Creating the name for a childcare brand that comes of age

Basker is not a soft or sentimental name. It’s not Little Sprout or Busy Bee. This is a name built to stand out. Aimed not just at toddlers, but also to speak to the older children who may already feel they’ve somewhat outgrown child care.

The organizations involved are all part of Babilou Family, a major international group in this field. The new brand will be Dutch, and become one of the country’s largest, with approximately 250 locations and over 2,500 employees.

Our assignment here is twofold: develop a portfolio strategy and a new name. Our sister agency Fitzroy leads the cultural and strategic groundwork, conducting interviews, mapping brand positions, and defining the transition narrative.

The new name has to be legally available and sound distinct from any existing childcare wordmarks in the Netherlands or Belgium. Plus, it has to work well in combination with its various franchise names and other activities.

Above all, the name has to represent the brand’s unique personality – to audiences of all ages.

The organization’s shared idea is that children thrive when they grow up in a secure environment, supported by people who understand how children grow. From this, confidence emerges. Confidence in themselves, in others, and in the world.

Of course confidence, if named too obviously, precisely does not create confidence. Globrands looked for a name that doesn’t try to be trusted, or even liked. One that doesn’t try to be cute, or wise, or clever. True confidence doesn’t try; it simply does.

Beyond early childcare, the organization offers activities for older children, like sports clubs, holiday programs, and music workshops. Many of these children are well past the age where they want to be associated with “little ones”. The name has to feel good if you are, say, 10 years old.

And with over two hundred locations, the name also needed to work practically: short, memorable, pronounceable across languages, and adaptable to a wide variety of sub-brands and activities.

This new name in childcare is inspired by the friendly tone of two of its original names: BLOS and Zonnekinderen – both suggest sunlight, warmth, and energy (blos means blush).

In English, to bask means to enjoy warmth, often sunlight. Add -er, and it becomes active and personal.

To most Dutch speakers, Basker will just sound like a new word. Recognisable in tone, but without existing meaning. That’s what makes it versatile and confident, because it doesn’t try. It’s not childish, but still approachable. It suits babycare as well as outdoor holiday camps. And it’s easy to pronounce and combine–essential in a large, diverse organization.