Catchword

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of innovation for a large, privately-held, processed meat brand. We are in the process of introducing a new snack.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Catchword?

We developed an innovative, meat-based snack product. It’s currently still in development and I’m not at liberty to discuss details, but I can say that the product line will be an alternative to other protein snacks and convenient snack options. We engaged with Catchword to develop a range of name options for it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We asked them to create a new brand name. Catchword went through a wonderful process which got us a fast, high-quality list of alternative names. We were happy with the results, and have been able to take a number of them to tests.

We had multiple meetings, and Catchword was meticulous in setting up an initial one for understanding the scope of the project. They asked a lot of good questions and had at least 2 follow-up conversations where they gave us advice on how to interpret the results. Catchword also helped me pick which ones should be tested.

We worked with Mark [Principal & Project Lead, Catchword] primarily, but there was a whole team in the backend. They offered to provide other marketing services, but we didn’t need anything else.

How did you come to work with Catchword?

I looked at a number of agencies online. Out of all the options, Catchword’s process best matched what we were looking for. They were also responsive, and more importantly, were a branding-focused agency, not just doing naming work as a sideline.

How much have you invested with Catchword?

The cost of their work was in the lower end of $10,000 to $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Catchword in May 2017. The project took two weeks to complete.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We have identified approximately 40 great names to test with our consumers. The amount and quality of creative work developed by the Catchword team have just completely exceeded our expectations. When we made the decision to hire a naming agency, we expected to discover some new and creative name ideas that we couldn’t conceive internally, but we never thought we’d complete this process with scores of unique, exciting, and clever brand names for our product line. Put simply, the Catchword team has blown us away.

We have actually gone through 3 rounds of testing with a Nielsen testing program in order to narrow options down to a final name. Out of that, we’ve received several very good scores.

What did you find most impressive about Catchword?

Catchword was extremely accommodating, developing a customized process to address our constrained timeline. Working in a way that I understand is unconventional for them, they completed 2 quick rounds of naming work in just over a week and walked us through their preferred ideas providing expert perspective and rationale for their recommendations. They were extremely responsive, a pleasure to work with, and clearly dedicated to the success of our project.

Mark has remained available to us and is willing to provide additional thoughts and guidance as we take the new name down the path. He has gone above and beyond what the contract called for.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Thermostat is a brand design consultancy. Our expertise is in emotive brand identity and package design for start-ups to industry leaders. We help our clients craft brand stories and bring them to life in retail, online, work, and home settings. We create market shifts and brand advocates.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Catchword?

Catchword and Thermostat teamed up to create a new brand for a leading e-commerce company that was looking to launch a new service and offering. Initially, the company would do so under the parent brand, and then eventually the brand would live on its own. The new brand was meant to be more lifestyle focused, targeting a higher net worth shopper. This shopper wanted to find deals on exciting products for themselves or for giving and sharing with friends. At the same time, the brand still had to be fun, exciting, and relevant to many.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When Catchword presented the names for this company, there were many good options. A few stood out and the client had a hard time deciding which ones to move forward with into the final stage. Catchword helped them through this process so that they made a strategic decision, instead of having a beauty contest. The resulting name was great and opened up so much opportunity for the identity. It was simple, unique, yet familiar. The name helped us create a story and visual cues that led to a fun and exciting identity.

Throughout the project, Catchword worked with the client with their brand naming process. They kept us updated and involved, and we received relevant information. Therefore, we had a seamless transition when they finished their work and it became our turn to create the identity. It was as if we were one company.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have worked with Catchword on other projects. They have always been key in starting the foundation for building a strong brand identity through their creative brand naming and strategy work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We have worked with Catchword on a few projects. We are always amazed at the brand names they come up with and the strategic thinking behind them. Every experience with their Oakland or New York office has been a pleasure. They are a great group of people to work with. While working with Catchword on these projects, we have also learned a lot about the legal and registration hurdles that a brand must go through. They also handle those concerns.

What did you find most impressive about Catchword?  

The projects we have worked on with Catchword names have always been a great springboard for our work. Catchword comes up with names that are emotive, thoughtful, and surprising, which make us excited to work on these brands.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Prudent Pedal is a strategic marketing consultancy that provides counsel to medium and large professional services firms. We engaged Catchword to develop a naming strategy and platform name for a large financial services client of ours.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Catchword?

