Catchword

I'm an operating partner at JLL Partners, a private equity firm specializing in transforming middle market companies in healthcare, industrials, and business services through strategic investments, mergers and acquisitions, and operational improvements.

We needed help with branding and marketing work.

I've worked with Catchword on several companies. They've been exceptional with the creative naming and branding portion and have helped bring the concepts to life with visualizations. The team has delivered brand names, logos, and marketing materials.

We've worked with 2–5 teammates from Catchword.

They were referenced through other JLL associates. We chose them over other options because they were a great culture fit, offered good value for the cost, and were referred to me.

We started working with them on several projects, and some of the engagement is ongoing.

We've received positive feedback from the voice of the employee (VOE) and the voice of the customer (VOC).

Catchword delivers on time. We communicate via virtual meetings, emails, and messaging apps.

They're easy to work with and very efficient.

There is always room for improvements, but they are great to work with and thoughtful business partners.

Financial services

I am the Principal of a financial services company

A middle maket private equity firm that invests in healthcare, industrials, and business services

Referral

2-5 Employees

The process included a materials review and competitive audit, stakeholder interviews, the development of a thorough naming brief, and the creation of potential names. They also conducted prescreens in advance of a meeting we had to review approximately 60 name candidates, a subset of which was elevated to a preferred status and presented in a graphical context. In addition to name development, and in collaboration with their design partner, GreyBox Creative, they created an identity for the brand that included the development of numerous logo concepts, beautifully contextualized. The combined Catchword/GreyBox team accomplished a lot in the short timeframe.

Catchword and GreyBox were able to deliver what we needed in a very short timeframe. Both the final name and identity are extremely powerful, and our entire team, including our portfolio company’s CEO and senior leadership, are thrilled with the outcomes

Catchword was extremely responsive, highly communicative, and entirely accommodating. They were remarkably flexible in how they worked to meet our short timeline and project needs.

Everything Catchword delivered was impressive. From the company name options they imagined (and the way they were presented) to their sensitivity to our timeline and “get it done” attitude, the entire experience was super positive. In addition, they’re a fun and likable group of people to work with!

No. I’d recommend them without hesitation.

Overall rating: 5.0

I am the CEO of TailFin

Client Pay Director, a technology company focused on modernizing B2B and B2C disbursements, specifically high-volume, low-dollar (i.e., tail spend) payments that still rely on paper checks.We digitize refunds/payments, automate digital outreach, offer multiple payment modalities (ACH, Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, etc.), and ensure compliance with unclaimed property (escheatment) laws.

AI

Catchword led our team through a comprehensive rebranding exercise, beginning with the establishment of parameters for both name and identity development. Once we had agreed on messaging, tone, and style for the new brand, they developed a ton of creative names for our consideration, each one supported by a meaningful rationale and explanation for how it tied back to our target positioning and brand personality. Honestly, the quality of the creative work was tremendous. They presented scores of names we otherwise would've never imagined ourselves. The identity development work was similarly impressive, making it difficult to choose just one logo to refine and ultimately adopt. It's worth mentioning that their team was extremely thoughtful and strategic in thinking about the nature of our business, our unique value proposition (and focus on tail spend payments), and how best to distinguish our company in the market.They were respectful of our expertise and years in the business, but had strong and compelling creative ideas for how to position the business vis-a-vis competitive offerings. I hate to use this language, they really did push the envelope and help us to see thing in new and different ways.

We've not yet announced our new name and identity, but I can attest to the enormous success of this project. We are in love with our new company name and identity and thankful to Catchword for the outstanding work they did to rebrand our company. We're also thrilled that, while it was outside the scope of this project, we landed on a name for our consumer-facing platform, which will receive a separate brand rollout in 2026.

They did a great job of meeting a tight timeline.

The creative work itself was impressive. Not only were the names they recommended unexpected and highly creative, but they were so clearly developed with our company and business model in mind. Catchword works with many companies, and it'd be easy for them to probably recycle ideas, but the names they came up with and presented were just so uniquely us, so clearly developed based on who we are what they understood about us.

They could be cheaper. :-) But, you get what you pay for, and their work is worth the expense.

I am the Global Brands & Licenses Manager

Leading manufacturer of advanced low-voltage battery technologies and energy storage solutions, powering one in three vehicles globally and supporting the evolving future of transportation through innovation, sustainability, and a circular supply chain.

Referral

Referred to me

2-5 Employees

Catchword was engaged to support the naming of three new solutions for the Connected Services business unit. For each solution, the process included:

The first solution name was required by mid-March, so the project was executed with an accelerated timeline.

Catchword successfully delivered:

Catchword consistently delivered on time and also met requests that we submitted on short notice, adapting to changes we had to make along the way.

Their creativity stood out. They generated a wide range of well-supported name options, showing a quick grasp of both the solutions and the company’s brand strategy.

I don’t think so. They’ve truly been a huge support, and without their help—and their willingness to go above and beyond what was asked, while adapting to changes—we wouldn’t have been able to move the project forward.

I’m the VP of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies.

We hired Catchword for naming and branding.

They were tasked with delivering a selection of names for consideration that had already been vetted through preliminary screening. Catchword presented two rounds of 50–60 names but developed thousands and screened hundreds prior to meeting with us. The criteria they used to vet the names included Google screening and CatchAll, which involved knocking out obvious conflicts.

We spoke to two team members from Catchword.

We found them through a referral. We trusted the referral and liked Mark’s vibe.

We’re not disclosing the amount.

We worked with them from December 2024–January 2025.

One of the names Catchword pitched ended up becoming the final result. It was on the shortlist presented to senior executives at the beginning (along with 1–2 other options from Catchword and other options from other agencies). We received mostly positive feedback all around. The sound, feel, and look of the name were fresh, modern, and strong.

They were very communicative and collaborative throughout the whole process and met our deadlines. We primarily communicated via email and video conference calls on Microsoft Teams.

The fact that an agency liked theirs even existed was unique in itself. I’ve worked with copywriters and branding agencies before but never in this capacity. Catchword was specialists at it.

They could have narrowed down the names presented further or had a firmer POV on which ones were the strongest in order to help our team focus more, but it ultimately worked out.

I am the Linguistic Director In Italy of Nomen Italia

From offices in France, Italy, and Germany, Nomen develops names, taglines, and brand architecture for top brands such as Toyota, Barilla, Pfizer, Bosch, and Armani.

2-5 Employees

In the past year alone, we have hired Catchword to create names for two F&B products and to evaluate the US linguistic and cultural appropriateness of names for a number of other projects, including luxury hospitality, F&B, and furnishings.

Catchword’s insights are extremely valuable to ensure that our clients’ companies and products make the desired impression on audiences around the world. Over the years, we have avoided potential missteps because of their input. Our team members are fluent in English, but that is not the same as being a native speaker. Plus, it would be impossible to stay informed about all the cultural trends and memes that are relevant for US customers. The US market is critical for many of our clients, and American English has become the lingua franca for the world markets. Having a partner who can add fresh, creative candidates with an American perspective to our name lists and flag possible problems for the US with the names we have developed gives us peace of mind and greater confidence in our recommendations to international clients.

Catchword is very responsive to our needs, which often involve quick turnaround times. They let us know right away if they have questions and deliver everything we ask for on time and on budget.

Our company has worked with Catchword for 25 years. I have come to think of the Catchword creatives we work with as friends, not just colleagues. They are smart, responsive, and generous with their time. Their knowledge of branding and naming makes their insights especially thoughtful and actionable and the names they create both very creative and strategic. It’s fun to work with people who love naming and language as much as I do.

I can’t think of any.