The Art of Naming: Transformative Brand Success
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Lenny Rachitsky
@lennysan·Sep 2
Nobody knew Zeit until it became Vercel.
Nobody cared about Codeium until it became Windsurf.
Nobody loved mopping until P&G created the Swiffer.
Nobody cared about processors until Intel chose Pentium over "ProChip."
The wrong name kills products. The right name creates
Lenny Rachitsky dropped a spicy truth bomb: bad names kill products, great names create markets. “ProChip” sounds like a microchip hobby kit, but “Pentium”? Feels futuristic. “Mop 2.0” would flop, but “Swiffer” became a verb.
Why good names work
- Easy to say and remember
- Creates instant emotion or imagery
- Feels fresh, not descriptive or dull
- Helps define (or even invent) a new category
- Makes people want to talk about it
Real-world examples
- Vercel (formerly Zeit): growth surged after rename, now powers Next.js with millions of devs
- Windsurf (formerly Codeium): rebounded user interest and awareness post-rebrand
- Swiffer: $4B+ brand created from a chore people hated
- Pentium: turned a technical spec into a household name
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