Shows
Lenny's Podcast: Product | Career | GrowthNaming expert shares the process behind creating billion-dollar brand names like Azure, Vercel, Windsurf, Sonos, Blackberry, and Impossible Burger | David Placek (Lexicon Branding)David Placek is the founder of Lexicon Branding, a company that focuses exclusively on the development of brand names for competitive advantage. Lexicon is behind iconic names such as Sonos, Microsoft’s Azure, Windsurf, Vercel, Impossible Foods, BlackBerry, Intel’s Pentium, Apple’s PowerBook, and Swiffer. Over 40 years, David’s team has named nearly 4,000 brands and companies, employing over 250 linguists and pioneering naming innovation.What you’ll learn:1. The three-step process that generated names like Windsurf and Vercel2. How a name can give you the edge that no marketing budget can buy3. Why y...2025-06-291h 22
3i Member SpotlightThe Art of the Name: The Man Behind Swiffer, BlackBerry & Lucid—and 100+ Iconic Brands, with David Placek, President & Founder of Lexicon BrandingWhat do BlackBerry, Swiffer, Impossible Burger, Sonos, and Febreze have in common? They were all named by one man—David Placek, founder of Lexicon Branding, the agency behind more than 100 iconic brand names. Fast Company calls Lexicon “the most envied branding agency in the world.”A 3i Member since 2024, David has spent decades naming companies—from Silicon Valley startups to global giants like Apple and Coca-Cola—craft the language that defines their brands. He also lectures on creativity at Stanford GSB and UC Berkeley Haas, advises startups, and runs River Lane Vineyard in Sonoma.In this episo...2025-05-0133 min
How Brands Are BuiltThe Q&A episodeA few weeks back, on LinkedIn and Instagram, I asked whether anyone had questions about branding, naming, or other topics I might be able to speak to. My plan was to do a Q&A episode—and this is it. On this episode, I answer questions from branding professionals and others about branding, naming, and book publishing. Here's a sample of what was asked: How do you manage clients wanting to wordsmith your brand strategy work? What guidance should you give clients to help them implement your recommended brand strategy? How do you maintain brand consistency wh...2025-03-1051 min
Scaling DevToolsHow to name your startup: David Placek - named Vercel, Azure & Blackberry David Placek from Lexicon - the man who named Vercel and Azure - explains the importance of selecting a name that goes beyond simply describing what a product does. He shares what you can do to come up with a great name. We cover:Common Naming Pitfalls: Discusses why names that merely describe a product or service fail to capture imagination and differentiation.The Strategic Impact of a Name: Explains how a well-chosen name can deliver significant returns on investment by reinforcing brand behavior and market positioning.Sound Symbolism and Cognitive Science: Covers research into how le...2025-02-2747 min
La Gran TravesíaCapítulo 5. Live Aid y la conciencia del Rock Star System✔️ 14 de julio de 1985. Jimi McGuire y Janis Freebird han viajado hasta Londres para ver el concierto del Live Aid en el estadio de Wembley, con las actuaciones de U2, Queen, Dire Straits, The Who, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Boomtown Rats, Status Quo... En el programa se entrevista a Bono (Guillermo Nieto - Estación GNG), Freddie Mercury (Miguel Ángel Barquero - Planeta Tentaciones), Madonna (Mari Paz Velázquez) y Lady Di (Alicia Quesada).
Con la participación también de Jorge Placek (El Vuelo de Yorch) y Esther Ramírez (El Rugido de Mi Impala) en los papeles de Jimi y...2024-12-171h 58
Ad Age Marketer's BriefWhat marketers need to know about branding AI tools effectivelyBranding expert David Placek came on the Marketer’s Brief podcast to discuss the dos and don’ts of naming AI products and services2024-12-1122 min
Fund/Build/ScaleTransforming Practical Wisdom into Iconic Brands with David PlacekBranding is a condensed form of storytelling.
That’s my opinion, but it’s also shared by David Placek, founder and president of Lexicon Branding. Here are a few of the companies and products they’ve named since 1982:
Subaru Outback, Subaru Forester
BlackBerry
Pentium
PowerBook
Nissan Rogue
Lucid
Azure
Sonos
Swiffer
NVIDIA Shield
Febreze
In May 2024, I interviewed him at his headquarters in Sausalito, California about brand architecture and positioning, the merits of being bold and authentic, and the methodology his company uses to transform innovative ideas into distinctive names that resonate.
Our convers...2024-11-2244 min
Focus On BrandIn Conversation: Naming Lucid (and Beyond) with Lexicon BrandingWe're back at it again with David Placek, founder of Lexicon Branding. This time we dive into the idea of sustainability in when it comes to brand naming, specifically focusing on Lexicon's role in naming Lucid, a luxury EV car, as well as Mainspring, Subaru Outback, and beyond!
You don't want to miss this episode as we get into the weeds of creating value through brand names, the approach behind brand naming, and David's excellent advice for founders in the process of choosing their company's name (we promise it's not "call Lexicon").
2024-06-0628 min
WealthTech on DeckThe Growth Formula for Wealth Management Firms with Craig ClarkThe future of wealth management involves embracing technology and adopting scalable business practices. Having a growth platform that enhances client satisfaction, retains and attracts clients, streamlines processes, and stays compliant helps advisors and wealth management firms succeed.In this episode, Jack talks with Craig Clark, Chief Marketing Officer at Nitrogen (formerly known as Riskalyze). In this role, Craig leads the firm's brand team, product positioning, thought leadership, and sales pipeline creation in the wealth management marketplace. A marketing and sales development veteran of the SaaS industry, he has seen success putting companies on a strong growth trajectory...2024-02-2027 min
BRITE IdeasWhat's in a name? with David Placek (Founder & President, Lexicon)Matt and JP speak with David Placek (Founder and President, Lexicon) about what goes into creating effective brand names. Drawn from the efforts to craft brand names like Sonos, Impossible Foods, Swiffer, and Blackberry, David talks about the importance of choosing a name that provides a platform for future product launches and innovations, the value of simplicity, the need to test names across cultures, and the importance of evaluating the equity of a name as brands, business, and society change over time. We are thankful for Lexicon's support as a sponsor of the BRITE Ideas podcast, and believe David's t...2022-01-2439 min
Focus On BrandIn Conversation: Brand Naming with Lexicon's David PlacekFocus Lab's CEO Bill Kenney chats with David Placek, President and Founder of Lexicon Branding, about his career in naming some of the world's most recognized companies. Lexicon is behind brands you probably interact with daily: Febreze, Sonos, Blackberry, Swiffer, Dasani, Impossible Foods.
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Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process, an...2021-06-1418 min
InfluencersWhat’s in a Name? – How to use naming and language to build your brand and businessHow does one craft the right name for a brand or business? Should one evolve and extend it over time? David Placek, Founder and President of Lexicon, boasts over 30 years’ experience in the naming business. His agency has developed some of the most famous brand names, such as Dasani, Impossible Burger, Swiffer, and Febreze. In this fascinating conversation, The Conference Board Marketing Institute Leader, JP Kuehlwein, discusses with David how the right name can be used to tell the product’s story, and how it relates to other important branding elements like design, visual identity, and communications.2020-07-2345 min
Housing JerseyCan Stakeholder Capitalism Help Tenants and Landlords Navigate Crisis? | Housing Jersey 005With tenants and landlords alike impacted by COVID-19, can they work together to find solutions to the economic hardships that many are facing?
David Placek, Managing Partner of BDP Holdings, LLC and Community Investment Partners, shares what his companies are doing to work with their tenants and other community stakeholders within their real estate portfolio. In this conversation, David also discusses:
Stakeholder Capitalism and its philosophy
Possible ways for landlords/tenants to cooperate during COVID-19
What opportunities are arising in the current market for buyers/landlords who are able to see...2020-06-0323 min
Time4Coffee354: How to Break Into the Brand Naming Industry w/ David Placek, Lexicon Branding [Espresso Shots]2020-01-0416 min
Whisk TakersEpisode 11: Family Bakes: Daaaydzz Edition, Placek, & Crown RollRoxanne very rudely forgot to introduce her dad in their interview, as if everyone should already know his name! Presumptuous. His name is David, or Doctor Be. This episode we share two of our fathers' specialty bakes with each other, and celebrate our appreciation for spending time in the kitchen with our dads! Apologies if the audio is somewhat crackly in places, we couldn't figure out how that one happened. Thank you for listening!2019-11-011h 19Time4Coffee236: What It’s Like to Build Iconic Global Brands w/ David Placek, Lexicon Branding2019-08-1929 minTime4Coffee235: How to Find a Career You Love After Graduation w/ David Placek, Lexicon Branding [K-Cup SingleShot]2019-08-1904 minTime4Coffee234: Why ‘Curiosity’ Trumps Marketing Majors at Lexicon w/ David Placek, Lexicon Branding [K-Cup SingleShot]2019-08-1903 minTime4Coffee233: How ‘Swiffer’ Got Its Name & Generated $100m in Sales Overnight w/ David Placek, Lexicon Branding2019-08-1905 min
Grassroots Motorsports and Classic Motorsports podcastEpisode 53: David Placek of Lexicon BrandingHow did your favorite car get its name? We talk about the secrets of naming cars—and almost every other product in the world—with David Placek of Lexicon Branding. Lexicon is the agency behind such iconic names as the Subaru WRX and Outback, the Honda Ridgeline, the Scion brand and even items like the Swiffer and Febreeze. It's a fascinating look at how words and sounds affect our thoughts of products.2016-02-1000 min