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How do you choose a name that fits a Dutch supermarket giant’s branding and language and resonates with consumers across the Netherlands?

In the heart of the Netherlands, amidst the vibrant landscape of its fruit-growing regions, a new apple variety emerges, destined to become the the latest addition to the fruit shelves of Albert Heijn, announcing a fresh era of local flavour and innovation.Behind the scenes, a collaborative effort between Albert Heijn, supplier Vogelaar Vredehof, and fifteen dedicated apple growers unfolded. Their mission: to cultivate an apple that embodies the essence of Dutch taste, boasting a tantalising combination of juiciness, sweetness, crispness, and a hint of acidity—a representation of the nation’s apple orchard heritage.Yet, crafting the perfect apple was only part of the challenge. With shelves brimming with choices, the quest for a name that not only distinguished this variety but also resonated with consumers across the Netherlands was paramount.

Albert Heijn’s broader ambition with the apple was to strengthen its positioning in the fruit shelves, drive sales, and enhance customer satisfaction by offering a unique, high-quality product that reflects the brand’s values and resonates with Dutch consumers. Doing so, by introducing a differentiated, exclusive yet local product.To Globrands the question: develop a name for this “juicy, full-sweet, crisp apple with an acidity and a bite”, which highlights the local aspect, fits on Albert Heijn’s shelves and is liked by the whole of the Netherlands.How do you translate that to naming? Through blind taste testing, talking about flavour associations and a good strategic sense of positioning the apple for Albert Heijn as a strong, Dutch friend. We decided the name needed to be light, yet modern, solid and have a playful feel at the same time.

Exclusive and local

Quotes

Wendel van Maldegem, Marketing Manager at Vogelaar Vredehof

And why did we choose it? The name SPRANK has character. Sprank associates with warm (sun) light and a fresh spring breeze. This creates a surprising tingle, an unexpected sparkle and has an inspiring effect.Sprank sounds as fresh and innovative as the apple itself: juicy and crisp, more than just a treat for your taste buds. Sprank provides an infectious cheerfulness. Just that glimmer of hope we sometimes need.

A one syllable find

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Assets

Naming Dutch delight on Albert Heijn's shelves

Projects

Naming Dutch delight on Albert Heijn's shelvesb

Sprank - naming Dutch delight on Albert Heijn's shelves

Actimel - an ownable wordmark for a way of life

Byondis - a complete verbal identity for creators of precision medicines

Geldmaat - new language to build a trusted national ATM brand

Justy - a name for simple purity for all of Europe

Nouryon - keep employee pride in the renaming of AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals

Oaklins - uniting 47 consultancies under one banner

Picnic - validating name proposals for a disruptor in groceries

Senseo - naming the experience (not the product)

Stellantis - a name uniting stars in the automotive galaxy

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

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.

An ownable wordmark for a way of lifeee

An ownable wordmark for a way of life

Globrands and VBAT developed the verbal and visual identity. They did this by interweaving their processes, with Globrands responsible for positioning and brand story, brand essence, brand name and tagline, while VBAT was responsible for the logo and visual identity.

Interwoven process

In April 2020, Byondis, a new globally active pharmaceutical company focused on intractable cancers and autoimmune diseases, was launched. Based on proprietary technology, Byondis creates new precision drugs with a broad development pipeline, including anti-HER2 ADC [vic-] trastuzumab duocarmazine (SYD985) for breast cancer. Byondis is a spin-off from Synthon Pharmaceuticals, a multinational that focuses mainly on high-quality generic and hybrid medicines.

The founders, especially Jacques Lemmens, turned out to be remarkably good storytellers, immediately revealing the rich corporate culture that came from parent brand Synthon. They came with a wealth of inspiring stories that always showed the dedication to outsmart cancer and autoimmune diseases. The following brand personality emerged: a passionate and daring explorer, working in laboratories with extremely strict quality and safety requirements, nevertheless offering patients in a seemingly hopeless situation the prospect of a solution. Globrands had the task of formulating the brand essence, which was expressed in the promise Make hope real.

Make hope real

The Byondis name was developed by the international Globrands network and fits well with the character of the brand, meets all linguistic, trademark and domain name requirements and was received very positively by all stakeholders. Most importantly, the name radiates the ambition and pioneering spirit that is so characteristic of this brand, because Byondis strongly associates with “beyond this” on purpose.For a new brand like Byondis, it is important to explain what the domain is, preferably distinctively and qualitatively, without it becoming attractive or stilted. Hence the tagline: creating precision medicines.

Byondis – creating precision medicines

Complete verbal identity for creators of precision medicines

A complete verbal identity for creators of precision medicines

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

They say change is the only constant, and for Sapje, this change isn’t just about a new label on the bottle. It’s about embracing a world where borders don’t define a brand’s reach.