Our client was rolling out a risk management platform that combines the industry’s largest risk information database, deep analytics, fully integrated applications, industry leading collaboration tools, and a revolutionary information network. The challenge was twofold: first, to develop a future-proof strategy for naming the platform and its component parts and, second, develop a dynamic, actionable brand name that pairs well with the company name, a lockup with the corporate moniker being the likely brand architecture.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Catchword led Prudent Pedal and our client’s senior executives through an extremely thorough and exciting name exploration that included a thoughtful naming strategy phase, two rounds of extensive name development, and multiple presentations of work product. It was a truly inspired and stimulating process that combined solid naming strategy and creative ideation, ultimately providing our client with a wide range of original, unexpected platform name ideas.

How did you come to work with Catchword?

I only work with professional services firms through referrals. A friend of mine came to work at our company and he had worked with Catchword when he worked at McDonald's. He recommended them hands down. I called Mark Skoultchi when I was with Genworth Financial and I immediately liked him. He was straightforward and laid out a process that was very clear and succinct. What I really liked about him and why I chose to work with him was because he asked great questions and tried to understand what I was trying to achieve as a CMO instead of just giving me the answers. He was very deliberate in understanding our business and did that before we even signed a contract. I subscribe to the idea of "how you sell me is how you serve" and he was definitely that way.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement lasted two months. Catchword was every bit as good as I thought they would be.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The name was not something we set out to measure. It was much more qualitative in that we needed to determine if we liked it, if it was different and catchy, and if it fit into our brand architecture. That was the way we evaluated what was presented.

How did Catchword perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent. Mark did a phenomenal job. They lay out the process really well and you get exactly what you would expect. This project was exceptionally well managed because even though it was a larger project, Mark jumped right in and understood how I was working with the client. He was a great partner in that regard. The client was a big organization and there were questions around who the players were and how the name was going to fit in with the corporate side of things. Mark factored that into the project management about building consensus and managing downside risk. It was really good. He was on time and on budget. I don't have any complaints.

What did you find most impressive about Catchword?

I would highly recommend Catchword to any company needing brand name development services of either a strategic or creative nature. Their process is the ideal combination of smart naming strategy and tremendous creativity. And, their unique approach to name ideation (which they call “Quantitative Creativity”) leads to literally thousands of name options, from which they present you with only the most outstanding names from their generation. It practically guarantees that the names you review with them will be unique, interesting, eye-opening and compelling. And, they really take the time to understand their client’s business, including its market, customers, product portfolio, and overall business and branding objectives for the brand. Because of this, the names they come up with are not just super interesting, clever and “creative”, they’re truly suitable–names that really make sense for your brand.

Lastly, their team is a complete pleasure to work with. They're friendly, easy-going, collaborative, and very client-centric. They seem to really care about the project outcome and their client’s satisfaction with the work, including the process and the resulting name ideas.

Are there any areas Catchword could improve?

I've never met Mark in person. All of our work has been over the phone but I've formulated such a great relationship over the phone that I have no hesitancy whatsoever to recommend them. I tell people that even though he's located in New York, they don't have to worry about that. It's flawless. There's no need to worry about the expense of travel and other agency fees. Mark just gets it done from his office which is really cool.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

RIM [Research in Motion] had developed its BlackBerry product portfolio to include both business-oriented products with alphanumeric names (e.g., BlackBerry 7100) and consumer-oriented products that used sub-brands (e.g., Blackberry Bold). But sub-brands were expensive to develop, began diluting the master brand and were difficult to clear legally. As new product development intensified, it was decided to overhaul the naming architecture for consumer products to find a new system that would accommodate product expansion and innovation – include new product categories, such as tablets.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Catchword?

We brought Catchword in to help us rethink and reorganize our product portfolio. RIM had reached a point at which we were running out of appropriate and available names for mobile phones; additionally, we had a number of technology offerings that needed names and an over-engineered way to show how the products were related. As with most large enterprises, it was difficult for us to envision a new way of product organization, and we hoped Catchword would present us with bold and unexpected options. We were also looking for an agency that would help us reach internal consensus on this controversial project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Catchword worked closely with our brand strategy team for the duration of the project. They began with a deep immersion phase, learning about the current and proposed product portfolio, as well conducting many interviews, both in person in our Waterloo office and via telephone. Catchword also did a tremendous amount of competitive research, within the mobile phone industry and of best practices in the consumer products category, with a focus on alphanumeric systems. They presented a number of alternative architectures and guided our team to a final decision. Catchword excels at understanding and distilling complex technical concepts into simple, meaningful branding recommendations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did Catchword perform from a project management standpoint?

