Training Session2013-12-04

The Psychology Of Creating A Name Your Customers Can't Forget

Eben Pagan reveals the psychology behind memorable business names using the phonological loop principle. He demonstrates how repetitive sounds and rhythm make names stick in customers' brains for up to 5 seconds longer, increasing memorability and brand recognition.

brand positioningphonological loopPalm shortening their nameJoan's Flowers emotional naming

Key Moments · 1/7

The phonological loop is an audio buffering system that holds sounds in electrical memory for about 5 seconds while the brain decides their importance▶ 1:01

Teachings 7

The phonological loop is an audio buffering system that holds sounds in electrical memory for about 5 seconds while the brain decides their importance
When you tell a child they're not listening and they repeat your last 10 words back, that's the phonological loop in action - information bouncing around before being processed
phonological loop
Repetitive sounds make names bounce around in the phonological loop longer and have a higher probability of getting recorded into the structural part of the brain
Coca-Cola uses repetitive 'Co' sounds, M&Ms and Eminem both became cultural icons, hip-hop phrases like 'junk in the trunk' and 'cutie with a booty' stick because of rhyming patterns
Names with rhythm patterns create musical memorability that makes them impossible to forget rather than just easy to remember
David D'Angelo was crafted with triplet rhythm - 'David D'Angelo, David D'Angelo' - two bars, two beats of a four-four beat phrase, combined with 'Double Your Dating' for complete rhythmic branding
BlackBerry became the universal name for handheld devices because of its memorable repetitive sounds, while Palm lost market share when they shortened Palm Pilot to just Palm
Palm was the original creator with Palm Pilot, but when they shortened to Palm (not memorable), BlackBerry took over and now defines the entire category of handheld devices
BlackBerry Palm shortening their name
Alliteration appears randomly in only 1 in 26 two-word phrases, yet 3 out of 4 phrases that catch on culturally use repetitive sounds
Statistical analysis shows memorable phrases like 'junk in the trunk' and 'cutie with the booty' use alliteration at much higher rates than random occurrence
When something registers in the brain and gets repeated, we become more familiar with it and tend to like things we're familiar with
This is a quirk of the human system - familiarity breeds preference, which is why memorable names lead to better brand affinity
The name David was strategically chosen because David was the little guy who made it against the big guy, adding archetypal power to the brand
Eben Pagan deliberately chose David D'Angelo over his real name Eben Pagan, incorporating biblical archetype of David vs Goliath for psychological positioning

Quotable Moments 3

“It's not about making a name that's easy to remember. It's about making a name that's impossible to forget.”
— Eben Pagan
“It's about making something that just pops up in their brain like a song.”
— Eben Pagan
“when a sound enters the ear, it bounces around in the electrical memory for about 5 seconds as we're trying to figure out what to do with it. Is it important? Not important?”
— Eben Pagan

How to Create an Unforgettable Business Name

Use phonological loop psychology to create names that stick in customers' minds automatically

1
Use repetitive sounds
Include alliteration or rhyming sounds like Coca-Cola, M&Ms, or BlackBerry to make names bounce in the phonological loop longer
2
Add rhythm patterns
Create musical rhythm like David D'Angelo's triplet pattern - two bars, two beats of a four-four beat phrase
3
Test for memorability
Say the name aloud multiple times to ensure it pops up in your brain like a song rather than requiring conscious recall
4
Combine with meaning
Layer archetypal or strategic meaning like David (underdog) while maintaining the repetitive sound structure

Questions Answered

How long do sounds stay in the phonological loop

“when a sound enters the ear, it bounces around in the electrical memory for about 5 seconds as we're trying to figure out what to do with it. Is it important? Not important?”
— Eben Pagan▶ 1:01

Sounds bounce around in the phonological loop for about 5 seconds while your brain decides whether the information is important or not.

Why is Coca Cola such a memorable brand name

“CocaCola. You hear all the repetitive sounds in there? CocaCola. It has a little bit of a rhythm to it.”
— Eben Pagan▶ 3:09

Coca-Cola uses repetitive 'Co' sounds and rhythm that make it stick in the phonological loop longer, increasing memorability and brand recognition.

