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Actimel - an ownable wordmark for a way of life

Geldmaat - new language to build a trusted national ATM brand

Oaklins - uniting 47 consultancies under one banner

Danone, known for its commitment to health and nutrition, was ready to shake up the market with a new probiotic drink to meet the rising demand for foods that are not just unhealthy but work to improve your health. Danone understood that the right name would be able to carry this promise in a unique and ownable way. A name that would work everywhere and make all of us expect a real contribution to our health as soon as we heard it.

Danone&#039;s ambition was clear. Strategically, they needed to own this new category. In terms of communications, that meant that everyone needed to understand how this product is new and different, and that Danone is the brand that cares to provide this kind of products. Legally, this meant that Danone needed a wordmark that spreads this message and works as a carrier of future brand value. How do decide on a name that does exactly this?

More than just a drink

Globrands got to work, and Actimel was born. It&#039;s a name that strikes you with energy—the &quot;Acti&quot; part gets you thinking of action, of moving, of doing. And the &quot;mel&quot; rounds things off with a smooth, sweet tone. Just what you need to start the day right.

Actimel, a name that moves you

But it wasn&#039;t just the drink that got a name. The special probiotic cultures inside needed to stand out, too. Enter Lactobacillus Casei Defensis and Immunitas —names that sound as strong as they work. More than ingredients, they&#039;re the heroes in every bottle.

What's inside counts: meet your gut's new best friends

Actimel did not only hit the shelves; it took over breakfast tables in over 20 countries, earning over €1500 million a year. From Europe to South America, it is now much more than just a drink; it&#039;s a global health habit.

The impact: sip by sip, a global sensation

Actimel&#039;s story shows how much a name can do. Because it&#039;s not just what&#039;s in the bottle that matters; it&#039;s about defining your space in the hearts and minds of your audience. At Globrands, we&#039;re all about finding those perfect words that make a brand not just something you buy but something you believe in. A strong verbal identity lays down the groundwork for a special, one-of-a-kind bond with your audience through the power of language.

The might of naming right

Ready to start building your distinctive verbal identity? Let's chat.

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An ownable wordmark for a way of lifeee

An ownable wordmark for a way of life

How can a consortium of large Dutch banks connect with users of ATMs to build trust and clarity, without suggesting that there is another banking brand?

Nowadays, less and less people pay with cash, which is why the use of ATM’s is declining. To keep cash available for everybody, ABN AMRO, ING and Rabobank are working on a more efficient, bank-dependent network of ATM’s. This way, cash will remain available, affordable and safe for everyone. From 2019 onwards, the ATM’s of three Dutch banks will slowly make place for the ATM’s of Geldmaat. These ATM’s will be evenly spread out in The Netherlands so that everyone can stay withdrawing and easily depositing their money.

<h3>Recognizable, familiar and iconic</h3>In Dutch, Geldmaat means ‘money mate’. It also sounds a lot like ‘geldautomaat’, the Dutch word for ATM.Most people withdraw cash because they want to feel physical ownership of their money. Therefore, it is important that these withdrawals can be done in a trusted way at a familiar ATM. The new ATM is supposed to become an icon in the Dutch streetscape, similar to the orange street mailbox of PostNL. However, the ATM’s do not have one specific endorsement brand, such as PostNL. This is why an own brand identity is needed for people to recognize and trust the ATM’s.<h3>It does not sound like a bank</h3>Besides an own brand identity, it has to become clear that Geldmaat is not a new bank. Geldmaat is an ATM where people can withdraw money of their bank account whilst everyone is still a customer at their own bank. That is why we chose for a clear wording: a name which could also become a dictionary term.<h3>Name proposals to explore various brand strategies</h3>During the naming process, a lot of name alternatives were also considered which represented an alternative strategy. For example, we decided not to choose an international name because Geldmaat is targeted solely to Dutch people. Also, a more associative name would not fit with the public task of the money services of The Netherlands, which is providing service for the customers of the major Dutch banks.

Why is ‘Geldmaat’ called ‘Geldmaat’?

