Brand naming stands at the forefront of business identity, combining precise strategy with creative flair. At Atlassian, shaping the name of new products like their AI offering involves a process that balances discovery, cross-team collaboration, and thoughtful questioning.
- Brand naming blends strategic analysis with creative expression.
- Discovery and interrogation precede brainstorming for clearer focus.
- Cross-functional teams shape names aligning with wider brand goals.
What happened
Atlassian’s Senior Manager of Brand Strategy, Karan Baboota, shared detailed insights into their brand naming process, revealing that effective naming is both a scientific method and an artistic craft. This approach was applied in naming Atlassian’s latest AI product, emphasizing collaboration, strategic questioning, and discovery phases before settling on the final name.
The process involves conducting thorough brand and business exploration using questionnaires and interviews, which help surface essential strategic insights. This preparatory work ensures that the resulting name meaningfully supports the company’s identity and product vision, rather than being a rushed or superficial choice.
Why it matters
A brand or product name is the primary point of introduction to the market and encapsulates the company’s essence, mission, and values in just a word or two. Poorly conceived names risk misaligning with brand strategy or failing to connect with target audiences, which can impact long-term brand equity and business success.
The balance of science and art in naming ensures not only that the name is creative and memorable but that it is strategically grounded. This dual approach also uncovers strategic gaps and opportunities early on, enabling brands to address core questions about their identity and market positioning through the naming process itself.
What to watch next
Observe how Atlassian and other major tech brands continue evolving their naming strategies as product lines expand and market dynamics shift, especially in fast-moving innovation sectors like AI. The integration of brand discovery with product development phases will likely become more common to align naming with technological evolution and user expectations.
For businesses and creatives, tracking frameworks like the 7-Phase Brand Naming Process will provide valuable guidance. Watching how cross-functional teams collaborate and how strategic inquiry shapes naming will offer clues on best practices to adopt or adapt in different industry contexts and company sizes.