Innovation teams operate at breakneck speed. You're building the future, solving hard problems, pushing into uncharted territory. And somewhere in that chaos, brand naming gets pushed to the end of the to-do list. "We'll figure out what to call it later."
Bad move.
Naming isn't something you tack on after the innovation is done. It's part of the innovation itself. When you weave it into your process early, it actually sharpens your thinking and helps align your team around what you're building.
As a leading naming agency, we at Tanj hav worked with all kinds of companies — from scrappy tech startups to massive consumer brands — and the pattern is clear: the best outcomes happen when naming and innovation happen together. Here's what that looks like in practice.
First off, naming works better as a team sport. You don't need one genius locked in a room. You need your designers, engineers, marketers, product people — heck, even your legal team — all contributing their perspective. And sometimes it helps to bring in outside help, like a naming agency that's done this a thousand times and can spot what you're too close to see. More voices, more angles, better names.
Don't wait until everything's finalized to start thinking about names. Build it into your innovation cycle from the beginning. When you're iterating on the product, iterate on the name too. Naming forces you to get clear on what your idea actually is and how it fits into the world. Sometimes the best product insights come from wrestling with what to call something. Even if the early names don't stick, they'll help you figure out where you're really headed.
Use data, but don't worship it. Test your names the same way you'd test a prototype — see what resonates, what sticks in people's heads, what feels right. Just don't let testing kill every interesting idea. Unfamiliar things always test badly at first. "Google" sounded ridiculous. "Spotify" made no sense. Now they're household names. Trust the numbers, but trust your gut too.
Here's another thing: as much as innovation is about constant reinvention, some consistency helps. When your product names all connect to a bigger system or shared philosophy, your whole lineup becomes more memorable and trustworthy. People recognize patterns. They like knowing what they're dealing with.
And please, be selective about what you name. Not every feature needs a brand. Not every sub-product deserves its own identity. Save your energy for the stuff that really matters — the flagship product, the master brand, the story that holds it all together. Less is more.
Look, innovation and naming are basically the same thing: taking an idea and making it real. When you treat naming as a creative challenge instead of an item on a checklist, you unlock something powerful. Your team gets more excited. Your customers get more engaged. And your brand gets a foundation that lasts.
(Ready to integrate naming into your innovation process? Start the conversation at tanj.co/contact.)