What makes a business name memorable

“It's not about making a name that's easy to remember. It's about making a name that's impossible to forget.”
— Eben Pagan▶ 8:09

Use repetitive sounds and rhythm patterns that make names bounce around in your brain's audio buffer system longer, like Coca-Cola, M&Ms, or BlackBerry.

How did BlackBerry beat Palm in naming

“Palm was the original creator. Remember the Palm Pilot? And we used to call it a Palm Pilot when they called it a Palm Pilot, but then they got big and cool and they shortened it to Palm, which is not very memorable.”
— Eben Pagan▶ 5:26

BlackBerry used repetitive sounds that made it memorable, while Palm lost market advantage when they shortened the memorable 'Palm Pilot' to just 'Palm.'

What is the David D'Angelo naming strategy

“David D'Angelo. Say it with me. David D'Angelo. David D'Angelo. It's triplets. It's two bars, two two beats of a four four beat phrase, right?”
— Eben Pagan▶ 7:35

The name combines archetypal power (David vs Goliath), repetitive D sounds, triplet rhythm, and pairs with 'Double Your Dating' for complete rhythmic branding.

How often does alliteration occur naturally vs in memorable phrases

“how often would alliteration show up randomly out there in the world? One in, let's say, every two-word phrase. one in every 26 two-word phrases... three out of four of them or something do.”
— Eben Pagan▶ 10:24

Alliteration appears randomly in only 1 out of 26 two-word phrases, but 3 out of 4 culturally memorable phrases use repetitive sounds.

Summary

The Science Behind Why Names Stick

Eben introduces the phonological loop - a 5-second audio buffer in our brains where sounds bounce around before being processed. This explains why children can repeat your last words even when not listening, and why some names naturally stick while others fade.

The Power of Repetitive Sounds in Branding

Using examples like Coca-Cola, M&Ms, and BlackBerry, Eben demonstrates how repetitive sounds make names bounce longer in the phonological loop. He shows how this principle extends to cultural phrases like 'junk in the trunk' and explains why alliteration appears in memorable phrases far more than random chance.

Adding Rhythm for Musical Memorability

Eben reveals how he crafted David D'Angelo with triplet rhythm patterns and archetypal meaning. He explains the difference between making names easy to remember versus impossible to forget, showing how rhythm makes names pop up automatically like songs.

Real-World Case Studies and Market Impact

Through the Palm Pilot vs BlackBerry case study, Eben demonstrates how naming affects market dominance. He addresses the emotional resistance entrepreneurs have to strategic naming, using examples like Mrs. Fields versus Joan's Flowers to show when personal names work or fail.

The Psychology Of Creating A Name Your Customers Can't Forget

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Counterpoint

Claim: “Business names should be easy to remember and personally meaningful to the owner”

Reframe: Names should be impossible to forget using repetitive sounds and rhythm, regardless of personal preference

Joan's Flowers and Things represents emotional attachment over memorability, while Mrs. Fields shows personal names can work if they have repetitive sounds

Claim: “A good name just needs to be clear and professional”

Reframe: Names should pop up in people's brains like songs using phonological loop principles

Coca-Cola would never have succeeded as 'Fred Soda' - the repetitive sounds and rhythm make it neurologically sticky

Key Points 7

The phonological loop is an audio buffering system that holds sounds in electrical memory for about 5 seconds while the brain decides their importance

▶ 1:01

Repetitive sounds make names bounce around in the phonological loop longer and have a higher probability of getting recorded into the structural part of the brain

▶ 2:35

Names with rhythm patterns create musical memorability that makes them impossible to forget rather than just easy to remember

▶ 7:35

BlackBerry became the universal name for handheld devices because of its memorable repetitive sounds, while Palm lost market share when they shortened Palm Pilot to just Palm

▶ 5:26

Alliteration appears randomly in only 1 in 26 two-word phrases, yet 3 out of 4 phrases that catch on culturally use repetitive sounds

▶ 10:24

When something registers in the brain and gets repeated, we become more familiar with it and tend to like things we're familiar with

▶ 2:03

The name David was strategically chosen because David was the little guy who made it against the big guy, adding archetypal power to the brand

▶ 7:01