Catchword

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the platform strategist of a company of e-commerce, technology, and operational experts that build next-generation digital solutions and experiences online.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Catchword, and what were your goals?

We had recently engaged Catchword for another brand naming project and had an excellent experience. We hired them again to help develop a name for a new online consumer experience brand, which was the focus of this project.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were recommended by a friend.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

Much like in our first engagement, the Catchword team provided strategic naming and branding counsel and creative name options for our new online brand. They’re currently conducting trademark screening on our preferred names.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Their team includes a combination of brand and naming strategists, creative namers, and screening professionals. We know the team also includes positioning experts, linguists, and other professionals. We worked with two key stakeholders.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Once again, Catchword really delivered! I think if we had more time we would likely have opted for the more robust process, but it’s incredible how quickly they ramped up on this one, got to the core of the offering and what we want to express about it, and turned around so many incredible brand name options.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

They were very communicative, always quick to respond to any and all of our inquiries, and very helpful when doing so. We regularly met over Zoom which facilitated great conversation.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

First and foremost, the name ideas! They were really diverse, highly creative, and mapped extremely well to our messaging intentions for the brand. In addition, I was super impressed with how much they challenged us to really *think* about this new offering, how we want to talk about it in the market, and collaborated with us to develop an informal narrative and set of messaging directions to guide their naming work. They really care about getting to the bottom of what your product and brand are about. They pinpoint messaging that’s both relevant and distinctive in the market.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

No, they’re a great partner and we’ll likely be working with them again in the future.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Marketing Director of a global technology company focused on aerial systems automation and geospatial data.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Catchword, and what were your goals?

My company completed 3 acquisitions within 1 year and wanted to unify the companies under one identity. We hired Catchword to help us review our brand reputation, alongside the brand position of our subsidiaries to help us determine the best approach to reposition our alliance in the market.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I started with extensive research on top brand firms and identified a shortlist; then I prepared an RFP and shared it with the best firms. Catchword was my favorite from the start based on their experience, and portfolio, but we made a fair assessment of all firms to ensure the entire executive team was confident in our choice. Catchword stood out from the start and received a unanimous selection.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

The scope of work included:

1. market and competitive research
2. stakeholder interviews
3. a new brand identity which included:

• a new name
• new positioning
• a new logo

The final deliverable was a complete brand guide based on our new identity.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Catchword's team of project leads, nomenclature and positioning professionals, and design leads were involved and advised us throughout the project. My favorite's on the team were Bruno and Drew - they supported us through moments of doubt, and indecision, and helped to usher distracted executives through key decisions; they always led us back to the core solution we were seeking. And they were a joy to work with!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

My company was able to better understand who we are in the market and how our customers and industry partners perceive us - this insight was imperative and helped to facilitate conversations around our values, and the ways in which we benefit our clients and the world at large. Without this work, I'm not sure the word "values" would have been a priority for my company to define.

We now have a CEO who voices these beliefs at the start of calls and includes his mission statements in press releases. Before we were all about our products, now, we are embracing becoming a company focused on human-centric values. I'm pleased a rebrand project influenced this outcome - it was a pleasant surprise but says volumes about what it really means to define your brand.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Catchword are true pros - they communicate clearly, timely, and use tools to both "show and tell" where we are in the project. From accurate project milestone maps to detailed and visually stunning presentations, every meeting was organized and well guided. And, they always picked up the phone. There's no better partner than one who understands educating executives is par for the course in a big project like this - they managed my company as well as they managed the work!

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I was most impressed by their honesty paired with empathy. Change is hard for most people - and a company is made up of people - and they understood we had internal stakeholders who were new to a project like this, one that would push us to change, a lot! They took the time to educate us at each meeting and navigated their guidance with professionalism.

And, when hard questions came up or when executives didn't always agree about a next step, Catchword was decisive and forthright about our choices. This worked well for my company. Catchword needed to be the expert in the room and they delivered!

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I don't believe they could have or should have, done it differently or better. I was pleased with the process and would work with Catchword again in a heartbeat. Good guys, very smart, experts at their craft, and I highly recommend them!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a brand manager at a multinational professional services network of firms. My team and I ensure that all new services and offerings are named and messaged according to brand guidelines.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Catchword, and what were your goals?

