Tanj

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Buckminster was a management consulting and marketing firm which helped groups and companies monetize their assets and audiences, and helped apply a media-company filter onto other businesses. I was the principal.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

I was going out on my own, and was trying to brand my own company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tanj was able to apply a thoughtful process to naming and branding, instead of having a subjective pursuit. There was a lot of method in how they went about the branding, and we got to a thoughtful answer that was on point with what the company did.

They had a great process and skills, and were helpful in taking me through that process. It was largely a naming effort. Tanj offered multiple rounds, taking my feedback and evolving it over time.

How did you come to work with Tanj?

I found Jill Stanewick [Naming & Strategy Director] through a friend on LinkedIn. I had worked with many branding firms in the past, but this was the first time I worked on a single name. This would take its own process and set of skills, and Tanj rose to the top and was a great partner.

How much have you invested with Tanj?

The cost of their work was $20,000 to $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Tanj in June 2015. The process took 5-6 weeks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Whenever I was in front of a client, Tanj’s branding helped me have a modern edge with all of my work.

How did Tanj perform from a project management standpoint?

I was led through the project step-by-step. Tanj brought assets for creative work, and they were generally efficient and got things done fast.

What did you find most impressive about Tanj?

Not only are they great at what they do, but they’re also lovely people. When working on some of these projects, it’s important to have this chemistry. Tanj is a great team.

Are there any areas Tanj could improve?

I don’t think so.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company is among the top three strategy consulting firms in the world and has been for the last 40 years. I worked in the global branding department as a product marketing manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

We currently have hundreds of products and needed a naming architecture that worked, as well as a partner for the naming itself. It’s a creative process with trademark implications. We needed to look at what was already on the market, and we didn’t have the in-house resources to manage this for 20–30 products.

Our company has worked with agencies before for branding and rebranding, but I don’t know if we specifically worked with anyone else for naming. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tanj helped us with our brand naming architecture. We’d rebranded many of our products and services. Many of our competitors—and the consulting industry in general—were moving away from custom services for specific clients and advertising these services almost as products. We were productizing our offering, which meant finding new names and better language to convey them. We were trying to package many of the things we offered to clients and give those items names. To do that, we were looking for a naming architecture that made sense and didn’t confuse people. For example, we offer supply-chain services and strategy, so we wanted to build a product with a related name, as well as sub-products that could be bought individually or added, making the selection easier.

How did you come to work with Tanj?

We had an extensive RFP with many naming companies and selected Tanj. We found them through a Google search. We also encountered several large firms that had worked on significant products like the Pentium Processor. This was impressive since most people never really think about how important a processor’s name is.

We were looking for a company that had done major projects but wasn’t necessarily massive itself. Scott [Founder and Director, Tanj], their owner, had worked on naming Sony’s Bravia TV, the Nintendo Wii, and so on. Tanj’s team was fresh, and their language was more modern and on the pulse of what millennials would expect to read. Many of the other companies were more old-school and traditional.  

How much have you invested with Tanj?

The cost of their work was around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Tanj around November or December 2015. All the agreements and payments were done by December. The initial naming process was for 10–15 products, which took around 6 months. Tanj was kept on retainer, and we continued to use them up until 2017. We don’t have as many products to name now, but we still rely on them for expert advice. When a project is challenging and requires high-level thinking, we call them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We could attribute more click-through numbers to the naming work, but I don’t have any statistics to mention. Our chief marketing officer is a big fan of Tanj, as was the former head of our brand. We heard a lot of praise from partners about their team. We never had a negative comment or a complaint about Tanj.

How did Tanj perform from a project management standpoint?

They were always prepared and ready for meetings, and they met tight deadlines whenever we asked. But, I wouldn’t say that they specifically managed the process; at least, not according to what I knew. I managed the meetings and our relationship and sent them the materials they needed.

Tanj’s project management was limited to the work they did. I pinged them reminders and checked on their progress. The communication was less proactive from their side.  

Scott and Jill [Naming and Strategy Director, Tanj] were easy to work with and could handle very challenging and high-achieving clients. Scott was never at a loss for words or unable to answer a question. They commanded a lot of respect during our meetings with senior partners.

What did you find most impressive about Tanj?

They bring a modern, millennial mindset to larger firms. Due to their smaller size, Tanj is very responsive. Whenever I reached out to them, they got back to me quickly. Meetings were always pleasant. We actually felt attacked by some of the other companies when they spoke down to us. Scott and Jill, in contrast, always conducted themselves professionally and politely. Their expertise shone through in a way that made us feel comfortable. We have a different kind of marketing expertise. We are good at branding, but we wanted to learn from experts in other fields.

