Namebase Brand Naming

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m an account manager and job coach at a career coaching company that I founded. Our focus is on developing, training, and preparing individuals with disabilities to be successful in the work environment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Namebase Brand Naming?

I hired Namebase Brand Naming to help me develop a name for my new business.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted Namebase Brand Naming to create a unique name for my business by understanding my vision and utilizing the information I provided.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I did an online search for naming companies and was very selective in choosing a vendor. I chose Namebase Brand Naming based on their experience and expertise.

Describe the project in detail.

I provided Namebase Brand Naming with my vision for the business. They created a list of several potential company names with detailed information accompanying each name.  

What was the team composition?

I believe I worked with a team of 5–10 members. This included Lisa (President and Co-Founder, Namebase Brand Naming), a project manager, and a management team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The outcome was successful because the management team provided me with details on each name they came up with, which allowed me to make a better, more informed decision.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Their time management and communication skills were awesome. The project manager provided updates and important feedback throughout the project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Lisa and her team were great. They accomplished all of my expectations and more.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Since this was my first experience working with a naming company, I didn't see any areas for improvement at all. I was very satisfied with the results.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Kabuni Technologies is a technology company based in Vancouver, British Columbia. We have created a platform which allows artists, artisans and interior designers to connect with clients. We operate an app, a backend system, an e-commerce system, as well as a physical design studio where clients can meet with designers in-person.

What is your position?

I was a founding partner for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Namebase?

Our name used to be Whole New Home, but the business pivoted a couple of times. It no longer described what our business was about, and we had also had some legal issues with the trademark.

My responsibilities include communications and branding, so it fell to me to make a decision for finding a new name. I decided that it would be a great idea to contract some professionals who had a methodology around creating a name, as opposed to having a few beers and throwing some suggestions around.

SOLUTION

How did you come to work with Namebase?

We made some research and shortlisted 2-3 naming agencies, we felt most comfortable with Namebase.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The total cost of our project with Namebase was between $15,000 and $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our timeline was very tight, given that we didn't expect to receive a cease-and-desist letter stating that our former name was a copyright infringement. We had a 3-month turnaround time in which to get a new name, which we needed for the middle of the summer in 2016. It was a fast turnaround time and we did make many demands on Namebase. They were able to modify their methodology in order to allow us to complete the project faster.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We ran through Namebase's methodology, arriving at a shortlist of 8 names which everyone in our organization approved of. We felt that, no matter what name would be chosen, we'd be happy with it. We did a trademark check on those names, and only 2 of them came back as being open. One of the criteria for choosing a successful name was our ability to own it. In the end, we made an executive decision, choosing Kabuni. The first tangible result from our work with Namebase was being able to choose a name that everyone in our organization could live with. The second one was the ability to trademark that name.

We weren't sure how our community of artists and artisans would react to the change. It doesn't mean anything in English, so we had to do a lot of heavy lifting in attaching meaning to it. In the end, this proved to be an advantage. People brought their own meaning to the name, which was exactly what we wanted. We had a positive feed-back from the name. It stood out among our competitors and there was nothing else like it. It was easy to say, spell and find on Google. As far as we were concerned, this spoke towards a successful outcome.

How did Namebase perform from a project management standpoint?

Namebase was always quick to return our calls and answer our questions. They met every timeline and there was never an issue around the execution of the mandate.

What distinguishes Namebase from other providers?

I enjoyed the process very much. The team that was assembled for facilitating the name change on our end also had a universally positive experience. I appreciated that both of the Namebase principals were directly involved in our meetings. We felt that the best and brightest in the company were working on our project.

Is there anything Namebase could have improved or done differently?

I can't think of anything that Namebase could have done better. They fulfilled the contract in a timely manner, without being overly expensive.