Easy-to-process things feel truer, safer, and more appealing.
More quotesNike’s shoe began as Aztec. Adidas threatened legal action because it had Azteca Gold. The obvious name disappeared, Phil Knight drove to Bill Bowerman’s house, and irritation supplied a new direction.
“Who was that guy who kicked the shit out of the Aztecs?”
“Cortez.”
The exchange is quick, rude and memorable. It shows one productive response to a constraint. Other naming sessions produce panicked rubbish, accidental obscenities in other languages and names another company already owns. Origin stories edit out the hundreds of afternoons when everybody was equally irritated and nothing useful happened.
The interesting bit is the absence of fake profundity. Nobody pretended the name emerged from the brand essence of an invented consumer called Urban Striver. The rejected word remained on the table and Bowerman attacked it directly. If Aztec was unavailable, who defeated the Aztecs? The answer carried aggression, speed and historical baggage in a single familiar sound.
That history is part of the decision. Pronunciation, meaning, ownership and cultural consequence belong beside memorability. Creative work can begin on a porch with a cap coming off and a sweary question. Approval needs legal, linguistic and market scrutiny. Nike adopted Cortez, used the name in commercial production and sold the shoe under it.