We work with Catchword on an ongoing basis across the entire spectrum of naming projects. They help create briefs and interview questions for intake interviews, generate (a lot of) names, pre-screen the names, and put together naming presentations. I've also worked with them on one-liners and other similar projects. Our goal is to find names and one-liners that fit our brand guidelines while meeting the objectives of various stakeholders. Catchword always delivers.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

My team was already working with Catchword when I joined, but I choose to involve them on projects because of their fast turnaround time and competitive pricing.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

Catchword begins by creating a briefing document that includes a number of key questions we need answered to appropriately name a service or offering. Catchword joins the intake discussions and interviews the stakeholder who needs something named. Then, Catchword generates names to meet the brief, and they always over-deliver on the number of names.

Our team will pick a shortlist, and Catchword will pre-screen the names to see if any major conflicts jump out. They provide rationales for why a name should or shouldn't move forward in the process. Then, they help us build and present a naming presentation. The work is always fast, and always of high quality.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I work directly with Catchword's partner, and he is always personable and asks great questions. His naming and copy specialists support him throughout the work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The biggest success of working with Catchword is the consistently positive feedback we receive from stakeholders who are naming difficult services or offerings. They are often blown away by the volume and range of options they're provided. We've worked on numerous projects together, and it's always a pleasure.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We have weekly status meetings and communicate via email. Their responses are always very prompt, and the deliverables are on time.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their passion for naming is unparalleled. Catchword always over-delivers, and often send hundreds of names simply because they love to name. It's refreshing to work with them.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Our experiences with Catchword are always positive!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the Director of Marketing Communications for a leading veterinary diagnostics company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Catchword, and what were your goals?

Our company is at the forefront of innovation when it comes to onsite diagnostics for veterinarians, and in order to maintain and grow our position, we’ve been developing some revolutionary new diagnostic tools and applications, and we hired Catchword to help us strategically create names for several of these new products.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found several potential partners, mainly via online research. After speaking for a few, we narrowed it down to Catchword based on their extensive naming experience and track record of success across virtually every industry. Plus, we got a very good feeling from their team, and enjoyed meeting them, and have truly enjoyed working with them, too. Our name review meetings are something that I would look forward to as a fun break in my day.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

Catchword carried out multiple full brand naming projects for us. For each project, this included an initial discovery phase to understand the product, market, audiences and competitors, which was then followed by the creation of a Naming Brief, which helped guide their creative work, and also served as a means of evaluating names, to ensure they checked the right boxes. Once we had agreement on that brief, they went through two rounds of name development, each culminating with a presentation of pre-screened name options. The range of name ideas they shared—from playful to serious, metaphoric to abstract—was extremely impressive, and the folks who presented the names to us clearly had heart and passion for the ideas they shared.

And, in addition to developing a broad array of interesting and compelling brand names, their team was extremely helpful in thinking about how to position our products in the market, in a way that resonated with each offering’s unique audiences. After the creative phases and presentations were concluded, Catchword conducted more in-depth legal pre-screens on our favorite names in order to ensure that we weren’t sending anything to our legal counsel that was clearly problematic. So they did everything to ensure as smooth a process as possible.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We had two people, Mark (Partner) and Bruno (Director), who worked with us throughout the entire project. From pitch to completion, they were in every meeting, every call, every email. In addition to them, there were a handful of more behind-the-scenes folks leading and working on the creative work, as well. I cannot recommend this team enough!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We have final names selected for two projects, and are still in the process of developing and selecting a name for a third and fourth project, however, these have not yet been publicly announced yet, so while I can’t share them yet, I can say that we’re super excited about them and very much looking forward to making a big splash with an announcement soon.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

They were absolutely great. Everything was always delivered on time, and the team was extremely responsive and always on top of everything. We also appreciated how regularly they would check in with us. Especially now in the days of non-stop, back-to-back meetings, it was refreshing that they never let us forget what we needed to do or slip through the cracks. They made us feel as though we were their only clients.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