Catchword was efficient and forward-looking in their project management, making sure to accommodate schedules and potential bumps in the road. They were also quite nimble and were able to keep the project moving forward when unforeseen issues cropped up. They provided clear communication and were always available to us by phone or email.

What did you find most impressive about Catchword?

Their overall approachability and eagerness to work, even in situations of the most pressing deadlines. This project took many twists and turns, and Catchword was able to keep up with the changes at every stage. They were great at incorporating our feedback into their work and working to present their recommendations in a way that made the most sense to our execs.

Catchword also has the ability to ask the correct questions to pull out the information necessary to assist with architecture planning. They did not shy away from examining thorny issues and asking the tough questions – as an objective third party, they were able to provide a voice and perspective that just isn’t possible from within the organization.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Established in 2014, Jeni Rogers Consulting provides archetypally-driven brand and leadership programs that empower clients to create thriving communities and businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Catchword?

A major gaming company was looking to launch a new platform to compete with existing category leaders. To gain market share, the client required a positioning strategy and brand name that would resonate with audiences across several international markets. Because the new platform would serve gamers in several countries, it was critical that names would not have negative connotations in any of the planned and potential markets.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

As a naming agency, Catchword does not develop brand positioning. In this case, the client did not have a brand positioning, so I was brought in by Catchword to develop the brand positioning. The process I used to develop the brand positioning involved analysis of the client's goals for launching the new gaming platform relative to the competitive situation, development of the target audience profile, identification of the positioning opportunity, and development of a differentiated role and promise for the new gaming platform.

As a partner, Catchword led the initiative and was fully engaged during the brand positioning phase. Catchword provided a seamless experience for JRC and the client, managing the project deftly every step of the way. As the project transitioned to name development, Catchword’s creative team embraced the positioning strategy and transformed it into messaging that conveyed the essence of the brand. The robust collection of names presented to the client delivered on the strategic objectives and the client’s preferences. To ensure the names would appeal cross-culturally, Catchword conducted linguistics screening on a curated set of names and provided a report with recommendations for the client’s consideration.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did Catchword perform from a project management standpoint?

Catchword provides excellent project management. They develop clear timelines, usher the project efficiently and effectively, provide clear and responsive communication, and keep the team on deadline and on budget.

What did you find most impressive about Catchword?

JRC was struck by Catchword’s skillful project management and creative expertise. The talented creative team masterfully translated the brand positioning into a range of linguistically vetted names that would appeal to the brand’s international audiences.

Catchword delivers stand-out names by virtue of its talented team and its method, which balances rigor and creativity.

Are there any areas Catchword could improve?

The client was happy with the quality of service and the work delivered, and went on to hire Catchword for additional projects. My experience partnering with them was smooth and there's nothing that I wished went differently.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and CEO of a startup company in the environmental and clean energy space. I have many years of experience in this field as a leader and executive. We are building a platform for a range of sustainable products and services that will improve lives and save the earth. We are located in the Bay Area, with the US as our initial target market. Our goal is to go global, based on market assessments.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Catchword?

We needed to convey the vision of our company. Our goal was to bring good products and services to people who are looking but don't know how to find them or how to determine which are effective and which aren't. Our strategy for building a broad market demand is through consumer education. Aside from emphasizing the huge potential for the marketplace, we wanted to highlight the resultant benefits to the earth's environment.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We went through a multi-step process with Catchword. The first step was to understand our startup business, which involved a discussion about our ideas, market, and goals. Catchword got a sense of our aesthetic and how we approach the world. We’re trying to understand how we would like to portray ourselves in the environmental services and sustainability space—what words to use and how to describe what we do. Catchword also showed us effective ways to communicate, in contrast to methods that are not effective. Along with that, we looked at the marketplace, competitors, and businesses that we think do a great job. Essentially, Catchword got inside our heads as much as possible, trying to get a sense of what we’re looking at, what we’re thinking about, and what we want to try to convey when positioning our company and brand.

