Teaching2014-11-12·12 min

Naming Concepts Products

Naming Concepts Products

Eben Pagan reveals why naming is the ultimate leverage point in business, teaching specific techniques for creating memorable product and concept names. He breaks down the psychology of memorable naming using examples from his multi-million dollar businesses like 'Double Your Dating' and major brands like Coca-Cola.

Naming Concepts Products

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Key Moments

How to Create Powerful Product Names -- A systematic approach to naming products and concepts that become impossible to forget

Why Rhythm Makes Names Stick in the Brain Longer

Rhythm makes names much more sticky in the mind by keeping them bouncing around in the phonological loop longer, which helps them move from electrical memory to chemical memory to becoming hardwired

1:25

Naming Products Around the Benefit They Deliver

Names should promise results, benefits, and solutions. Use everything you've learned about marketing to create names that clearly communicate what benefit the customer will get from your product or service.

1:25

What Makes a Virtual Business Different from Traditional Business

Avoid cute names and funny names because spending money is serious business and most people don't want to laugh when they're doing it

1:25

Alliteration, Rhyme, Rhythm — The Formula for Powerful Names

Include alliteration, rhyme, rhythm, and powerful associations to make names more powerful after establishing the benefit

4:03

How Long to Spend Developing a Powerful Product Name

Spend anywhere from a couple hours to several weeks or even months working on names as a project, keeping files and writing down words for associations

11:06

Relevant Clips21

  • How-To

    How to Create Powerful Product Names -- A systematic approach to naming products and concepts that become impossible to forget

  • Teaching2:55

    How Rhythm Moves Names From Electrical to Chemical Memory

    Rhythm makes names stick in the mind longer by keeping them bouncing around in your phonological loop. This helps names move from electrical memory to chemical memory to becoming hardwired, similar to how songs get stuck in your head.

  • Teaching1:25

    Why Funny and Cute Product Names Usually Fail

    No, avoid cute and funny names. Spending money is serious business and most people don't want to laugh when they're making purchasing decisions. These names are usually not memorable and don't create emotional connection.

  • Teaching11:06

    Treating Product Naming as a Multi-Week Creative Project

    Spend anywhere from a couple hours to several weeks or even months working on names. Make it a project and work on names as far in advance as possible, keeping files and notes to develop powerful associations over time.

  • Teaching6:13

    The Science Behind Coca-Cola's Unforgettable Name

    Coca-Cola combines alliteration (c-c), rhyme (coca-cola), rhythm, and a powerful unconscious association. The name originally referenced cocaine cola and still carries the unconscious association of energy and speed.

  • Teaching

    Creating Names That Are Impossible to Forget

    Focus on creating names that are impossible to forget rather than just nice or easy to remember. Use sound patterns like alliteration, rhyme, and rhythm, and make sure the name promises a specific benefit or result.

  • Teaching1:25

    Naming Products Around the Benefit They Deliver

    Names should promise results, benefits, and solutions. Use everything you've learned about marketing to create names that clearly communicate what benefit the customer will get from your product or service.

  • Teaching1:25

    Why Rhythm Makes Names Stick in the Brain Longer

    Rhythm makes names much more sticky in the mind by keeping them bouncing around in the phonological loop longer, which helps them move from electrical memory to chemical memory to becoming hardwired

  • Teaching6:13

    Why Coca-Cola's Name Is Linguistically Brilliant

    Coca-Cola is a timeless brand and one of the most valuable brands in the world partly because it has alliteration, rhyme, rhythm, and a powerful unconscious association to speed and energy

  • Teaching

    Naming as the Ultimate Leverage Point in Business

    Naming is the ultimate leverage point in business - nowhere do you get more bang for your buck than choosing the right name for your concepts, products, and business

  • Teaching8:37

    Double Your Dating — A Brand Name Built for Memory

    Double Your Dating uses anapestic meter, alliteration with all d's, and when combined with the pen name David D'Angelo creates an impossible to forget brand system

  • Teaching

    Name It Impossible to Forget Not Just Easy to Remember

    Create names that are impossible to forget, not just nice or easy to remember - focus on the sound primarily since the mind remembers names by sound, not by sight

Show 9 more
  • Teaching10:22

    Wake Up Productive — How the Name Delivers the Promise

    Wake Up Productive promises that after going through the 90-day program doing 30 minutes per week, you'll be twice as productive and literally wake up productive

