We Are Naming’s U.S. partner Caitlin Barrett interviews Sebastian Hotze and Solveig Palis of PalisHotze, our German partners. They talk about:
- Their 18-year naming partnership and what’s made it work
- The German language’s ability to be charmingly descriptive (gloves=hand shoes!)
- And what that means for naming (balancing clarity with brevity and emotion)
- The meaning behind successful German names like Braun and Birkenstock
- German’s ability to express concepts beautifully
Plus Caitlin guesses what “Das ist mir Wurst” means (and they would have totally guessed it right if they’d seen it written down…).
Want to go deeper? Read PalisHotze’s report, What You Need To Know About Naming In Germany, along with all the other We Are Naming reports, right here: www.wearenaming.com/reports
About Sebastian Hotze
After completing his studies in German language and literature (and history), he wanted to do something creative with his knowledge but had no idea what.
It was just by chance that he ended up in the naming team at the agency Interbrand in 2007, and that was it for him. Right from the start, he was excited by the fact that naming allowed him to immerse himself in new worlds that were completely unknown to him until then. One week he develops a name for a start-up that is revolutionising spectrometers, the next week a prosthesis for leg amputees. Then Europe's largest real estate company, and next a new type of printer for a packaging company.
In 2012, he co-founded his own agency, PalisHotze, together with his former colleague Solveig. Even though the two have been involved in international naming projects from the outset, they really went global in 2019 when they joined We Are Naming.
In addition to his passion for developing names, his great love is music, music, music.
About Solveig Palis
Solveig’s journey into brand naming began in 1998, when she joined Interbrand Hamburg as a naming consultant. What started as a job quickly turned into a lifelong passion for the craft of naming. Over the years, she has lent her expertise to global naming projects across industries, from automotive to finance and FMCG, always guided by a fascination with language, culture, and strategic thinking.
In 2012, she left Interbrand to co-found a naming agency with longtime collaborator Sebastian. Then in 2019, she joined We Are Naming, bringing with her a wealth of experience.
Solveig studied French and Spanish literature and even dipped into Aztec while studying Ancient American Cultures—an academic journey that still informs her creative process today. For her, naming is a blend of linguistic sensitivity and persuasive storytelling. She relishes a good naming challenge and isn’t afraid to stand up for the names she believes in.
About How the World Names
Building on our “What You Need to Know About Naming in…” reports, How the World Names is a limited-run interview series that dives deeper into what matters most when naming across borders. Each episode spotlights a We Are Naming partner’s home market, unpacking the linguistic quirks, cultural landscape, emerging naming styles, and practical insights that shape brand names around the globe. For more information, visit wearenaming.com.