I wanted them to have a fairly limited and focused scope, not a wide-ranging, open-ended contract. They were very good about understanding our restrictions at the beginning phase. They knew what we wanted—a name, but also something that would convey what we were looking for. There was a series of discussions, including the iterative process of exploration of what we were about. We came back and reflected on engagement questions with a subsequent number of people, including some folks who we were working with.

It was at that point where they came up with a list of evocative names from things we had said we felt either strongly about, things about our vision, or even how we looked at the world. From that list, we had a discussion with them and reviewed it with our team. Catchword then shortlisted another round with their recommendations. From that shorter list, they made sure to check for usability—if somebody already trademarked it or not, which is a big deal with a name. We had a shortlist of their recommendations but also their reasoning why, giving some examples of how it could feel within the visuals with the website so that we could test out the name in that context. Coming out of that, we did an add-on where I asked if they could do a trademark and URL search. They offered to do that. In fact, they did that as part of the package without even adding it on.

How did you come to work with Catchword?

I had experience with other branding firms but had a very good impression of Catchword because of work they had done for my wife's firm—a non-profit in an unrelated field. That’s why I reached out to them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We don’t have any metrics since we’re still pre-launch. Qualitatively, it’s been my ability to land talent, talk to potential investors, and do market research with our potential customers and clients. In my opinion—and I’ve done a lot of this stuff in different markets—it’s much easier with the name we have now. People get it. There’s something about it—an intuitive understanding with the name and discussing what we’re about. People understand it in a much deeper way. It’s very tangible from my perspective as both CEO and somebody who’s going and selling the idea 24/7.

The results were great. They took us through a discovery process and offered a range of really great names with the underlying rationale for the alternatives. They were very easy to work with and really understood our vision and value proposition. They delivered on time and on budget without any hitches. It was a very enjoyable process from our perspective and left me even more impressed than when we started.

How did Catchword perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very responsive and timely in whatever ways I wanted to communicate, either through phone or email. They really listened to questions. They were very professional and solicitous. The structure worked really well. It allowed us to really do a lot of ideating, which I think helped the whole process. It was frankly a sure process, given what I expected.

What did you find most impressive about Catchword?

I felt very comfortable with their understanding of what we’re trying to do. They were mature and professional but also very open—I would even say warm. I felt that made the difference. I feel something like a name is so personal, even if you think the biggest brands are ubiquitous and impersonal. You have to be like a trainer for an athlete who really understands the athlete and able to draw things out of that person. There has to be an emotional intelligence, which I feel they really have. They’re right up there with the best firms.

BACKGROUND

Established in 2006, SEMGeeks is a full service digital marketing agency based in Belmar, NJ. In addition to our digital marketing service offerings of search engine optimization (SEO), paid search advertising (PPC), email automation and social media marketing, we have very talented in-house web design and development teams. Our hands-on approach in our integrated strategy is our secret ingredient to helping our clients see substantial improvements in their digital performance.

I am the founder and CEO of SEMGeeks. I manage and oversee agency strategy for marketing, development and design.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

A mutual client of ours was faced with the daunting task of completely re-branding their company. Anyone who has rebranded a company can relate to the heavy feeling of potential loss of a positively built reputation hanging overhead throughout the process. Our client was in great hands with our web design and development teams, but we knew that we had to enlist the experts in brand-naming in order to keep the client competitive within the DCIM software space.

We engaged with Catchword to tackle this challenge and they excelled in this task just as we were confident they would.

SOLUTION

Catchword’s whole process was amazing to watch. They took the time to fully understand and learn about the the business and the message we were trying to portray for the client. Their creative team members presented numerous naming options to our client that were individually unique and captivating. Each option provided had its own explanation and it was evident that each were chosen through thorough study across multiple criteria. This group of branding experts exceeded the expectations of both my company and our client, making us proud to have selected them to work with. The naming of the client’s rebranded company was completely managed by the team at Catchword and their excellent name made it that much easier for our in-house web design team to create the newly branded site. The overall project duration was about 60 days.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Catchword blew us away. We are so glad that we engaged them to work with us on one of the more extensive rebranding projects we’ve had to date. The team is unbelievably creative and smart. All of the naming options were strategically thought out and had multiple value points for each. Response to the new name of this client was exceptional, both internally and from the public. The client's brand has grown exponentially since the rebranding process and we owe some of the credit to the Catchword team. What impressed us the most was the complete interest that they took in the client's business. The team made sure that they fully understood not only the wants and needs of the client, but the industry as well. That and the amount of creativity within one company. This team of branders completely exceeded our expectations.