Meaning ‘little juice’ in Dutch, Sapje was the perfect name for a local favorite. But as the world got smaller and Sapje’s ambitions got bigger, it was time for something fresher. Enter Justy: a name that’s all about keeping things pure, friendly, and oh-so-welcoming, no matter where you are.

A fresh start for Sapje

When we thought about finding a global name for Sapje, we started with a simple question: What does Sapje really mean as a brand’s name? Because even though it might sound unassuming, a name can always hold deeper significance.At its core, Sapje is a promise that its products are exactly what it says they are: nothing more, nothing less. No additives, no preservatives – just pure goodness. That’s what defines its brand, creating genuine experiences for its customers.

Unbottling Sapje’s essence

Looking at it this way, Justy is actually a translation of Sapje: a name that carries that same honest simplicity. But here’s the twist: being simple doesn’t mean standing still. With Justy, there’s room to grow. Think smoothies, nutrition bars, and who knows what’s next? Justy opens up new horizons, allowing the company to become a symbol of positive change and to inspire mindful and healthy choices in our daily lives.

Justy: more than just a name

Now, don’t worry; the Netherlands won’t be saying goodbye to Sapje. It’s staying put, continuing to spread joy with every sip. Justy, on the other hand, is ready to make friends and fans in France, Germany, and all of Europe. It’s all about keeping the roots strong while letting the branches spread far and wide. Here’s to Justy, ready to win hearts and taste buds across the globe.

From Dutch roots to global route

A name for simple purity for all of Europe

How can you fundamentally build on employee pride during a spin-off? Here’s how naming served as the key differentiator in a rebranding of AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals into Nouryon. For this rebranding we teamed up with Design Bridge (then VBAT) and VIM Group.

When it was announced at the end of March this year that the US-based Carlyle Group was going to acquire AkzoNobel’s Specialty Chemicals branch together with Singaporean investment fund GIC, a lot of preparation had of course been going on behind the scenes.AkzoNobel had announced in April 2017 that it wanted to sell its Specialty Chemicals branch, and preparations for this demerger were set in motion shortly afterwards. Because a spin-off of Specialty Chemicals meant a new name and a complete rebranding of the industry.

Rebrandings of this magnitude are often prepared in fairly small circles, sometimes even only at management and Board level. The management of AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals thought differently and wanted as many employees as possible to be involved in the process. Under the leadership of Vivi Hollertt, Chief Communications Officer and Jasper Jansen, Head of Communications Netherlands &amp; Germany, a careful process for this was worked out. VIM Group was called in to assist with agency selection, impact analysis and implementation of the corporate identity to be developed, Globrands was selected for positioning and naming and VBAT for the design and corporate identity of the new brand.After a thorough external analysis looking at the positioning of competing chemical companies and gathering input from employees, the basic ingredients of the new positioning were identified. Then, some 15 focus groups worldwide, formed from employees from all levels of the company, formulated a common purpose in several sessions. That purpose ‘Your partner in essential chemistry for a sustainable future’ would serve as a guideline for all communication throughout the rebranding process and was an important part of the naming briefing.

Involving employees in rebranding

Vivi Hollertt, Chief Sustainability & Communications Officer at Nouryon

At the first orientation workshop at the head office in Amsterdam, various possibilities for naming were discussed by exploring different directions using so-called Moodwords. On this basis, it became clear that for naming purposes, the company’s history was also one of the important routes to be further elaborated.

This meant the team had to delve well into the past, scrutinising past company names, brand names and key people associated with the companies. Given the global use of the brand name to be developed, native speaking creatives from different countries in the Globrands network were involved in the process.At Globrands, the search resulted in many hundreds of names and name concepts. Of these, after initial trademark screening in the more than 80 countries where the company operates, checks on the availability of ‘web domains in those countries and primary linguistic suitability, enough remained to be submitted to the project group with substantiated advice.From two such creation rounds and presentations, a longlist for further research was determined in consultation with the international project group.That longlist was then subjected to further trademark searches for comparative and potentially conflicting trademarks and trade names and linguistic checks in all relevant languages.In the end, a shortlist of names remained, from which, after careful consideration, the name Nouryon was chosen that met all communicative criteria, was globally available under trademark law and of which all urls were available. More importantly, it was a name that everyone involved was comfortable with.

Setting a direction for the future by referring to the past

Meanwhile, design agency VBAT had already started to investigate the development of the brand properly, including design and the identity the brand should stand for. As the new name had to be kept strictly secret while the trademark registration process was still ongoing, VBAT was initially given only a dummy name and the first letter N.VIM Group prepared the implementation of the Nouryon name and corporate identity across the various brand carriers, both digitally and offline, so that everything was ready to be implemented.On 9 October 2018, the time had come and Nouryon presented itself to the world and its employees for the first time. By the end, more than 200 people were involved behind the scenes preparing the name, brand, and new materials such as the website.Here, CEO Charles Shaver underlined the link of the new name with the old Noury &amp; van der Lande – the two entrepreneurs from Deventer in the 19th century who discovered how chemistry could contribute to better flour and bread and would become part of a multinational company operating in 80 countries in essential chemistry: Nouryon.

