Igor Naming Agency

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO & Founder of Azra Games

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a RPG-focused game development and publishing company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Igor Naming Agency to accomplish?

• Explore names for our first RPG game title
• Land on a short list of RPG game names for trademark

SOLUTION

How did you find Igor Naming Agency?

Known about them for over a decade

Why did you select Igor Naming Agency over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned
• Credibility

How many teammates from Igor Naming Agency were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We engaged Igor in Q2 '23 to explore ideal "single word" names that are trademarkable, evocative, and memorable. This was no easy feat given the fact there are over 500K+ mobile games. We needed a name that was authentic to the game that we're building and met our objectives.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

A trademarkable, authentic, memorable, single-word name for our first RPG mobile game

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They are exceptional professionals in that they met all timelines, exceeded expectations by delivering more names than we initially expected, walked us through the collaborative process in great detail, were enjoyable to work with, and were prompt in all communications during and after the project ended. Fantastic service and will definitely use it again for the naming of all games moving forward.

What was your primary form of communication with Igor Naming Agency?

Virtual Meeting

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

How holistic the entire process was - the right mix of creativity, science, and craft.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Igor Naming Agency could have done differently?

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the executive of the company and we are a post-acute benefits management company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Igor Naming Agency, and what were your goals?

I recently became the CEO, October, 2022 after a PE buyout/recap and we are looking to relaunch the company with new leadership onboard and a new strategy to grow our business.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We looked at several companies based on prior working relationships with the C suite team and PE firm and narrowed the list to 3 finalists. Igor was selected for their expertise, ability to deliver fast and their process to engage the leadership team.

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

• To begin they interviewed our Chief Growth Officer to get the appropriate background of our company, including key competitors, provider partners and customers. After the initial background process, we participated in 4 naming work sessions to create a new brand name:
• Review about 45 prescreened names, 3 meetings of roughly 20 names each, carrying forward finalists from previous round;
• Competitive name analysis;
• Name positioning within industry (health and life sciences) and sub-sector (post acute/home health);
• US trademark prescreening;
• Google due diligence screening. At the conclusion, we had a recommendation and 2 prequalifies back ups to complete the project.

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

We worked directly with the Founder, Steve and their multilingual naming specialist Victoria.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are in process of completing our trademark filing and rebrand execution work, but the Board unanimously approved the new name.

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

Steve and Victoria were very collaborative. They communicated early and often and were always willing to talk in between meetings to answer any questions or concerns.

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

They truly sought to understand our current business model, future strategic intent and existing competitors. It really helped define what we were looking for in a new name, i.e. how to stand out.

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

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Principal Product Manager of an early stage start up. Our no-code design and publishing platform makes it possible for anyone create interactive experiences on the web, including dynamic websites, apps and games.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Igor Naming Agency, and what were your goals?

We hired Igor Naming Agency to help us come up with the perfect name for our product. We were looking for a name that would speak not only to out 'what'--a place to create and publish on the web--but also to our 'why'--self expression, visibility and connection.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We narrowed our search down to three companies, including Igor. Each of these had an impressive client list, similar methodologies and all were around the same price point. Steve/Igor's thoughtfulness, attention to nuance and fearless thinking won us over.

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

We contracted with Igor to create a new brand name for our product. Over 4 meetings, they presented 45 names, each name was prescreened (US trademark and Google due diligence). They also conducted a competitive name analysis and name positioning.

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

We worked directly with Igor Founder, Steve and Multilingual Naming Strategist Victoria.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Igor helped us find a name that we absolutely LOVE. It speaks to who we are at a fundamental level, it's snappy and clever. We hired Igor to help us do one (very challenging) thing and they absolutely knocked it out of the park.

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

We communicated through email and Slack. Communication was always timely and thoughtful.

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

Igor is fearless, they're not afraid to think differently. They're super smart, and they've got a solid, time-tested process...but that doesn't stop them from looking in unusual places for inspiration. For a company like ours that's looking for different, Igor was an ideal partner.

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

None.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the growth marketing manager at a kitchen technology start-up.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Igor Naming Agency, and what were your goals?

Our business is undergoing a brand refresh and we hired Igor to support with the naming process.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Igor was recommended to us by a contact within the industry and made the introduction.

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

Igor's job was to deliver an ownable and trademarkable brand name. The process involved an initial positioning analysis of our brand and deep dive into what we wanted the brand name to represent. Over the course of three rounds, Steve delivered over 60 prescreened names.

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

We worked directly with Steve, the founder of Igor throughout the entire process.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were extremely happy with the end result of our project and are looking forward to the next stage of implementation. Steve was also very helpful in terms of introducing us to an appropriate legal counsel for trademarking and ensuring he was leaving us in good hands before closing off the project.

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

We had weekly and sometimes biweekly meetings throughout the process which ran for just over a month or so. Steve was also incredibly responsive via email and never let anything hang without a response.

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

Steve is an incredible personality and made the process highly enjoyable. He made us as a team step away from the typical style of names that we were looking at, and explore more new possibilities.

This not only helped us find a unique name within our industry, but also a name that was trademarkable! Moreover, Steve brought a true sense of humor to his work, making every interaction fun and engaging.

Finally, with Steve, you never feel in anyway like you are on the clock. He was always happy to go over our allocated meeting time if we needed to talk through things. Steve genuinely cares about giving his clients a high quality service and ensuring they are completely happy with the end result.

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

Everything was really strong.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the VP of Sales & Marketing for a new company in the energy space. We manufacture cogeneration (heat and power) machines that can be used independently or as part of a microgrid to save on energy costs and provide resiliency against power outages.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Igor Naming Agency, and what were your goals?

As we conducted a company restart, we needed a new image. We hired Igor to create a brand that better represented us, provided a better brand for our stakeholders, and helped convey our value proposition to the market.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

It was first based on a recommendation but we also looked at various companies online, their portfolios and the market spaces they worked in. After reviewing, we chose Igor.

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

They first interviewed key team members to understand:

• our market space
• our business
• our stakeholders
• our goals
• our product
• our competitors
• the customer value proposition

Then we reviewed some key words / adjectives that helped shape naming options. We then went through three or four rounds of names (dozens each round) until we narrowed it down. At that point, we fully vetted the new name of our company. I should note that Igor also helped us with our product names to tie into the company name.

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

We worked directly with the co-founder of the company.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are in the process of rolling it out. But first reactions with our channel partners is extremely positive.

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

We had weekly meetings to begin the research and initial rounds of names. Communication tools used were google docs, emails and zoom meetings. Igor did a very good job of moving things along and keeping us on track.

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

I appreciate their thirst for information and their desire to understand our position in the business world. Also their wit.

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

Not at all.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Chief Marketing Officer of a telehealth startup providing primary and urgent care via virtual visits to Americans.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Igor Naming Agency, and what were your goals?

I joined a telehealth startup that was launching a service in the saturated healthcare market and the name was not memorable and did not express our "why" at all. I was looking for a name that was memorable and described what we stood for. A name that would make marketing spend more effective.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I researched different naming companies online and reached out to branding experts I had worked with previously for recommendations. I checked clients they had worked with previously and then selected 2 which I contacted and spoke to about their process and approach. I chose Igor after speaking to them on the phone and getting a sense of their approach to branding and their understanding of consumer behavior.

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

They began by researching our existing brand and the competitive landscape. They presented to us their understanding of our brand and offering as well as where all the competitors were positioned. They then interviewed us to understand our vision and offering as well as where we wanted to be in the market. They gave us a short seminar on naming philosophies and examples from other industries that were successful.

They then presented 20 options for names with an explanation of each as well the research into trademarks and availability. We met and gave feedback on each and then they went back and produced another 20. And then again feedback and another 20. At the end they helped us narrow down the list to our ultimate 3 favorites and then chose the one we felt best suited us.

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

We worked directly with the founder. Other team members supported his efforts but we worked directly with him.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As a result of the rebranding we are getting attention from different publications and investors that appreciate and understand our brand before even speaking to us. Our customer acquisition costs have directly reduced in the same channels and we believe this is attributable to a clearer brand purpose. The internal exercise forced us to introspect and ask hard questions about what really makes us unique. And as a result of the process we have galvanized our own vision and understanding of purpose. Plus the employees were excited by the process and invested more into the vision.

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

They made this complex process look easy. Every round of names was presented cleanly and professionally with explanations and consistency that made comparison easier. After each meeting there was a summary and clear action items and expectations. Communication was open and clear and they made themselves available to hear any ideas we had outside of the meetings and shared resources to help me in my general branding work.

They were also an invaluable sounding board for possible directions. Timeframes were clearly communicated and always met. Deliverables were always on time and often over-delivered.

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

Some of our stakeholders were not able to understand the value of the branding exercise or appreciate the nuance of naming. Igor was able to understand quickly where our strengths were and guided us through the process. They did so in a way that simultaneously played to our strengths and our own ideas and vision while also pushing us to be more daring and honest with our vision that enabled a better result than we had hoped for.

The process of working with Igor helped transform our critical thinking and make the entire company stronger in our mission and commitment to our customer. They were also able to entertain discussion and debate at all levels of the different stakeholders which is something quite rare in creative people.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the VP of Product and Market Development at a Biotech startup that is developing a cutting edge CRISPR-based, molecular, point of care and over the counter COVID diagnostic test platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Igor Naming Agency?

We needed help renaming the company. Our founders adopted a name, Pine Trees Health, that was not aligned with our corporate and brand identity goals.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal for the project was to identify a name for the company that aligned with our brand and corporate identity goals. We wanted to be current and we wanted our new name to position us equally well in consumer and B2B markets where we will compete.

SOLUTION

How did you select Igor Naming Agency?

I was solely responsible for the rebranding effort. It was not as much of a priority for our founders at the time as it was for me. However, I knew that we needed to rename.

I looked online for naming agencies by search for best agencies of 2019 and 2020. I found your list of ranked firms and saw Igor on the list along with 4 others. I looked at each of their websites and I appreciated the taxonomy-based approach to characterizing names that Igor employs.

I knew that would appeal to the founders given their structured way of evaluating options. I also learned quite a bit from Igor’s documentation that they make available on their site.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

After signing our agreement with Igor, we were asked to review the documentation on its website prior to having our first introductory meeting. I shared the content with two of the founders of the company that were going to be the most engaged in the process.

I also provided a list of competitors to Igor along with some brand identity work we had recently completed. During our first meeting, Igor shared some basic taxonomy data with us regarding where our competitors sat from a name characteristic perspective and probed a bit more with the two founders and myself to understand what our goals were relative to the renaming effort.

From there, we had weekly meetings where we reviewed 20 tranches of names and we’d provide feedback on what we liked and didn’t like. All of the names were pre cleared so we knew we could probably use names we liked.

We went through 3 rounds of naming, so we were exposed to 60 names total. We ultimately identified a few final candidates and took the candidate names back to the leadership team to vote and settle on our final name.

What was the team composition?

We worked directly with Steve Manning, one of the founders of Igor Naming Agency. He is the only person we ever interacted with and that created the sense that we were being exposed to the “A” team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to identify a name that our founders and our leadership team found to be terrific. I wasn’t sure that we could get there given the inclination of our scientific founders to want to stay with names that were in their comfort zone.

However there was misalignment between their comfort zone and the work we need our company name/brand to do for us. We have not launched the website just yet, but we will soon. We’ve already seen our new name in mock ups and it looks great.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We met weekly and Igor was extremely responsive any time we needed to talk between our weekly name reviews. Regardless of whether I emailed, texted or called, I always got responses within the hour which was very impressive. It allowed us to easily stay on schedule.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The quality of the 60 names we were exposed to and the adjustments made from the first set of names to the two subsequent ones was impressive. Igor was able to hear feedback and pivot in ways that still pushed us, but reaffirmed that we were being heard.

I also think that in a very short amount of time, Igor familiarized itself with our industry and was able to demonstrate a level awareness that surprised us.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're a non-profit that helps academic experts on global challenges like AI and biosecurity make a meaningful contribution to the policymaking process. Chief Executive

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Igor Naming Agency?

To re-name our non-profit

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to find a name that resonated well with all our target stakeholders - including academics, policymakers and prospective donors, and which reflected our focus on improving resilience to 21st century challenges.

SOLUTION

How did you select Igor Naming Agency?

We came across interesting online blogs talking about different categories of name, and the benefits and drawbacks of different categories.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

There was an initial discussion upfront, a competitive study and several rounds of names, which we discussed in detail.

What was the team composition?

Founder Steve Manning was our point of contact and took the lead throughout the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thrilled with our shortlist of names - we're just in the process of signing off our final decision with relevant stakeholders.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Hugely. Steve understood our needs from the outset, and looked at the problem from a number of different perspectives, which generated whole categories of name that we wouldn't otherwise have considered. He was easy to communicate with and very patient throughout the process as we updated our views on what we were looking for.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The creativity - as mentioned, the iterative process generated whole categories of name that we wouldn't otherwise have considered.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It's hard to think of any. We were delighted with the level of service we received.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the president of Blueshift. We provide best-in-class state of the art LIGHTWEIGHT materials. Our initial product, AeroZero, is the first commercially available Polyimide Aerogel in the world. Its creation derives from customer demand for a clean, lightweight, small footprint thermal management material.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Igor Naming Agency?

To name our flagship aerogel product

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to create an interesting brand identity for our product. We have a lot of great scientists and engineers but not folks good at creative names. A lot of material science products have very dull names and tag lines.....we wanted to have some personality.

SOLUTION

How did you select Igor Naming Agency?

We researched firms and down selected 3 for interviews and proposals. Our team liked Igor's process and energy the best of the bunch and moved forward with them.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

There was an initial discussion upfront, a competitive study and several rounds of names.

What was the team composition?

Founder Steve Manning was our point of contact and took the lead throughout the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We hired Igor initially to name our product, and were so thrilled with the result we’ve engaged them to create a tagline for it.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Awesome. It's a fun engagement for Blueshift and a clear process.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We had no idea how much goes into naming......We're learning a ton about the dept of the entire process.

Are there any areas for improvement?

These guys are pros. We have other marketing service providers for our website, etc. Igor & Steve Manning are professionals.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder of a media/events company that helps tech brands tell their story to all the audiences that matter today. Through a combination of experiential marketing, influencer marketing, and content marketing, B2C tech companies, marketers and PR professionals can build relationships with press, influencers, and enthusiasts without breaking the bank.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Igor Naming Agency?

We hired them to name a new virtual trade show for consumer tech brands.

What were your goals for this project?

A name that broke convention had some energy, was sticky, and carved out some fresh space.

SOLUTION

How did you select Igor Naming Agency?

We spoke with several agencies. Igor stood out for their high-profile, current consumer tech naming. The fact that they named Whoop got our attention, but speaking with us convinced us they were the right fit.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We sent them a branding deck, they came back with lots of original strategies on capturing our brand strategy. There were several meetings where they presented possible names and refined our name positioning. Worldwide trademark screening on every name they presented, which was around 60.

What was the team composition?

CEO Steve Manning was our consistent point of contact, which was refreshing. There were others on emails threads who chimed in.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Yes! They delivered the type of category dominating name we were looking for. It’s different, multilayered, and engaging. We can’t wait to launch with it, as we’re sure it will go viral.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow and synergy between their team and ours was a thing of beauty.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They instantly “got us” and gave us an abundance of fantastic names to choose from.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None.