Are there any areas Tanj could improve?

Only one thing really comes to mind. Several times, they suggested names that were already trademarked, so they didn’t do a robust search. I think this may have been because of our contract and tight deadlines. After simply googling the names we were given, the first result showed that there was a company with that name on a few occasions. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the chief marketing officer of a company that provides international B2B payment solutions. We connect businesses quickly and easily, allowing them to save time on extraneous work.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

We were in a transitional phase after receiving new investment capital. At that time, we realized that we wanted a new name since the old one didn’t fit us anymore. We had grown under it, but we had some challenges in differentiating ourselves in the digital world. We tried to do it internally but soon realized that we needed help.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with one of Tanj’s department heads and with one of his team members, who performed the formal ideation. Tanj sat down with our company and collected all the information about us in terms of brand and market. They built a nice framework by taking down our thoughts and illustrating them on a grid. It showed the different aspects of having a functional name, an inspirational one, and so on. Tanj gave us different flavor buckets that we could choose from. By throwing some of those up and giving examples during the first round, Tanj got a feel of our DNA. The founder and I looked through all the options and gravitated towards one particular pocket. After more brainstorming, Tanj came back with several names.

We chose a few semifinalists and went through due diligence. They showed us both the pros and cons of our choices. We had to consider things like the ability to trademark the name in all 50 countries where we operated, search engine optimization concerns, and domain name availability. We went through a second round of names just in case, but it turned out to be unnecessary.

How did you come to work with Tanj?

One of my friends told me about Clutch. I reviewed several firms that I thought would fit us and interviewed them all. Tanj had the right balance between knowing the protocol and being able to move fast. Most companies I talked to went through standards pitches, almost working off of scripts, but Tanj took the time to listen to my needs and customize them. They seemed to be customer-adaptive in that sense.

How much have you invested with Tanj?

The cost of Tanj’s services was around $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Tanj in January 2017. The project was completed in February.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The name is out there. We have good feedback from investors and other people who’ve come across it. Unfortunately, we have struggled with differentiation. I don’t think that Tanj provided the full gambit on what it would take to overcome neighboring names. There was a software company with a similar name to ours, and we’ve had to struggle with separating ourselves from them. We’re doing it, but it was a surprise. Other than this, employees are happy with the name, and everything seems to be good.

How did Tanj perform from a project management standpoint?

They stuck to timelines very well.

What did you find most impressive about Tanj?

Tanj is responsive to customers. They’re very personable. They take the time to listen and understood what we needed. When we told them that we might need another iteration because we may not get our domain name, Tanj responded quickly and without any kind of complaint. They were very good at making us feel like all of the attention was on us.

Are there any areas Tanj could improve?

They should do more work on giving guidance for cases when there is a neighboring name to the one being chosen. There are other considerations to make beyond the URL tree.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a national nonprofit. I’m the director of communications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

We were changing our name, so we were looking for a branding/naming firm.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tanj did a bunch of interviews and research and came up with the best naming strategy for what our organization needed, what we’re looking for in the future, and what we’re really about. From that, they came up with a list of 800 names that they then whittled down to 250, and then ran it through their own search through Google, social media, and trademarks to really narrow down a list of names. We were presented with 50 names. We then whittled that list down until we eventually, with their help, arrived at a final name. We’re now working with them on message development with our new name in mind.

How did you come to work with Tanj?

I googled naming companies and found their profile on Clutch, which led me to their website. I reached out to a few others, but I liked Tanj the best. What drew me to them the most was that they had a couple of resources on their website that talked through their naming process, which made it feel like they were really experts in this and knew what they were talking about. Their client list was broad, and we were looking for someone that was outside of our field of nonprofits who would really have an outsider’s perspective of what we need because we were looking for a more modern, fresh name and not a typical nonprofit name. After talking to them, I liked that they were a boutique and could really focus on us. They really got us right away, after talking to us just once.

How much have you invested with Tanj?

We have invested $32,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in October 2016. The initial scope of work for the name ended in early January 2017. It’s under wraps right now, but we’ll be launching our new name in June 2017. We then signed a new separate scope of work for the message development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Although I don’t have actual data, anecdotally, we presented the name choices to our board of directors as well as to our leadership team. Everyone kept saying how much they appreciated the process. They felt that Tanj really did their homework and exhausted all options. We were presented with the best of the best. My organization tends to not like consultants as much and not trust them to know better than we know, but they immediately trusted Tanj in the process and were open to the new names because of it.