We love how they brought in the perfect balance of serious and fun. As I mentioned earlier, our meetings were always lighthearted and included some great laughs. But at the same time, they never lost sight of the fact that this was business, and we had to get this right in order get to market in a way that would help us succeed. And I don’t think that’s easy to do. In fact, we were so impressed with their team and process that shortly after we started our first project together, we engaged them to work on three additional projects. And I’m sure that we’ll almost certainly be engaging them for additional work going forward, as well.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Nothing. I’m already looking forward to the next project with them!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work in Marketing Communications for Boston Scientific, a large Medical Device company. My focus area is in Interventional Heart Failure & Coronary Therapies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Catchword, and what were your goals?

We're developing a new technology in the Interventional Heart Failure space. We challenged Catchword branding to help us develop a commercial name that could be trademarked in US and various OUS markets. (this is a very high profile project internally)

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I was was referred to Catchword through another colleague who decided to engage them in a separate project. After meeting with the team and reviewing the agency pitch materials, our team decided to also move forward with a new partnership with Catchword.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

The project included the following stages:

1. Discovery & Immersion - thorough review of background materials including product design goals, value proposition, competitive and marketplace notes.
2. Stakeholder Briefing - Catchword developed a detailed springboard document and led stakeholder interviews with 8 key individuals (including divisional President, cross-functional leads and OUS partners).
3. Round 1 Name Ideation + Google Pre-Screen - The Catchword team developed 750+ names during this stage. Creative development tools included: vocabulary and metaphor development, creative relaying, group name shares, out-of-category explorations, hard-copy and digital dictionaries, thesauri, and other reference books. Additionally, Google pre-screening was conducted on the naming selects to eliminate options with obvious legal, marketing, or domain-name issues.
4. Round 1 Name Presentation - Catchword presented 58 names at this stage. Our was very pleased with the quality and range of work. We immediately shortlisted 18 names to circulate among stakeholders for feedback before moving forward in the process.
5. Round 2 Name Ideation + Google Pre-Screen - Using the insights from Round 1, Catchword developed another extensive list of names, this time exploring in greater depth a more honed set of directions based on the feedback we received in round 1.
6. Round 2 Name Presentation (56 names presented) - Catchword presented 56 names at this stage. Our team was very pleased with the work and "short" listed 28 names to move forward in the process. Side note: we pushed the Catchword team to move quickly on this round of work, which shortened our original timeline and overlapped with the winter holidays. The team didn't bat an eye and delivered exceptional work despite these challenges.
7. Trademark Prescreening for 34 names - Catchword conducted a very thorough preliminary Trademark review in a very short amount of time. This helped us expedite the process significantly and saved a lot of work of our internal corporate trademark team.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I worked directly with: Mark, Partner & Drew, Project Director and Sr. Strategist

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We're currently in the final stages of OUS Trademark review and we're looking forward to selecting the final commercial name for this new device very soon...! High-profile naming projects can be a emotional rollercoaster, but with Catchword leading the charge on this one, we've been able to sail on smooth waters. I've been very impressed with the speed and quality of the work that this team has produced.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

I really enjoyed the project management style. There was lots of open communication at every step of the process. Additionally, the detailed SOW and project timeline helped keep us grounded and on-track throughout the project.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I really enjoy that they truly listen to the feedback that's provided. This really helped us build a strong partnership early in the project and helped guide the work along the way. Also, they're just easy to work with (even when we were being a bit difficult!)

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I have no complaints! I'd love to work with Catchword on a future project and I've already been singing their praises internally to other colleagues who are starting a naming initiative.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a global cloud infrastructure company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Catchword, and what were your goals?

Even after 20 years as a market leading infrastructure company, our business continues to evolve, both in terms of the solutions we provide and the markets we serve. While our company name has served us well for over two decades, it has its limitations and drawbacks, of which we’ve always been aware. In particular, it speaks to a technology space we’ve outgrown, and is comprised of a word that carry potentially negative meaning in certain languages. For these reasons, we made the difficult decision to change our name, and we engaged Catchword to help us with the initiative.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After doing a lot of online research and identifying a select number of highly ranked and regarded branding agencies we conducted interviews, got to know the various agencies and their approaches to brand development, and ultimately made the decision to work with Catchword. In addition to feeling very confident in their process, experience, and ability to do a great job, we felt a really strong personal connection to their team.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

Catchword carried out a full brand renaming project for us. This included an initial “discovery” phase to understand our business, the markets we serve, our various customers, and our corporate culture. One of the things that impressed us the most was how deeply and genuinely they cared to get to know us and the aspects of our business that distinguish us as a solutions provider, as much as an employer. The conversations were designed to unearth deeper learnings and insights about our organization and what makes us “tick,” in order to better position and truly differentiate our company going forward and vis-a-vis our competitors.

After the discovery phase was complete, their team conducted several rounds of name generation during which we, together, reviewed scores of names that were supported by their team’s rationale. Another thing that really impressed us was the breadth of their creative work, which spanned a range of messaging territories and metaphoric categories, including a dedicated exploration of historic people, places, events specific to our country and where we’re headquartered. Without giving away too much about their process, they were really intent to discover and recommend names that not only speak to our business, but that resonate with us, personally, and on deeper emotional level.

Finally, they conducted trademark prescreening on all of our preferred names and made recommendations for which names to pursue and which to eliminate. And this was yet another aspect of their process that we understand to be different from other agencies in their space (having actually been down the road of working with another firm on renaming in the past). Again, I prefer not to reveal too much about their unique way of working, but they have an approach to trademark prescreening, the vetting of names for conflicts, that’s different, smarter, and more reliable than other agencies we’ve worked with.

Ultimately, we felt much more confident that their assessment of risk would align more precisely with our own attorney’s assessment of risk.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Catchword is pretty sizable for a branding agency with a focus on name development—I think around 15 people, including account directors, strategists, creative namers, linguists, screeners, and others. However, we worked directly with one of the agency’s partners and a senior strategist. They were our primary points of contact throughout the engagement, but there was a creative lead and several creative personnel as well project managers and screening folk carrying out a range of work behind the scenes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Currently, we have several new company names in full legal review that we’re absolutely thrilled with! So, while we’re not over the finish just yet, we’re very close, and extremely grateful to Catchword for their stewardship and helping us get to this point. As their team knows, we’ve truly enjoyed this partnership and working with them on this initiative. It’s a hard, often emotional process getting to a new company name, and having the right partner in place is extremely important. Not only did Catchword do a stellar job developing great names and escorting us through this challenging process, they really cared about us and proved to be a partner in the truest sense of the word.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The best way to describe their project management style is extremely smooth. Communication was regular and timely but not unnecessary—reaching out, soliciting input, and providing updates when appropriate. They make use of Float, a project tracking software that provides visibility into the process and where they are at every step so we always knew where they/we were in the context of the whole project and what was coming up ahead. We always felt in the loop without feeling burdened by the process.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Well, I suppose I’ve answered this question elsewhere in my responses but, honestly, everything. It was great engagement. From the level of thought and dedication they demonstrated, to the depth and cleverness of their name ideas and the closeness we felt with their team, it’s hard to imagine another collaboration going as well. They have a reputation in the industry as the best at what they do and they certainly backed it up. We’d recommend them without reservation.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Nothing. Really well done, guys!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Director of Marketing at Shapeways, a leader in advanced 3D printing solutions. Over time, the company has evolved its focus, from a B2C 3D printing resource for individuals and small businesses to a full-fledged, enterprise-level B2B 3D manufacturing provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Catchword, and what were your goals?

We engaged Catchword to develop a name for our digital manufacturing platform, a SaaS solution for our enterprise customers. In addition to a name for the SaaS brand, we engaged Catchword to help develop a strategy for how to name each of the different components (what we call “pillars”) of the brand, including a product to help our clients manage orders and pricing, one for fulfillment, and a third to assist with supply chain management.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We identified 6 companies for our naming project. After initial discussions, we narrowed it down to 3 that presented their process and experiences. We selected Catchword from the final three.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

Catchword ran a full program, including a deep dive into our organization, our history, and our evolution into a B2B manufacturing provider. They examined our portfolio of products and services, assessed the competitive landscape, and provided guidance on name positioning and strategy with an eye toward distinguishing our SaaS from both a naming and branding perspective.

It was a considerable amount of up-front discovery work followed by stakeholder interviews and briefing meetings to level set and align on directions for the naming work. In terms of the creative work, they created what I believe was over a thousand names for the SaaS brand and conducted trademark prescreening on the names.

I especially appreciated the way they presented their work, in a graphical, marketing context that really helped us envision how exciting the names would be as brands

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

My understanding is that the team included a range of both account and creative personnel, but our day to day contact was with Mark Skoultchi, one of the agency’s partners. Mark and I connected well during the RFP phase of the engagement and I found him to be a great partner, collaborator, and steward throughout the process.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We launched Otto in October 2021 and it has gone great! The process and outcome really exceeded our expectations. Things played out even better than I could’ve hoped. Amazingly, we have several names for the SaaS that have garnered enthusiastic support from our executive team and passed legal muster.

I’ve been part of brand naming projects in the past, I know how challenging they can be (especially in the technology space, which of course is a very crowded business space), and to have so many well-liked, available name options at the end of this process is truly exciting and a real testament to Catchword, their team, and the work they do.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Workflow was smooth and seamless. Catchword is a highly responsive, dedicated, very personable team. They’re a wonderful group of people, excellent communicators, and extremely easy to work with. We got along great, both professionally and personally. They were very responsive to any questions we had along the way and helped us in every step of the process.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

At every step, Catchword impressed me. From their initial deep dive into our organization to the killer creative they delivered, their team exceeded expectations and validated our decision to hire them. Top-notch naming agency.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Not at all. 100% happy.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a Senior Vice President at a leading, integrated healthcare and senior living strategy, architecture, engineering and construction firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Catchword, and what were your goals?

We approached Catchword with a range of challenges. Firstly, we were in need of a holistic, company-wide naming strategy, including a recommendation for what inward– and outward– facing components of our organization should receive proprietary names, and what those names should be. In addition, we needed a brand name for an important new healthcare analytics platform.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We did a fairly exhaustive search online, interviewed numerous agencies, and were ultimately most impressed by Catchword, their extensive experience in naming strategy and name development, and their portfolio of clients. In addition, and importantly, we felt the strongest personal connection to their team of people. Culturally, they felt like a very good fit—personable, authentic, relatable, etc. We trusted they’d do a really good job for us, and that they’d care about the engagement, devote the time and energy to it that we knew it required.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

We’ve been working with Catchword since December of 2020 (so, about a year). They’ve led us through a two-pronged process of company naming strategy and platform name development including extensive stakeholder interviews, name and naming strategy development, strategy refinements, and final recommendations. They’ve served as an extension of our team as we’ve together explored and made decisions around what to name within our firm and how to name those things.

An overarching objective of the project was to understand how to use names and naming to reinforce our positioning and unique way of working, and to develop names that serve that purpose. They’ve been close and trusted partners throughout the process, which, as I mentioned, has been the better part of a year.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked directly with Mark Skoultchi (Partner) and Erin Milnes (Director), though most of our dealings were with Mark. There was also a range of brand and naming strategists and creative namers that helped define and build out the naming strategy and develop the platform names.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

While the project isn’t entirely over yet (and our new names are not public), already our team (and in particular our key stakeholders), are thrilled to have gained so much clarity and alignment around what to name in our organization! In addition, landing on such a great, legally-cleared, platform brand name, and seeing it come to life through design, has been extremely exciting, and we can’t wait to begin marketing the product and talking about the name.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

I can’t imagine a project going more smoothly. Catchword was incredibly responsive, on-time with their deliverables, highly communicative, and extremely easy to work with. A++ for project management.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

It’s hard to say what was most impressive about Catchword. I suppose if I had to pick just one thing, I’d say their strategic business and branding acumen. They’re extremely smart, not just in the business of naming (though, of course, they excel in that space), but in their understanding of brand and business strategy more generally. They’re very sophisticated thinkers and problem-solvers, not just creative wordsmiths and language folk (though the names they imagined for our offerings and our analytics platform were extremely clever and along the lines of what you’d expect from a creative house!).

