responses like "I don't know much about that product, but I know they're not like the other guys"

Key Principles for Effective Names

Seek Discomfort and Polarization

• "If your team is comfortable with the name, chances are you don't have the name yet"
• Look for tension and disagreement within the team about a name
• Polarization indicates energy and strength in a name

Create Asymmetric and Cumulative Advantage

• Names should provide an immediate advantage in the marketplace
• Over time, distinctive names build stronger bonds with customers
• Descriptive names blend in and fail to create advantage

Focus on Experience, Not Description

• Names should start stories, not make statements
• Great names create predispositions to consider the product
• Think about how the name will behave in the marketplace

Prioritize Distinctiveness Over Domain Availability

• The .com is now "just an area code" and less important
• Get the right name first, then figure out the domain strategy
• Consider alternative TLDs or slight modifications to the name

DIY Naming Exercise: The Diamond Framework

For teams without resources for professional naming, use this exercise:

1. Draw a diamond shape with four points
2. At the top point, write "Win" and define what winning means for your company
3. At the right point, write "What do we have to win?" - your current advantages
4. At the bottom point, write "What do we need to win?" - resources or capabilities you lack
5. At the left point, write "What do we need to say to win?" - focus deeply on this
6. Generate at least 1,500 name ideas without evaluating them
7. Test potential names by asking people "Our competitor just launched with this name - what do you think?"

The goal is to suspend judgment, avoid over-evaluation, and find names that create distinctive experiences rather than merely describing what you do.

Lenny Rachitsky: Human: Here's a strategic insight from the podcast transcript: