TITLE: The Psychology of Names: Why Simple Always Wins.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47ZPtJYZrHU

A powerful name is a cheat code [music] and most creatives waste it. If you do something great, but you have a name that no one can remember, then your impact dies at the point of discovery. >> No one will remember your name. >> How many times have you seen an entertainer for the first time and you went to tell someone else and you forgot their name? It doesn't matter what you're into. You can be a business person. You can be a creative. >> Cash is clay. Yes. >> Why do you want to say cash is clay when Coell and everybody is calling you Muhammad Ali? Then why you got to be one of all people whose color to keep saying cash is clay? >> You think it's really hard on yourself. Now >> you keep the thing in the sport angle. Why don't you call me my name, man? >> There's always someone looking to take credit for your work. Your name protects you. If you lose that, then you lose the right to your own story. Your words will disappear. Your house will disappear. Your name will disappear. All memory of you will disappear. >> Why names fail? Sometimes names are too long, too hard to say, not visual, too many syllables. They have something called fluency bias. The harder the name is to say, the lower the trust. >> The power of shorter names. Nike, Apple, Google, Meta, Beats, Uber, Coke, Netflix, Jordan, Twitch, Starbucks, Lyft. What do all these have in common? All these names are short and they're all two syllables or less. Think about it in this way. A lot of times when we talk about Apple as a company, we think about Steve Jobs. We know that Steve Jobs, his face was always in front of the camera. But he had a partner, Steve Wnjak. Yeah, Steve Waznjak. Not a real easy name to say, so they called him W. Why did they shorten his name? Because it's easier to remember. But Steve Jobs, they didn't have to shorten his name. He has a visual name. You can draw a picture of a job. It's the same way with Bill Gates. Also a two-cllable name. You can draw a picture of a gate. Those are visual names. They're much easier to remember. And I believe that's part of the reason we always remember them. >> And we commit his body to its resting place. >> Sheep's way [ __ ] the Lord. >> Family name is who seek him with all their heart. They do no wrong. They're going to redo it. >> I don't know why I love Italian mob movies, but I do. And I noticed these cultural parallels between Italian mob movies and black people and black movies also, which is nicknames. We love nicknames. When you think about the brain, names are the first mental shortcut that the brain takes. The thing about nicknames, the whole goal is to make the name shorter or to give the name a visual identity. >> No, no, no. Frankie Kofi cake. I don't want his face looking at that face when he's throwing my dice. >> Hey, what's uh what's your name? >> Suchi. >> Hyman Suchowski. >> Yeah, but uh we're going to dump that. Uh I call him Johnny Lips. >> Well, uh we give him a better name. Italians would name themselves after villages, cities, neighborhoods well before coming to America. That's where you get Veto Corleó. Corleó is where he's from. It's not his real name. When you get to the highest tier, your name becomes a symbol. It's like the highest form of flattery. Jordan name became a symbol. Prince name became a symbol. The thing about Prince, it wasn't just about branding. It was about identity. It was a rights rebellion. When your name becomes a symbol, you transcend category. You're not just recognized. You're encoded into the culture. >> What you say about me? >> Nothing, man. >> Use my name in the street. >> You know, Marlo seemed to be obsessed about his name. >> My name will be written in history. He knew names of people in the past that were no longer there and he wanted his name, his legacy to linger because knowing someone's name is the ultimate respect. The funny thing about The Wire is there's a scene where Marlo pretends to not know someone's name, so he would say the name wrong on purpose. What's your name again, man? Bony Biddy. What was it now? >> You know my name. >> Yeah. When you choose a name, you're not only choosing a name, but you're choosing how fast your reputation can travel. Shorten your name if you have to protect your name. Re-imagine your name. It might be the only thing you have. >> I will remember your name. >> My name's Brian and this is the king's hand. >> Be appointed hand of the king. [music] I am Tyrion, son of Tywin of Clan Lannister.