BACKGROUND

Established in 1985 and based in Somerset, New Jersey, Raritan is a leader in data center power management, KVM switches [Keyboard/Video/Mouse] and serial solutions. In addition to our hardware solutions, our company offers category leading Data Center Infrastructure Management software solutions, or DCIM software. In general, the customers for our software solutions include IT managers, facilities managers, and operations managers.

During the time of our engagement with Catchword, I was Senior Vice President of Marketing and General Manager of DCIM Software at Raritan.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Before we engaged Catchword, we had concluded that the most competitive companies in the DCIM space will be those with a dedicated DCIM software focus, and so we decided we needed to spin off and brand our DCIM software business, rather than leverage the Raritan company name. After vetting 3 vendors, we turned to Catchword to help name the new spun-off DCIM business as they met both our timelines and budget.

SOLUTION

Catchword took us through a rigorous naming process during which we thoroughly educated their team on our complex business and together defined parameters for naming the new company. They delivered an extensive number of truly unique and compelling names that had been vetted for preliminary trademark issues, and supported their work with terrific rationale and thinking. All the work they delivered was presented in an appealing graphical context that exceeded our expectations.

The parameters we set for naming the new company were extensive, but the most important were the following:

• A DCIM software implementation can take a year or more, during which time our software specialists must provide ongoing, onsite customer training and collaboration. We’re not merely selling software, we’re selling a solution, our personnel, and our expertise. Therefore, it was important that the new DCIM company name not sound overly techy, and instead communicate a warmer, more personable tonality.
• Our DCIM solutions provide a range of benefits, but one of the most important is visibility into rich, accurate data insights. It’s the added awareness and view into all aspects of a data center that distinguish our solutions from homegrown or competitive DCIM solutions, and truly benefit our customers.
• Even though the DCIM market is still relatively young, it’s a very competitive market, and it was important that our new name be very unique from other DCIM solution providers. We felt strongly that the name needed to be very memorable and different from all the very tech-forward names in our space.
• Lastly, we were hopeful that we might land on a name that lent itself to a really striking visual identity, which we believe is an important brand component and would further help our company stand out among competitive names such as CA Technologies, Panduit, Nlyte, Romonet, and others that possess no visual cues and deliver no visual associations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

From start to finish, Catchword exceeded our expectations. Not only were their name recommendations creative, clever, and compelling, the Catchword team was strategic and smart, both in the business of naming and branding. They’re not just copywriters, they’re seasoned business and branding professionals, and they understand that a company name is not merely a word but a critical business asset. They did a great job of mapping our needs and naming objectives for the work they delivered.

The name we chose and adopted, Sunbird, is a perfect solution for our company. Not only does it speak remarkably well to the concept of a view of things (sun suggesting illumination, bird suggesting a broad, bird’s eye view of the data center), it is highly personable sounding and a great fit for our customer-oriented positioning. In addition, it immediately stands out in the DCIM space as a unique brand name, and it provided a fantastic platform for our web and visual design agency. We absolutely love the name, and the response both internally and among customers has been uniformly positive since we launched the brand.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I serve as the president and chief executive officer of the newly merged Washington Humane Society - Washington Animal Rescue League [WHS-WARL].

Originally formed by an Act of Congress in 1870, WHS-WARL provides animal adoption, rescue, rehabilitation, veterinary and community outreach and education services to people and animals of the Metropolitan Washington, D.C., region. Each year we serve approximately 60,000 animals. Our programs include animal rescue, sheltering, and adoption; humane law enforcement and animal control; wildlife rescue and release; a veterinary hospital and low cost spay and neuter services; educational and outreach programs; animal behavior classes and consultations; and a variety of other programs and services that promote and protect animals and the human-animal bond.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Catchword?

We engaged Catchword to develop a new name for our combined organization. Our challenge is that we merged two well-known and widely respected Washington, D.C., not-for-profits, each with a century old legacy. We are trying to create a unified brand that allows us to integrate all of our programs and services, and broaden our reach to become a super-regional organization.

