Despite another challenging year for the world in 2021, Catchword has had the continuing good fortune of working with amazing clients to develop creative and strategic brand names (and even win a few awards for them). Some, like Vuity and Intel Arc, have received tons of press, while others have launched more quietly in their own verticals but still stand out as terrific names.
This year, we were also delighted to welcome new clients to our roster, including TikTok, Boston Scientific, FICO, Avery Dennison, Sub-Zero, and ThermoFisher, working on all manner of names and naming strategies and architectures. Project and client diversity is one of the best things about what we do, and this sampling of our favorite names of 2021 shows it.
Vuity for Allergan
Vuity is the first FDA-approved medication for presbyopia, a type of farsightedness that affects nearly every adult over 40. With Vuity, you won’t need those readers anymore for small type or close handwork. A combination of view and acuity that also recalls “view it,” the name makes clear what this product delivers while being easy to spell and say—no small feat in pharma naming. Vuity has received tons of press since the FDA approval this fall, including stories on CBS Mornings and in The New York Times just a few days ago.
Arc for Intel
Catchword recommended Arc for longtime client Intel’s new line of high-end graphics cards, which deliver immersive gaming and visuals, powerful multitasking, and seamless game streaming and creation experiences. Intel ultimately selected the name for its entire portfolio of graphics solutions. An arc is a section of a circle, suggesting the geometry of design and the comprehensiveness of the portfolio. Intel’s announcement in June and the subsequent teaser releases have generated ongoing industry buzz.
Effect House and Creator Next for TikTok
TikTok Effect House is the umbrella for the company’s new Effect Studio and other augmented reality (AR) toolsets for developers. It’s where the TikTok creative community gets together to contribute to the app’s features and experiences. TikTok Creator Next helps creators monetize as they grow and develop their communities on the platform. It includes tools and features that turn creativity and passion into a business, or whatever comes next. Both platforms of the social media giant launched recently and, as you’d expect, are being watched closely by the press.
Elements for Ply Gem
Elements is an innovative line of composite siding from Ply Gem, the world leader in exterior building products. Elements siding is all-season/weather appropriate and lighter and easier to install than existing products. The name Elements conveys multiple benefits—the ability to withstand the elements, its composite engineering (made of several elements), and the simplicity of its installation (elementary)—as well as its position as the go-to for both homeowners and professionals (elemental). Elements was recognized with both a Muse Creative Award and MarCom Award for Excellence in Brand Naming.
PerSe for Semtech
Semiconductor supplier Semtech’s portfolio of high-performance tech intelligently senses human presence for optimized connectivity and enhanced user experience. PerSe (“Person Sensing”) is a real phrase, from Latin but common in English, as well as a memorable abbreviation. Semtech also adopted Catchword’s product naming strategy with Connect, Connect Pro, and Control. These terms quickly telegraph the products’ end-benefits, while allowing the PerSe portfolio brand to stand out and accrue the most equity.
OTTO for Shapeways
Most manufacturers use multiple tools in an unintegrated, patchwork workflow. OTTO, the end-to-end digital manufacturing platform from leading 3D printing solutions company Shapeways, empowers them to address such inefficiencies to deliver even more value to their customers. OTTO is a friendly, reassuring name that, like this platform, wraps a lot of value into one streamlined package. OTTO sounds like your digital buddy while also recalling automatic and automated. The name’s spelling economy, symmetry, brevity, and repeated Os underscore the solution’s efficiency and multiple end-to-end capabilities.
Caribou
Tech-based auto refinancing company MotoRefi had been helping drivers reduce their monthly car payments since 2016 and wanted to offer more ways for consumers to save, like comparing auto insurance, but an overly specific name held it back. Caribou is delightfully unexpected and conjures images of agile speed, graceful forward motion, and natural freedom—like the independence you gain through financial autonomy and car ownership. The name subtly recalls both car and care, emphasizing its customer-centric approach. Caribou has now helped more than 40,000 drivers save over $50 million.
Collectives on Stack Overflow
Every developer, coder, or tech professional is familiar with (and mostly likely a member of) Stack Overflow and its community of online Q&A forums that serve over 100 million people every month. (It’s one of the 5o most popular sites in the world.) Catchword was thrilled to work with the company on several projects, including naming Collectives on Stack Overflow, which helps organizations gain deeper interactions with potential product users. Collectives is consistent with the company’s other highly overt product names and underscores both the cooperative nature of the platform and the strong sense of community for which Stack Overflow is so well known.
Thanks to our clients, team, and partners who helped make these names such successes. And a very Happy New Year to all!
