Tanj

BACKGROUND

Please provide a description of your company.

Studio Sanderson is a branding agency that works with growing companies, who are looking to tell a more effective story. We begin on a strategic level, and then ensure that the brand identity is consistent across all a company's touch points.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I'm the creative director and principal.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Please describe the scope of their work.

I've brought in Tanj on a consulting basis for a number of my projects. The scope of their work depends on the project. I've often brought them in for their naming services. The clients have varied from startups to established corporations looking to name a new product.

I've also worked with Tanj on writing the articulation of a brand story. In some instances, the scope of their work is very specific, and I just need Scott's [Milano, Managing Director of Tanj] skill as a wordsmith on a few particular items. Other times, we will fully collaborate on the brand story together as a team. 

SOLUTION

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

I've known Scott personally for a long time now. We both had backgrounds in the brand consultancy world before we created our own companies. 

As far as why we choose to work with them, I would say there are lots of writers around, but it's a unique combination to find a team of writers, who understand brands the way Tanj does. There are plenty of writers in advertising, who can write some great lines of copy but, with branding, you’re coming from the center of the business as opposed to just creating an ad. It requires a deep understanding of a business, and that's why I definitely try and use Scott and his team as much as possible.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

Our yearly spend is probably somewhere between $30,000 and $40,000.

When did the projects with Tanj begin, and are they ongoing?

We’ve been working together for about three years now.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics, metrics, or general feedback to show the success of a project?

Our most effective collaboration has probably been on a luxury home development in upstate New York. While the development was very nice, there was very little to distinguish it from hundreds of other similar sites. We worked together to build a vision and a story about why this development was unique.

The project has been extremely successful. Out of 26 lots, they sold 15 within a year, which is a lot better than many of their competitors. It's been featured in The New York Times, the New York Observer, and the Wall Street Journal. The story we crafted tapped into the zeitgeist of the times where people, especially in New York City the primary market, are very interested in locally sourced products, farm-to-table restaurants, and so on. All these things are very much a part of the culture of upstate New York, and we were very pleased with how the whole story came together. 

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

The number one thing, as I stated earlier, is their deep understanding of branding from a business perspective. In addition, Scott has a great manner for this business. He's very curious and adept at getting to the bottom of things. As you can imagine, in this environment half the challenge is being able to ask the tough questions and get answers out of the clients or stakeholders in order to get to the real essence of the problem. Scott is great at that. There are not many people who have the ability to mix the research and creative aspects of branding, as well as Scott does.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

No. My only regret is that we don't work with them more.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the VP Design of Chestnut

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Enterprise insurance software

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Tanj to accomplish?

• Company naming

SOLUTION

How did you find Tanj?

Referral

Why did you select Tanj over others?

• High ratings
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Tanj were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Our engagement started with discovery calls during which Tanj learned about our business and goals. They moved into a generative phase where they came up with many names using a powerful and intuitive framework for evaluating the proposed names. We went through a few rounds of this before doing more deep evaluation around URL and trademark viability. They then connected us with a trademark lawyer and domain broker at the end of the process.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Co-founder approval of the name

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

They were very responsive to our feedback and delivered high quality work according to the project timeline.

What was your primary form of communication with Tanj?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their level of taste and rigorous approach to a subjective challenge was impressive.

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

N/A