A strictly secret operation

Keep employee pride in the renaming of AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals

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

Today, Picnic has become a familiar sight on our streets with its handy electric shopping carts, while other delivery services struggled to catch on. The reason for their success? The founders decided to shake things up by creating a whole new way to shop for groceries. They were only wondering which of their name proposals was the best.

Led by Joris Beckers, Frederick Nieuwenhuys, Michiel Muller, and marketing expert Bas Verheijen, Picnic set out to make life simpler for everyone. They saw that while online shopping was booming in many areas, groceries were still lagging behind. So, they started fresh, focusing on what people really wanted: free delivery without the long wait.Choosing the right name was crucial. From the concept and brand positioning, the name positioning and the communicative criteria for naming were established. From this, values emerged that the name had to convey. In a workshop, all joint ideas were then extensively discussed and a shortlist was determined, which was subsequently tested for practical usability (legal, URL, linguistic, communicative).

Picnic won despite a few client doubts (&#039;it&#039;s not just for picknicking&#039;) in the first place because it breaks the naming code of supermarkets. They tend to are named after their founders (Albert Heijn), or convey a message of &#039;much for little&#039; (Jumbo). Picnic, on the other hand conveys &#039;outside&#039;, &#039;fun&#039;, and &#039;social&#039;: joie de vivre. It is also about food, and has a fresh and melodic sound to it.

Breaking the supermarket naming code

Armed with its new identity, Picnic embarked on a journey of rapid expansion. From its humble beginnings in Amersfoort with just a handful of delivery vans, Picnic quickly gained traction, serving hundreds of thousands of customers across the Netherlands and Germany. Its success was a testament to the power of innovation and strategic branding.Picnic serves as a testament to the importance of name validation in branding. By selecting a name that resonated with consumers and aligned with its strategic objectives, Picnic was able to carve out a niche for itself in the competitive world of grocery shopping. As Picnic continues to grow and evolve, its journey serves as inspiration for brands seeking to make a meaningful impact in the market.

Expanding Horizons

Validating name proposals for a disruptor in groceries

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)

How do you find a name that captures the ambitious vision of merging Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) with Groupe PSA to form the world’s largest car company? With our Global Naming Network (GNN) we developed Stellantis — a name that symbolizes the company’s stellar ambitions and diverse, innovative spirit.

The merger of Italian-American automaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) with French Groupe PSA created the world’s largest car company. Through its bold strategic plan, Dare Forward 2030, Stellantis aspires to achieve carbon net zero by 2038, doubling its net revenues and sustaining double-digit operating income margins throughout the decade.With a purpose to “lead the way the world moves,” the new group aims to exceed expectations and set the highest standards for the future. The name of the merger should represent the company’s commitment to providing cutting-edge freedom of mobility tailored to every need, powered by the passion and diversity of its people and brands.

As the assignment was to find a worldwide name, several GNN (Global Naming Network) partner agencies formed a team with the French partner Naemes, led by Frederich Stenz and Patrick Piriou. Globrands contributed to the name creation and conducted linguistic checks.Stellantis, a name born from the stars, was chosen to represent the spirit of a new automotive giant. The Latin root “stello” means “to brighten with stars,” symbolizing the constellation of 14 iconic brands forming this innovative company. The name’s origins pay tribute to the rich history of its founding companies while the evocation of astronomy captures the true spirit of optimism, energy and renewal driving this industry-changing merger.Stellantis symbolizes the spirit of a diverse and innovative company determined to illuminate the way forward in the automotive industry. The name encapsulates a daring vision, guiding the company’s transformation into a sustainable mobility tech leader. It signifies a company determined to lead in the next era of mobility, embracing a new mindset and pushing the limits of what’s possible.

Global naming team

A name uniting stars in the automotive galaxy

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.

Elevating brands with verbal strategy and naming

Naming Dutch delight on Albert Heijn's shelves

An ownable wordmark for a way of lifeee

Complete verbal identity for creators of precision medicines

New language for a trusted national ATM brand

A name for simple purity for all of Europe

Keep employee pride in the renaming of AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals

Uniting 47 consultancies under one banner

Validating name proposals for a disruptor in groceries

Naming not the product but the experience

Naming Dutch delight on Albert Heijn's shelves

A name uniting stars in the automotive galaxy

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

A name for simple purity for all of Europe

New language for a trusted national ATM brand

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

Want to win with words? Let's talk!