Clutch spoke with Kristen Pembroke, the director of client services at the branding agency Catchword, as part of a series of interviews on the trends and best practices around naming a company.
Please start by describing Catchword and your role there.
Catchword is a naming firm that has been around for 17 years. We’re located in Oakland, California, and in the New York area. We have seven employees and work with a diverse set of clients, including technology, healthcare, and consumer products. I have been with the company for almost two years as the director of client services and my role is to guide our clients through our naming process from start to finish.
The Naming Process
What should a business consider before beginning the naming process?
One of the first things is to make sure that everyone who has a say in what the name may or may not be is involved in the process. It’s really important that anyone who has veto power participates from the beginning. The last thing you want is to start going through the naming process and have someone come in late and say ‘Hey, why are we doing this?’ It’s one of the worst things that can happen because it can derail the team. You want to make sure everyone is on the same page from the get go. …