How did Tanj perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well. They kept to their deadlines and were always on top of us to keep to ours. They would also let us know what the next step in the process was. We communicated mainly through email as it wasn’t that big of a scope.

What did you most impressive about Tanj?

They understood our organization and leadership right away, which was really helpful. They also showed their work, which I liked in terms of how many names they came up with. The tools of their processes were great.

Are there any areas Tanj could improve?

I honestly don’t think so. We are really happy with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company was called MECU (Motorola Employees Credit Union) at the time of engaging Tanj. We are a non-profit financial services company.

I am the Vice President of Marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

We went through an interesting series of changes, needing to completely rebrand and change the way in which we did business in order to stay alive in the economic climate of today's credit unions and our key sponsor company, Motorola.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We engaged Tanj for assistance in both the naming process and tagline generation, as well as our internal verbal identity.

How did you come to work with Tanj?

We conducted online research, looking at different naming agencies. We contacted several of them for initial phone screens, narrowing our choice to 3. I brought in our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer for a final review. We went through proposals and ended up selecting Tanj as a unanimous decision.

How much have you invested with Tanj?

The total cost of our project with Tanj was between $10,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Tanj in July 2015 with an initial kick-off featuring our senior leadership team. We received approval from our board for the new name and tagline in October.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our new name, tagline, and verbal identity were the first steps of our organizational rebrand. We've recently announced the name change, although this hasn't gone live. We need to update our website and collateral. Our go-live date for actually using this material is September 2016.

I don't have specific metrics, but I do have a ton of positive word-of-mouth feedback from our employees. Our new name gathered a huge amount of positivity around it. People got it and really aligned with it. When we launched it to our current customer base, we received a lot of positive feedback as well. The impression was that the name supports the future of our organization.

What did you find most impressive about Tanj?

There are many things that set them apart. Tanj has the ability to really listen and turn our industry jargon into something that can be understood by everyone. We don't understand how to create a name or what words we should be saying. Tanj has a very specific process which is easy to understand at the same time. We felt overwhelmed by the prospect of creating a name, but Tanj made it easy to understand and explain where our name came from and why we chose it. Everyone in the organization can give that background because of Tanj's ability to communicate our process to our employees. They're a very creative and well-spoken team.

Are there any areas Tanj could improve?

I can't think of anything. The process was outstanding, and it was a breath of fresh air.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work for a cable television station.

What is your position?

I am Vice President, Brand Creative & Head of On-Air Creative. I'm responsible for our brand’s presentation on air, as well as off-channel activation and events.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

We were looking to develop a name and identity for a new service that was outside of our brand footprint. In other words, we didn't want to lean on the TV channel’s name and brand as part of this new service; we wanted to start from a blank slate. We did not have a very long period of time to come up with the name, and we knew there were a couple of significant hurdles we would face. One being our own creative satisfaction with the name, but also legal matters. We had to make sure we had the .com domains or were within some good space of having domains available for the name.

We were looking for a name that conveyed what the service was, but was still broad enough so we could expand our offerings in the future. We talk about them being relatives, probably living on the same street but different houses. How this new brand could tuck up next to that existing house, was part of the challenge.

SOLUTION

How did you come to work with Tanj?

I had looked at a list of the usual suspects that Turner might have engaged. We knew that we probably had to operate with a smaller shop because we had to be quicker, and felt that if we identified a more boutique agency, we would have likelihood of better attention and focus. We actually worked with two agencies before we ended up with Tanj. Those companies didn’t work out, both from the creative side, as well the business side. They just moved too slowly.

I can't even remember now how I tripped across Tanj, but I really felt that the work that they had done across some of the other projects, including Wii, indicated a level of creativity that would take us to another space, which was what we were looking for. We thought we'd have to end up with a kind of made up name. Happily, we ended up with something that was more grounded, which we like. I also just thought that they had a good process that made sense to me. I appreciated the intelligence that they displayed on their site, in terms of helpful background information of them and what they do. Pretty quickly, I knew they would be in the running, and after that first conversation with Scott [principal], that was really confirmed for me.

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

It was in the $10,000 to $50,000 range.

What was the timeline of this engagement?