They attacked a fairly unusual and somewhat undefined naming and branding challenge (the “strategy” piece of our two-pronged engagement) with real strategic and creative energy and thought. And they were very articulate in explaining their reasoning along the way and getting us on board with their recommendations.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I really can’t think of any!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Senior Branding Manager at a tech-enabled auto refinancing company that helps drivers find better rates and reduce their monthly car payments. We’ve developed a secure, online platform that allows customers to easily pay off old lenders and even retitle their vehicles.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Catchword, and what were your goals?

For a few reasons, our company has decided to change its name. The primary reason, however, is that our current name suggests a more limited scope of services than we now (and into the future) plan to offer. The name is limiting—we need one that better reflects who we are, the offerings we provide, and is flexible enough to accommodate our growth and evolving service areas.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We conducted a thorough search of naming and branding agencies, held interviews, spoke with numerous firms, and ultimately felt most comfortable and personally aligned with Catchword.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

Catchword conducted a full naming process including a deep dive discovery phase, multiple rounds of name creation and name reviews with our team, trademark and domain prescreening, and follow on counsel to help narrow the list to a shorter number for full trademark evaluation and domain negotiation/acquisition. All told, the project lasted about two months and was extremely smooth from start to finish.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked directly with Mark Skoultchi, one of the agency’s partners, though there were a number of other people including several creatives, screeners, and support personnel contributing to the project. I would guess five or six people worked on and contributed to the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

I can say without hesitation that Catchword did an outstanding job on this project! Their guidance throughout the project, the creative name ideas they came up, their personable management style, all of it contributed to an extremely positive outcome—namely, multiple finalist names that cleared our lawyer’s review and that everyone on our team agrees reflects who we are as a company and will be extremely fun to market.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

I don’t want to divulge specific processes or tools Catchword uses that their team might consider proprietary, but I am comfortable saying that we really just totally enjoyed working with Catchword! They were extremely client-focused, highly responsive, often very strategic, and always super personable.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Catchword is impressive on many levels, but if I had to choose just one I’d say their creativity and, in particular, the actual names they come up with! So many of the names made us smile, both because they were so personable and relatable (a quality we were going for in our new name) and also because of how surprising they were—i.e., they were ideas that we wouldn’t (and didn’t!) think of ourselves! And, at the end of the day, I think that’s what we were most hoping to get out of this sort of engagement—strong creative thinking and unexpected, smile-inducing names.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Nothing that I can think of. It was a great collaboration.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the Associate Director of Product Marketing & Strategy at a Fortune 500 diagnostics and therapeutics company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Catchword, and what were your goals?

Historically, our company has been focused on the B2B market. Recently, we identified an opportunity to develop a B2C platform and product offering and we hired Catchword to assist with name development. The project also involved positioning work to define messaging for the brand, as well as logo, identity, and packaging design.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Found three companies online. Spoke with each and Catchword's overall value proposition was best for us.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

Catchword spearheaded name development and participated in the positioning and logo development phases of the process.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Our main point of contact was with Mark Skoultchi, one of the firm’s partners, but there were numerous people who contributed to the project behind the scenes, including various strategists and creative associates.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Our attorneys have cleared multiple names, all of which we like. Having been a part of naming projects in the past, I know how challenging they are, and what a great outcome it is to have so many name options to choose from following legal review. In addition, our final selected name has received overwhelming support internally, among not just our core brand team but our executive team as well. Already a huge hit, which bodes very well for the brand as we look to finalize the identity and roll out the product.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Mark and his team were wonderful. They were extremely responsive, highly knowledgeable, great partners and counselors throughout the project. Timelines were kept, nothing slipped, couldn’t have gone more smoothly.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Catchword impressed across the board. From their strategic counsel, to the outstanding, creative names they recommended, we are satisfied. They combine unparalleled branding and naming expertise with high-level creative thinking and super smooth project management, and we wouldn’t hesitate to hire their team again.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

None