We intend, through this brand definition, to become the region's premier animal organization. We are entering a major capital campaign to build an animal adoption and education center on the outskirts of Capitol Hill on the Anacostia River, and need to significantly broaden our customer and supporter base in order to raise the necessary funds successfully and sustain our programs and services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We engaged Catchword to help us develop a new name. Our project was launched in December 2015 and we worked closely with Catchword through May 2016. Through consumer research, competitive analysis, and a great deal of focused work with our board of directors and leadership team, Catchword helped us to develop a name that was unanimously approved by the executive committee of our board of directors.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

It's difficult to give you specific stats or metrics related to a naming project. However, I can say that everyone is very happy with the brand created by Catchword, and it has received tremendous buy-in from the entire organization.

What did you find most impressive about Catchword?

Catchword was outstanding – smart, professional, engaging, and with tremendous expertise. Their service to us throughout the process was truly phenomenal. They provided us with the requested deliverable within the scheduled time frame. It was a pleasure to work with them.

Are there any areas Catchword could improve?

I can't think of any criticisms, constructive or otherwise.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a biotech business that is pioneering the design, development, and manufacturing of sustainable insect-based production systems to make local animal feed ingredients from organic waste. In simpler terms, we use the black soldier fly to transform food waste into animal feed. I'm the founder and Chief Technology Officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What is the challenge you were facing when you approached Catchword?

For years, we had been going by the name Prota Culture. As we interacted with investors and potential customers, we were continually receiving feedback that there was a disconnect between the name and the mission of the company. People just didn’t get what the name was referring to, and that made it impossible for them to form an emotional connection with us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We engaged Catchword to provide us with a master list of 500 names with Catchword’s 100 preferred names highlighted. Although Catchword offers a more comprehensive process that includes multiple rounds of creative and preliminary trademark screening, Catchword thankfully agreed to an abbreviated process to meet our budget and timing needs. Knowing that most of Catchword’s clients are Fortune 500 companies, I was really grateful and excited to work with them.

How did you come to work with Catchword?

We had been trying to come up with a new name for months to no avail. Ultimately, Catchword was recommended to me by one of my largest investors. We had an in-person conversation that left me impressed with their level of professionalism and extensive knowledge of naming. They also seemed like really nice individuals that would be a pleasure to work with.

What were you looking for in a new name?

There were two important, yet very different, target audiences for the name: sustainable farms and investors. So the final name would have to appeal to relatively small farmers while also appealing to potential financiers – two very disparate groups. Through our customer research, we knew that we needed to avoid the word “fly” because there was a significant “ick” factor that people couldn’t overcome. We wanted to avoid technical names like Prota Culture, and move towards aspirational ideas like nourishment and transformation. We also needed a name that would be flexible enough to grow with us over time.

What was Catchword's process for the naming project?

As I mentioned, Catchword created an abbreviated process to make it more affordable for us. The project started out with a briefing meeting where we discussed the desired messaging, tone, and style for the new company name.  A few days later, they sent us a creative brief that outlined the key messaging and naming parameters discussed during the briefing meeting. From there, Catchword went into extensive name development. They ultimately over delivered with a master list of over 1,200 names!

What was the timeline of this project?

It was approximately two months from start to finish.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did Catchword perform from a project management standpoint?

The list of names that Catchword delivered exceeded our expectations in so many ways. First of all, they went so far above and beyond the scope of work – it showed a genuine desire to thoroughly explore all name options regardless of how many names it took. The breadth of names was super impressive – there were real word names, coined names, compound word names. They employed a variety of techniques such as word play, synonyms, metaphors, creative spelling, and combining different roots and words. The common thread was that most of the names evoked connection or curiosity about our company. The naming messages included themes like sustainability, kindness, and a whole host of other messages. The bonus was that most names tapped even more than one message.

I was also really appreciative of the organized format they used to send me the names. All 117 preferred names were separated into messaging buckets which made the list so much easier to digest. If we liked a name and wanted to see slight variations of it, we could just turn to the full master list and there they were!

What did you find most impressive about Catchword?

In my opinion, the thoroughness of their process gave me great peace of mind. Catchword came up with names that were far beyond the obvious while remaining intuitive. The messaging buckets helped us identify the themes that would work best for our name. From there, we had some instant favorites and others that we appreciated more as time went on. Catchword continued to partner with us and counsel us until we chose FEEDback Farms as our final name. I knew that I would never second guess the name because they had so thoroughly explored every other name option.

Are there any areas Catchword could improve?

Honestly, it was such a positive process, and Catchword has been in business for so long that it feels like they have perfected the experience at this point. I can’t think of anything I would change.