I think things officially got rolling in January, and I believe we were done by the end of February, which was the timeline we were looking for.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We haven't launched the product yet, but we did do consumer testing around a shortlist of names, and it was great to see that the name Scott liked the most and we liked the most, was also the one rated the highest by consumers. With the name Scott developed, there’s an immediate understanding about what we’re doing and what the service is going to be.

What distinguishes Tanj from other providers?

I appreciated that Tanj had a process, they weren’t just winging it. It was efficient and lean enough to accommodate our crazy schedule. It felt very much based on our brief and our needs. I'd say that they really, and this is again not to disparage the other agency we worked with, but I just felt that they were dialed in, in a different way and it was a remarkable experience. Tanj was professional, but still enjoyable to work with.

Is there anything Tanj could have improved or done differently?

Truly, everything went as they promised it would in terms of timing and questions around volume. Everything that they promised, they delivered. Even when we were satisfied, they were still asking what else they could do. I have nothing but high praise for them. It's interesting because they were unfamiliar to people here, but I have a feeling it won't be the last time they work with our company, because it was so successful.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We're a high technology company that provides laboratory measurement instrumentation to life sciences and applied markets including energy, chemical, and environmental. Companies might use our instruments to assist in food safety analysis, for example.

What is your position?

I am the director of marketing, including inbound marketing, which is defining user needs and customer requirements. Also, outbound marketing, which is taking the value we create and articulating that to the marketplace.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

We're a spinoff of the Hewlett Packard company, and our names followed the rather dry convention of a combination of four-digit numbers and letters. Especially to people who had less long-time experience with our instruments, those names didn't express anything about the nature, character, or benefit of the products to them.

We were finding that more and more of our decision makers are millennials, and our names didn't mean anything to them. We wanted to create a name for our product line that differentiated it, and explained what the product was all about and how that would be of interest or benefit to the potential customer.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

It was naming one product and its category. We believed that we were carving out a new category in a relatively mature product area, and Tanj helped us communicate that to the customer.

How did you come to work with Tanj?

One of the full-service marketing agencies we work with identified Tanj. We were looking for a company that was able to prove to us that they had fresh, new concepts that related to a younger generation. In the selection process, Tanj's demonstrated ability to relate to younger generations was the single biggest differentiator for us.

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

It was between $50,000 and $100,000.

What was the timeline of this engagement?

It was about three months. Tanj was always on the ball in terms of responsiveness and keeping us on schedule.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We have not introduced the product yet, so I can't tell you any business results. What I can say is that internally, we have tested this with many different levels and functions within the company, and everyone feels that it's been a breath of fresh air. So, subjectively, I would say it's been a resounding success.

What distinguishes Tanj from other providers?

There are two things that resonate with me when working with Tanj. First is the level of creativity – they came to the table with a great selection of names. Naming is a very difficult process and you need to have a lot of room for error. The creativity was excellent.

Also, I think from a business point of view, one of the main things that I was very impressed about Tanj was their thoroughness and professionalism. They knew very well they were dealing with a traditional IT [informational technology] business and, for a young creative agency, they handled themselves with total professionalism. One way this manifested itself was through their process. It was incredibly thorough and, at the end, we had confidence that no stone had been left unturned.

Is there anything Tanj could have improved or done differently?

At this point, honestly nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Our company, MatchBuilt, is a recruiting company. We do executive recruiting for the home building industry.

What is your position?

I am the owner of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

Our company has been in business for 10 years, and our original name was Big Builder Sourcing. Through the changing industry and changing times, the name of our company did not reflect our clients and our business in the best light anymore. We were looking for something more descriptive to what we do and something that was easy to use. I'm on the phone all day with our recruiters, so the name had to be somewhat short and easy to understand that, but still be unique to us and something we could build a brand on.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

There were obviously conversations about our larger brand positioning, but it was primarily naming.

How did you come to work with Tanj?

I found them on the Internet. Scott [Milano, CEO of Tanj] was very responsive in getting back to us. We felt comfortable with his expertise, and we moved forward with them.

What was the timeline for the project?

Less than 90 days.

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

It was in the $10,000 range.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We've seen significant increases in business and significant increases in brand awareness since Tanj helped us rebrand the company. People mention to me all the time how much better the new name is than the old name. My only regret is that we didn't do it sooner.

What distinguishes Tanj from other providers?

They were just great at listening to us, describing the process, and setting our expectations. I give them the highest endorsement.

