Stanley Kubrick – Thoughts on Storytelling

Photo by Rain Bennett on Unsplash

Stanley Kubrick made a great point about indirect storytelling that gets to an important tenet of naming (emphasis is mine):

“If you really want to communicate something, even if it’s just an emotion or an attitude, let alone an idea, the least effective and least enjoyable way is directly. It only goes in about an inch. But if you can get people to the point where they have to think a moment what it is you’re getting at, and then discover it, the thrill of discovery goes right through the heart.”

I’m a strong advocate for ambiguous names that make people think. When you use an ambiguous or unexpected name, you create a “mind puzzle” with your branding that requires the customer to think about the connection to your product and will spend time trying to figure out why the name was chosen. This can lead to higher recall of the name later and positive attributions to the product. If you use a slightly ambiguous name, the consumer might actually enjoy the “mind puzzle” and won’t have to work too hard to get your point. When consumers solve the puzzle, they will then have a sense of accomplishment because they were able to figure it out. And as Kubrick says, that thrill of discovery “…goes right through the heart.”

Generic or descriptive names are direct names that are not distinctive. Yes, calling your food chopper “FastChop” might be a way to suggest the functional benefit of your product. But a generic or descriptive name will only “go an inch deep” as the Kubrick quote infers.

Here is a good example of an ambiguous name that requires some thought. There is a burger place in the Philippines called “Regrub.” This place has been very successful, and they are now very famous in the Philippines. A good part of their awareness comes from the fact that their name has a lot of people thinking, “Why Regrub?” After they ponder for a while, they then realize that it is the word “Burger” spelled backwards. They then go on to tell their friends about the new place with the unique name which helps to build the success story. The “thrill of discovery” built into the name causes superior communication and memorability.

Here is an example of a tech company that entered a world with competitive names such as IBM, DEC and Cincom. Instead of just another cold, technical name, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak decided on Apple Computers. Reportedly, Jobs and Wozniak considered alternate brand names such as Executex and Matrix Electronics but settled on Apple. In Steve Jobs’ biography, Jobs said he suggested Apple Computers because he thought the name sounded “fun, spirited, and not intimidating.” Apple sounds simple and straightforward as compared to those other choices, and it made people think about the concept behind the name: a simple, accessible and affordable computer. 

The next time you have a naming challenge, don’t lean towards generic or descriptive names. Instead, go for a higher-level name that makes people think and enables you to stand out from your competitors. You should have an easier time getting a trademark (compared to generic or descriptive names), and you will also benefit from having a unique positioning for your marketing efforts.