I’m Anthony Shore, Chief Operative of Operative Words. Over 37 years, I have introduced more than 275 product and company names to the world, from startups to Global 500 companies, including Accenture, Qualcomm Snapdragon, Adobe Lightroom, Virgin Voyages, Yum Brands, and Tonal.
If you need a name for a company or a product, here is what I do, how a project runs, and how to start.
Why hire a naming expert?
We all name things, but our universal ability to name children or pets does not readily translate into naming a business. Global trademark and domain availability, multilingual appropriateness, and audiences that number in the millions demand rigor and expertise in name development.
Getting the name right is only half the battle, because a name is only as good as it is available. Every single day, the pool of available names shrinks.
What we name
Our work spans all categories and all scales. From early-stage funded startups to Fortune 500 and Global 500 companies: technology, food/beverage, health/medical, wellness, financial, industrial, beauty, transportation, media, professional services, B2B and B2C.
Company names: new names for start-ups, spin-offs, mergers, and JVs; renaming established companies; new business unit and divisional names within an organization
Product names: new products and product line extensions
Novel descriptors and terminology
Nomenclature systems and naming strategy
Taglines and slogans
How a naming project works
For most projects, we provide creative direction, name creation, preliminary global trademark and domain screening, group facilitation and consensus-building, and, when needed, native speaker and linguistics checks.
Briefing
Name Objectives Development
Creative Development, Round 1
Preliminary Global Trademark and Domain Screening
Presentation, Round 1
Creative Development, Round 2
Preliminary Global Trademark and Domain Screening
Presentation, Round 2
Full Legal Screening by Client
FAQ for clients
How long does a naming project take?
Most projects are two rounds of naming and screening and are completed in eight weeks. A single round project can be completed in four weeks.
How many names will I see?
For most projects, over 1000 names are developed by me and my team in the first round of name development. Over 120 likely-available names are presented in a two-round project.
Are the names legally available?
We are in the same boat. I want to present names that are likely available for your use, and you want that too. Every name I present has been through a thorough preliminary trademark and domain screening, but when I screen 300 names it’s not going to be as deep and wide as when your counsel does a final search on five names. The trademark winnowing process is that way by design. My screening is not legal advice, nor a guarantee that my names would ultimately clear, but I do my best. Your trademark attorney conducts the full legal search, and their judgement governs.
Who does the work?
As Chief Operative, I personally direct, create, and present names for every project. Operative Words brings together a senior team of namers I have trained, a trademark partner with 30+ years of global screening experience, and fluent, in-country native-speaker linguists across key markets.
Do you use AI?
I have developed a dozen highly specialized and proprietary applications, likely unique across the entire field of naming. They were coded by AI, but most do not use AI when run.
What does it cost?
Projects are priced on a flat-fee basis. The actual cost depends on many factors, but most name development projects run $30,000-45,000 depending on the number of rounds and complexity. Nomenclature system budgets tend to run higher.
Operative Words has completed naming engagements on every continent except Antarctica, for companies ranging from pre-launch startups to organizations with tens of thousands of employees across dozens of countries. If you need a name that works in the real world, strategically, legally, and linguistically, we should talk.