  • Teaching11:06

    How Long to Spend Developing a Powerful Product Name

    Spend anywhere from a couple hours to several weeks or even months working on names as a project, keeping files and writing down words for associations

  • Teaching1:25

    What Makes a Virtual Business Different from Traditional Business

    Avoid cute names and funny names because spending money is serious business and most people don't want to laugh when they're doing it

  • Teaching

    Names That Promise Results — Treat Naming as a Marketing Act

    Use names that promise results, benefits, and solutions - treat naming as marketing that promises a benefit if at all possible

  • Teaching4:03

    Alliteration, Rhyme, Rhythm — The Formula for Powerful Names

    Include alliteration, rhyme, rhythm, and powerful associations to make names more powerful after establishing the benefit

  • Quotable0:31

    Naming as the Ultimate Leverage Point in Business

    Naming is really the ultimate leverage point. Nowhere do you get so much bang for your buck than choosing a name for your concepts and your products and your business for that matter.

  • Quotable0:54

    Impossible-to-Forget Names Over Easy-to-Remember Ones

    Create a name that's impossible to forget. So don't focus on creating a name that's nice or that's easy to remember. Instead, focus on creating a name that's impossible to forget.

  • Quotable1:05

    The Mind Remembers Names by Sound, Not by Sight

    The mind remembers name by sound, not by sight. Names are sounds before they're printed words. So focus on the sound primarily.

  • Quotable0:54

    Spending Money Is Serious Business — Names Must Match

    Spending money is serious business, and most people don't wanna laugh when they're doing it.

Entities Touched

Canonical Teachings

Create names that are impossible to ignore or forget, not cute or catchy namesRhythm makes names much more sticky in the mind by keeping them bouncing around in the phonological loop longer, which helps them move from electrical memory to chemical memory to becoming hardwiredNaming is the ultimate leverage point in business - nowhere do you get more bang for your buck than choosing the right name for your concepts, products, and businessUse names that promise results, benefits, and solutions - treat naming as marketing that promises a benefit if at all possibleAvoid cute names and funny names because spending money is serious business and most people don't want to laugh when they're doing itInclude alliteration, rhyme, rhythm, and powerful associations to make names more powerful after establishing the benefitSpend anywhere from a couple hours to several weeks or even months working on names as a project, keeping files and writing down words for associationsWake Up Productive promises that after going through the 90-day program doing 30 minutes per week, you'll be twice as productive and literally wake up productiveRhythm makes names stick in the mind longer by keeping them bouncing around in your phonological loop, similar to how songs get stuck in your head. Names should have a natural flow when spoken.Double Your Dating uses anapestic meter, alliteration with all d's, and when combined with the pen name David D'Angelo creates an impossible to forget brand systemCoca-Cola is one of the most valuable brands in the world partly because it has alliteration, rhyme, rhythm, and a powerful unconscious association to speed and energyUse alliteration in your company name to make it stick in people's heads

The Ultimate Leverage Point of Naming

Eben opens by establishing naming as the highest leverage activity in business, where small investments in choosing the right name yield disproportionate returns. He emphasizes creating names that are impossible to forget rather than just pleasant or memorable.

The Psychology of Memorable Names

The core insight that minds remember names by sound, not sight, leads to understanding the phonological loop - the brain's auditory buffer that keeps sounds bouncing around for about 5 seconds. Rhythmic and repetitive sounds extend this time, helping names become hardwired.

Elements of Powerful Naming

Successful names combine benefit promises with sound patterns like alliteration, rhyme, and rhythm. Examples from major brands like Coca-Cola and YouTube demonstrate how these elements create both memorability and unconscious associations that drive behavior.

Case Studies from Multi-Million Dollar Products

Eben breaks down his own successful product names like Double Your Dating, Self Made Wealth, and Wake Up Productive, showing how each combines anapestic meter, alliteration, and clear benefit promises to create impossible-to-forget brands.

Procedural frameworks taught here

Counterpoint 3

Claim:A name should be nice or easy to remember

Reframe: Create names that are impossible to forget by focusing on sound, rhythm, and emotional impact

Claim:Names are separate from your marketing strategy

Reframe: Names are marketing - they should promise benefits, results, and solutions just like any other marketing material

Claim:Visual appearance of names is most important

Reframe: Names are sounds first, then written words - focus primarily on how the name sounds since the mind remembers by sound, not sight

Topics

Business Frameworks

phonological loopanapestic meter

Common Mistakes

cute namingfunny naming