The strongest brand names don’t come from a single brainstorming session or a closed-door meeting. They take shape through a deliberate, strategic process that brings together key voices across an organization. When the right people are involved at the right time, a name moves forward with confidence—clearing legal hurdles, resonating with target audiences, and gaining leadership buy-in without last-minute derailments.
Why Every Team Member Matters: Lessons from Experience
We’ve seen what happens when teams go it alone—creative teams fall in love with a name, only to hit a brick wall in legal. Regulatory teams sign off on a shortlist, but leadership rejects the final choice because they weren’t involved soon enough. A project stalls when different stakeholders aren’t aligned from the start.
The best naming processes prevent problems before they happen by ensuring all critical perspectives are represented early on. This not only saves time and money but also builds confidence in the final decision—making approvals and market adoption much smoother.
Who Needs to Be Involved?
Naming is more than a creative exercise—it’s a cross-functional effort that requires input from multiple teams to succeed.
The project lead is the glue that holds everything together. They ensure the name aligns with commercial goals, market strategy, and internal priorities while keeping the process moving forward. Without a strong lead, naming projects can easily drag on, get stuck in approval cycles, or lose direction.
2. Marketing & Commercial Teams: Crafting the Narrative
Your name is the foundation of your brand identity. Marketing teams make sure it fits within the brand’s larger story, speaks to the right audience, and supports long-term positioning. They’re the bridge between creativity and strategy, ensuring the name has both emotional and commercial impact.
3. Legal & Regulatory Experts: Protecting the Investment
A name has to be ownable, defensible, and compliant. Legal and regulatory teams run trademark searches and regulatory screenings, making sure the name won’t get blocked or lead to legal disputes down the road. Engaging them in the process early prevents wasted time on names that aren’t viable and ensures that your brand naming agency can work with their process to increase shots on goal and avoid bottlenecks.
4. Product Development Teams: Ensuring Relevance
The product team understands the science, technology, and unique value of what’s being named. Their input ensures the name aligns with the product’s function and differentiates it from competitors.
5. Senior Leadership: Getting Buy-In Before It’s Too Late
One of the most avoidable pitfalls in naming is waiting until the end to involve senior leadership. When executives see a final list for the first time late in the process, they often push back—slowing everything down or even forcing a restart.
How to Engage Senior Leadership the Right Way
We recommend bringing senior leadership in at key moments—not just at the finish line. The best way to do this is through a structured executive summary:
- Keep It Short – A 20-30 minute in-person update is ideal.
- Be Visual – Use minimal slides to show progress and key decisions.
- Get to the Point – Cover where the process stands, what diligence has been done (trademark, safety, commercial validation, linguistics, etc.), and present a concise shortlist of names.
- Listen & Adapt – Gather feedback, address concerns, and make sure leadership feels heard before moving forward.
This kind of structured, strategic engagement ensures leadership feels included without bogging down the process.
The Difference a Strong Process Makes
When the right people are involved early, naming moves forward with fewer roadblocks, stronger alignment, and a clear path to approval.
- Fewer Costly Mistakes – Legal, regulatory, and internal hurdles are caught early, not at the last minute.
- Brand Strategy: A Stronger Foundation for Your Brand – Every name choice is backed by diligence, ensuring long-term viability.
- More Confidence in the Final Decision – When leadership has been engaged along the way, approvals happen faster and with fewer objections.
Attaining a strong name isn’t just a box to check off your list on the road to commercialization; it’s a vital business decision. And like any major business decision, it requires the right expertise at the table. When teams collaborate effectively, the process runs smoother, decisions are made with confidence, and the final name truly sets your one-of-a-kind asset up for success.