A name is more than a label. It’s a reflection of personality, value, and vision.
Coming up with a name is both an art and a science – with maybe even a little magic or superstition thrown in. There are lots of opinions on what makes a good name. But really great names seem so easy–so obvious–that you don’t always appreciate the work that goes into them.
So, how does a naming process typically flow?
1. Define what you are naming.
The GE HealthCare Ultrasound business recently combined new digital and artificial intelligence (AI) products with an existing reporting solution with a loyal customer base. This combined portfolio needed a new moniker – and a naming strategy (taxonomy or nomenclature) for the products within the portfolio.
It was important that the new name signaled a unified vision and strategy for the entire portfolio. This is the first step in telling a clear story of both the portfolio and of the product lines within – while simplifying messaging for customers and commercial teams.
2. Outline your brand position and target customers.
Keeping customers’ needs and perspectives top of mind was central to the process. GE HealthCare’s new digital and AI ultrasound solutions name needed to reflect our commitment to optimizing clinical and operational workflow with unrelenting clinician care while recognizing that:
- Busy clinicians have no time to waste on non-value-add tasks.
- Leaders want to give clinicians optimal time with patients while protecting the bottom line.
- IT needs everything to run as efficiently and securely as possible.
3. Assess your other parameters.
As our digital and AI ultrasound products cross the breadth of all care areas, from cardiology and radiology to OB/GYN and POCUS – and their console brands – it was critical to ensure whatever portfolio brand name selected worked with all products and care areas.
Plus, as a newly independent company, GE HealthCare also needed to make sure it aligned to the organizational purpose: create a world where healthcare has no limits.
4. Decide what kind of name you want.
This is where a bit of art and magic comes in. There are all sorts of name types, and they run a continuum from descriptive to suggestive to creative. Where you land along that continuum may differ by company, but also by the nomenclature. For example, look at Google. Google itself is suggestive, but its products underneath that umbrella are more descriptive: Drive, Keep, Maps, and Photos.
For the Ultrasound Digital team, the winning name had to mean something and inspire customers. To add, fanciful names didn’t fit the brand personality. Ultimately, the focus landed on descriptive to suggestive names.
5. Brainstorm and evaluate.
This is the fun part, where art and strategy collide. Brainstorm based on the criteria you laid out above. GE HealthCare did a LOT of this. Working closely with our agency partners at PS212, more than 800 names were considered. Names like “veri,” “vita”, and “ultra” resonated. And the team stumbled on a couple names that were already in use. Ultimately, you must prioritize and select your top candidates for further evaluation.
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Do your top names pass the linguistics test?
GE HealthCare is a global business, and its digital solutions are sold in at least 76 countries. It is always wise to run your names through linguistics evaluation to ensure your brand name does mean something unintended in another language.
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Can the name be trademarked?
Trademarks are important for global businesses to protect against imitators and help protect your reputation. GE HealthCare was certain it wanted to trademark its new portfolio name, so this was another filter applied to the final name candidates.
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Does it evoke the desired response in the target market?
Last, but certainly not least, it’s vital to ensure that you test your name with your target customers. Does the name evoke the desired response, emotions, and feelings? Make sure you get candid feedback.
Completing these naming steps with a core cross-functional team took about three months – much of that time focused on getting inputs from current and potential customers.
“Our process is centered on understanding the perspectives and needs of customers — and then within those bounds, exploring as deeply as possible, ensuring no stone goes unturned,” said Elias Vogl, Director at PS212.
6. Launch your Brand
The options for how to approach your brand launch are limitless. Traditional approaches span press releases, events, and branded items. Non-traditional can mean pop-up events, experiential (think about the Barbie house replica), and influencer partnerships. GE HealthCare announced the Verisound brand at ACEP in 2024 and will continue with a variety of mechanisms over the next year.
Introducing Verisound
GE HealthCare’s journey wasn’t a simple, overnight exercise. The year-long branding and messaging journey culminated in a name that keeps clinicians’ needs at the center of ongoing innovation.
Meet Verisound™, the new name for GE HealthCare’s Digital and AI ultrasound solutions. “Veri” comes from Latin meaning truth and facts, which is what our products bring to the world of ultrasound.
“With the GE HealthCare brand as our anchor, we wanted the name of our digital and AI ultrasound solutions to express our unwavering focus on making it easier for clinicians to care for patients,” said Roland Rott, President and CEO of Ultrasound at GE HealthCare. “After months of research and testing, Verisound emerged as the clear choice to convey how we apply 40 years of ultrasound experience to improve clinicians’ day-to-day.”
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