Since the search was for a name that makes clear what the product is, the number of options is limited. For instance, few Dutch realize that ‘’pinnen’’ (Dutch for paying by card) is not synonymous with withdrawing money. ‘’Pinnen’’ means paying with your bank card in general, which includes things you buy in the store. This is why the word “pin” immediately was ruled out. Moreover, a descriptive name cannot always be protected.  In order to register a name as trademark, it has to be distinctive from everything else that is already offered. For example, a baker cannot claim the name ‘’Baker’’ for himself only. Besides, for descriptive names, the domains are often not available.Geldmaat makes it clear where you have to be to withdraw money. Supported by the yellow design of VBAT, a new iconic brand is introduced in the Dutch streets. Geldmaat is registered as trademark in the Benelux trademark register and the relevant domain names are registered for the Dutch money service.

Clarity, for everyone in the Netherlands

New language for a trusted national ATM brand

New language to build a trusted national ATM brand

M&amp;A-International is an international network organization consisting of a large group of independent companies specialized in mergers and acquisition founded in 1990.The network includes 47 consultancies having their own names and 64 offices (Europe 35, USA 12, Canada 3, Mexico, South America, 6, Asia 6 and South Africa), employing over 600 specialists who advise public companies, family-owned businesses and private equity firms on acquisitions, divestitures and fundraising on a local and global level.

The client

The network realises that there is room for growth in mid-market, international and cross-border deals. This is thanks to intensive cooperation by the network and a shared focus on specific industry sectors where highly knowledgeable experts enable international execution and cross-border transactions.Nevertheless, it is held back by the perception among (potential) clients that a network organization is not able to provide the required level of service for their projects. They prefer a reputable global mergers and acquisitions organization with ‘real offices around the globe’.Five network members conclude that a brand merger is the only way to increase the network’s playground. Direct competitors in the mid-cap market have already successfully implemented hard franchises, presenting themselves as global companies with local frinchesees.

The strategy behind the name change

This project has two characteristics that make it particularly suitable for Globrands. The first is the procedural challenge: how do you make 64 independent offices around the world agree on a common brand name? The second one is to make them agree on the right name, that is a name that conveys the right message through countless international linguistic and legal restrictions.

Globrands helps out with procedural and linguistic expertise

In order to agree on a common name, an organisation needs a common identity; a common idea of its purpose for its customers and the promise to work according to certain values in a certain way. We call that a brand’s positioning.A series of interviews with stakeholders reveals that commonly shared values are integrity, trustworthiness, and a global perspective. These translate into brand characteristics like ambition, entrepeneurship, result orientedness, personal service and creative thinking.The central promise is trust. Customers can rely on the network members when it comes to dealing on a personal level with projects on a worldwide scale.

How to make 64 independent offices around the world agree on a common name

When a name needs to express trustworthiness, the reflex tends to be to literally put the word ‘trust’ in it, or something with a similar meaning. This is rarely effective though; trustworthy parties are not expected to feel any need to litterally mention that in their names.In fact, the most trustworthy brands are the ones that feel like they have been there forever and do not deviate too much from market expectations. In the financial world, names of reputable financial companies tend to communicate their origin. They carry the founder’s name, which in itself usually evokes geographical associations.That’s why Globrands chooses this route, well aware that practically every family name has been registered as a brand in some country. Moreover, invented names that sound like family names tend to still sound similar enough to existing brand registrations to carry the risk of brand infringement.

How to make the name convey the brand’s positioning internationally, and stay clear of linguistic and legal pitfalls

In order to find new linguistic space for a family name, Globrands starts looking for name characteristics that are not too common, but still indicate a family name.One such indication is that it contains some visual reference point in a village, like ‘bridge’, ‘hill’, ‘way’, etc. Looking for new such points, ’oak’ proved to be a very useful one as it also stands for strength and durability. Next to it, ’lin’ sounds somewhat like ‘lane’, which adds flow and together with ‘oak’ evokes a rather British picture of wealth and peace. The added ’s’ strengthened the feel of ownership and originality.As a whole, the name’s main strength is that it is short and different, while it sounds like it has been there forever.

The name Oaklins sounds like it has been there forever

Uniting 47 consultancies under one banner

We set brands in motion, <a href="/services-how-words-move-mountains" title="View work">word for word</a>.

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A great brand name tells a story, even if it’s a bit of a make-believe one.

How your business name attracts investors

The 6 secrets of getting to a good company name

Did you know?

Tuum - let a cutting edge fintech shine with a distinctive name

DigiD - name for a government service as easy as it is unique

Senseo - naming the experience (not the product)

The challenge: shift Modularbank from a descriptive category to a distinctive brand, reflecting their heartbeat. Technology at the heart of your business.

