How do we name the new group after the merger?

The strongest name for a newly merged group starts with a clear shared purpose, not a hunt for a clever label. Bring the people closest to the business into the process, define the group's role across the portfolio, then choose a name that makes the future feel connected, credible and easy to understand.

Name the role the new group plays

A new group name should explain the role the combined business plays for its companies, customers and future growth. That is the heart of B2B brand architecture: making the relationship between corporate and product brands clear, rather than adding another label to an already complex portfolio.

Start by setting out the group's purpose, its place in the wider family of businesses and the value it creates by bringing them together. A name can then carry a real idea, whether that is connection, leadership, progress or a shared ambition. When the role is unclear, even a memorable name can create more confusion across regional brands, sales materials and digital experience.

Sources: The Dot Group: Joining the Dots

Build the name from insight, then make it live

The clearest merger name comes from listening to the people who understand the business, its heritage and its ambitions. Conversations with employees, investors and other stakeholders can reveal where the current portfolio lacks clarity, what people are proud of and what the new group needs to stand for.

Use those insights to set a simple naming brief. The brief should define the group's purpose, the feeling the name should create and how the name needs to work alongside corporate and product brands. Then carry the chosen idea into the verbal identity, visual identity, website and launch materials. A name works harder when the narrative and expression around it make the same promise.

Sources: The Dot Group: Joining the Dots, Price Forbes: Making history with a fresh take on heritage

A merger name should unite a business around a useful idea

We believe a new group name should do more than tidy up a merger. It should give people a clear idea they can rally around, while making sense of the businesses joining together. That means starting with purpose, stakeholder insight and the group's role before moving into names, language or design. For The Dot Group, we spoke with investors and employees, identified a need for greater clarity around purpose, then developed Dot as a name that expressed connection and opportunity across a family of businesses. For Price Forbes, we helped shape an identity that honoured a long history while making room for a more optimistic, future-facing business. The name is one part of the work, but it needs a clear story and a confident launch behind it.

Sources: The Dot Group: Joining the Dots, Price Forbes: Making history with a fresh take on heritage

FAQs

What should we call the new group formed after the merger?

Choose a name that captures the new group's shared purpose and role across the combined business. The name should help people understand how the group connects its companies, rather than compete with existing product or regional brands. A simple, idea-led name can create a clearer platform for a new narrative and identity.

Should a merged group keep one of the existing names?

Keeping an existing name can make sense when it already carries the right heritage, recognition and future ambition. The decision should be based on whether that name can represent the combined group without making other businesses feel secondary or confusing the portfolio. A refreshed identity can preserve valuable history while changing how the business is understood.

Who should be involved in naming a new merged group?

Include people who can explain the group's commercial role, culture, history and future plans, especially employees and investors. Their input can reveal where the current brand lacks clarity and which ideas have genuine meaning across the business. The final name needs leadership backing, but it should be informed by the people who will use and represent it.

What needs to happen after choosing a new group name?

Turn the name into a clear narrative, verbal identity and visual identity that people can use consistently. Apply the idea across the website, launch materials and the wider brand system so the new group feels real from day one. A name without a coherent expression risks becoming another disconnected element in the portfolio.