The briefing came with a list of features. And a blue-footed booby.

Matthias Hain, Senior Director Marketing at DARCO, sat in the initial briefing meeting and explained what the new shoe could do. High toe box. Optimized roll-off. Strong stability. Then he added almost casually: “We also thought about calling it Bobby—after the blue-footed booby, that bird.”

That was the moment when two things became clear at once: This is a classic briefing problem. And at the same time, the key to a really good name.

DARCO is a leading manufacturer of orthopedic footwear and medical aids, well-known in medical supply stores and among doctors and therapists. The goal was to develop a new product: a therapeutic comfort shoe that doesn’t look like a typical orthopedic shoe. Modern. Distinctive in design. With its own product brand. Not a descriptive name like “all-purpose shoe,” but a name that creates impact.

The idea was right. The first briefing was not.

What came up during our first meeting is something I’ve seen regularly in over 26 years of naming: a list of technical features. Precise, complete, professionally accurate—and not particularly helpful for naming. Functions describe what a product is. A strong name conveys what a product stands for.

This is not a failure on DARCO’s part. It’s a systemic issue in many organizations: the briefing is written by the people who know the product best. And they know it through its technical attributes.

Matthias Hain sums it up himself in the interview:

Exactly that.

The blue-footed booby – a slightly unconventional idea – played a crucial role in the process.

It showed that the team was willing to think emotionally. Associatively. Visually.

On that basis, we defined a new direction together: not a descriptive name, but an associative one – one that conveys movement and joy. The creative phase opened up significantly, resulting in around 25 to 30 ideas and approaches in the first review.

From an internal shortlist – just three names – ten names were submitted for further consideration. This was followed by in-depth brand research: phonetic similarity analysis, linguistic evaluation, and availability checks. The result was a top five, followed by a democratic vote among the department heads.

The winner: Movilo.

Move – for movement. Ilo – the Finnish word for joy. And in between, an echo of mobility. Pleasant sounding across multiple languages. Internationally acessible. “The patient puts on the shoe and enjoys wearing it while moving,”
Matthias Hain explains – this is why Movilo ultimately stood out.

In the early market phase, the product was “DARCO’s comfort shoe.” Today, it is Movilo.

That is more than a naming success. It proves that an independent product brand has been established – with its own sound, its own meaning, its own place in perception.

Three questions that should be answered before every naming brief:

Not what the product does, but what it should evoke. What feeling, what association, what promise.

Movement, nature, sound, geography … the more clearly defined the emotional frame, the more focused the creative phase. A bird can achieve more than a specification list.

A small, clearly defined decision group, aligned early. This reduces loops and prevents decision paralysis caused by too many opinions.

More in Episode 2 of Name.Power.Brand.

Matthias Hain shares how the journey from a feature list to Movilo was really like—including the blue-footed booby that set everything in motion.

Listen now on: [Spotify] | [Apple Podcasts] | [all platforms]

Matthias Hain has been in charge of marketing at DARCO for over 12 years. DARCO is a manufacturer for orthopedic shoes and medical aids—well-known among medical supply stores, doctors, and therapists.

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Matthias Hain on LinkedIn

Whether it’s repositioning, a spin-off, or a product launch, a strategically developed name is the foundation for your brand’s success. Talk to us about your naming project.