Is there anything Tanj could have improved or done differently?

No. Not really. 

BACKGROUND

Please provide a description of your company.

When we hired Tanj, I was in the marketing and communications department for a large trade association with more than 400,000 members. 

What is your role at the company?

I was the senior manager of communications for all our standardized testing and examinations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was the business challenge that you were trying to address when you approached Tanj?

We had conceptualized a self-directed learning platform, highly customizable and loaded with rich content, aimed at all levels of the accounting profession, but primarily at accountants who aren't in public accounting. The platform had to be adaptable so that it could eventually be marketed to other professions. We needed a name for this complex product.

What was the scope of the project, and can you describe the specific services provided by Tanj?

The scope was a three-to-six-month engagement to dig into our brand and name the learning platform in such a way that it aligned with the brand, but still had a distinct feel. Tanj was tasked with first delivering concepts, followed by names for each concept, then wheedling down the lists and, through an iterative process, delivering a short list of three final name candidates. 

SOLUTION

What was your process for selecting Tanj with which to work?

I had worked with Scott Milano [CEO of Tanj] in Japan when he was with Interbrand, and then later after he founded Tanj, we kept in touch. I recommended him to the project owners, and they invited him to respond to the RFP [request for proposal]. We decided to work with Tanj because Scott never tried to sell us on the project. He proposed a process that made sense, was honest about the challenges we faced, and his manner won over the key decision makers in the room.

Can you give us a general estimate of the size of the project in dollar terms or personnel work hours?

It was between $10,000 and $20,000.

When did the project begin, and when was it completed?

The project began in March 2011 and was completed by September 2011.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did they perform in terms of the quality of their work? Are there any relevant statistics or metrics you can share?

Tanj's performance was exemplary. Scott and his team stayed true to their process and delivered what they said they would deliver.

When working with them, was there anything unique or special about them compared to other partners with which you may have worked?

Their specialized knowledge of naming and its connection to brand and culture are leagues beyond anyone else I've worked with. Scott just brings a winning presence to the room. He is knowledgeable, flexible, and consultative. 

Looking back on the project, do you have any constructive criticism? Is there any area that they could improve or you would do differently?

None come to mind.

BACKGROUND

Please provide a description of your company.

New Haircut is a digital product agency. We build Web and mobile experiences for our clients.

What is your role at the company?

I'm the founder and CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was the business challenge that you were trying to address when you approached Tanj? 

At the time, New Haircut was called DigitalXBridge or DXB. It was a name I had come up with one night on the train ride home. I spent all of 10 minutes thinking about it and swore I'd come up with something better a couple weeks later. Three years later, and multiple attempts to spend time thinking about something more aligned with our vision and culture, we were still stuck with DXB.

What was the scope of the project, and can you describe the specific services provided by Tanj?

We saw what Tanj had done in naming brands like the Nintendo Wii and Ally Bank. We engaged Tanj to help apply that same creative thinking to a brand rename for DXB.

SOLUTION

What was your process for selecting Tanj with which to work?

We had the opportunity to see Tanj in action for a mutual client of ours, TradingTable. Scott [Milano, Tanj's managing director and owner] and his team were extremely polished in their approach to helping with TradingTable's name and language direction. We were sold on their professionalism and creative chops.

Can you give us a general estimate of the size of the project in dollar terms or personnel work hours?

It was in the $10,000 to $50,000 range.

When did the project begin, and when was it completed?

The project was relatively quick. It began in August 2013 and ended in October 2013. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did they perform in terms of the quality of their work? Are there any relevant statistics or metrics you can share?

Tanj came back with 28 proposed names in a professionally crafted and presented proposal. We immediately saw the value in contracting Tanj and had trouble narrowing down the names to a final set because we favored several.

The most important requirement we had for Tanj was that nobody should ever have a mild reaction to our name. I'd rather they hate it than have lukewarm feelings toward it. They accomplished just that. In the two-plus years since we've been New Haircut, it's rare that I hand out a business card or introduce myself and our agency that people don't smile and say, "Wow, great name! Why New Haircut?" Mission accomplished.

When working with Tanj, was there anything unique or special about them compared to other partners with which you may have worked?

Again, what shined was how much care and thought they put into their work. I'm sure many people would assume that selecting a company name is like picking names out of a hat but trust me when I tell you we tried for years and failed to come up with a winner.

Looking back on the project, do you have any constructive criticism? Is there any area that they could improve or you would do differently?

Nope.