Pioneers in the world of financial technology. A new financial era had arrived on the platform formerly known as Modularbank. They addressed the need for flexible fintech solutions for the first time. But what would you do when the market develops and your name is no longer a brand name, but a commonly used generic term?It’s time to create distinction again with a new identity, brand essence, design and brand name. The goal? To shift from a descriptive category to a distinctive brand.This was the question that Verve approached us with. They asked us to think about a brand name that would stand out in a positive way. Through a strategic process, a brand was discovered that acts from the core of the customer. Modularbank turned out to position itself in the heart of the organizations it works for, in order to make them stronger from the inside out for the outside world. &#039;Technology at the heart of your business&#039; was developed.It was up to us to create a captivating brand name that would do justice to this brand essence. A brand name that is suitable for a fintech company, preferably with a link to the organization’s Estonian roots.Together with the client and Verve, we brought Tuum to life. A real Estonian name, that means ‘core’. That’s how the brand essence ‘Technology at the heart of your business’ was literally translated to a brand name. Short, powerful and clever.

Rivo Uibo, Chief Business Officer at Tuum

Let a cutting edge fintech shine with a distinctive name

How do you get to a name for a government service that meets countless requirements – while still being straightforward?

There is a growing need for secure and clear communication of citizens and businesses with government bodies and governments among themselves. Not only electronic signatures, but all kinds of other applications are becoming available.In this extensive government project, naming was essential, because in addition to all kinds of technical requirements, the name mainly had to meet the criterion of being &#039;simple to understand and easy to use for every Dutch person&#039;.Globrands guided the working group involved in determining the core values and specific objectives, and developed the brand name on that basis.

Thom de Graaf - Minister for Governmental Reform and Kingdom Relations

A name for a government service as easy as it is unique

Coffee company Douwe Egberts and Philips developed a coffee brewing system that delivers fresh, individual doses of coffee quickly and tastes delicious at the same time. The coffee that comes out has a creamy top layer. Their working name was Caffè Crema.

Globrands recommended to name it Senseo. Ten years later, Sara Lee bought 50% ownership of the Senseo trademark from Philips for 170 million euros.

At first, DE only assigned Globrands to develop the international name for the coffee bags, which resulted in the very descriptive and easy to understand term ‘coffee pad’.At a later date, Globrands was engaged to develop the name for the whole concept.Ease of use and the creamy taste were seen as essential attributes of the concept, leading to Caffè Crema as the preferred name.Globrands then recommended that these characteristics were too functional to use as a base for a brand name. This new brand should be able to stand alone as a category by itself and possibly contain a multitude of underlying elements. That&#039;s why we recommended to let the name focus on the experience, and less on the product.Ten years later, Sara Lee bought Philips&#039; 50% ownership of the trademark for 170 million Euros.

The name that eventually met all juridical, linguistic and conceptual criteria, was ‘Senseo’. It sounds Italian, but for everyone in the world it is easy to pronounce and remember. It references to feeling, tasting and smelling. In this context, the simple form and the ‘-eo’ suffix create a feeling of individuality.The word ‘Crema’ was initially added to give an immediate impression of the primary benefits of the new concept. It was then to be excluded as soon as the name Senseo was established enough to speak for itself.Senseo has become an international cultural icon and a huge commercial success.

Naming not the product but the experience

Naming the experience (not the product)

Interested? Let’s get started with a Naming Audit.

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We are Europe's leading naming and verbal identity agency. Every day you come across brand names we developed. In your fridge, on the road or in the news. Because the names we create are ready for the future. For more than 40 years, we have developed names that open hearts and markets.

The verbal agency that sets brands in motion

We set brands in motion,
word for word.

Our language:

Changes

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Want to win with words? Let's talk!

Did you know?

New language for a trusted national ATM brand

Let a cutting edge fintech shine with a distinctive name

A name for a government service as easy as it is unique

Naming not the product but the experience

Interested? Let’s get started with a Naming Audit.

Want to win with words? Let's talk!

Dit is een H2

Dit is een H3

New language for a trusted national ATM brand

We set brands in motion,word for word.

Our language:

Changes

Builds

Expands

Want to win with words? Let's talk!

New language for a trusted national ATM brand

Let a cutting edge fintech shine with a distinctive name

A name for a government service as easy as it is unique

Naming not the product but the experience

Interested? Let’s get started with a Naming Audit.

Want to win with words? Let's talk!

Dit is een H2

Dit is een H3

New language for a trusted national ATM brand

We set brands in motion,
word for word.