Tanj

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the vice president of marketing and digital for a classic movie company. We show films from the 30s, 40s, and 50s, as well as more contemporary films. 

We have programming collections, franchises within the company, and events such as a classic film festival in Hollywood every year with the exception of the last two years due to the environment. We have a new podcast as well which just launched this past April.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

Tanj has consistently been our go-to agency for naming conventions, particularly titles of either elements of our brands like sub-brands. 

Most recently, they named our podcast, coming up with not just one name but several, of different styles and formats.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The engagement started with ideation between our teams, so we spent a lot of time sharing with Tanj what we were looking to do. They had a lot of great questions, and pushed back and wanted us to tell them more about the format, the season lengths, the subsequent seasons, and whether we were looking to keep the same theme throughout several seasons. They really dug deep into asking us and understanding what we were trying to do.

From that ideation, we then provided them with the story art, as well as the background interviews with all of our information and research. They took all of that information and came back to us with several rounds of names and loglines for the podcast. From the work that they did, we actually then expanded the work with them into two different titles of our podcast. 

While we are responsible at the end of the day for the trademark searches and loglines and tags and so forth, they actually do a little bit of preliminary work. Tanj keeps the legal side in mind so we aren’t getting ideas that we are excited about, only to find out it’s been used by other companies. 

What is the team composition?

I work with three people consistently. I know they have a bigger team behind that, but our presentations from them consisted of three or four people.

There definitely was a manager of the project and I would say the other people are industry creatives. It was a nice sized team to work with. 

How did you come to work with Tanj?

My boss had worked with Tanj in the past on a project about a year before I started, and she suggested them when we had a project come up. 

While we did have another couple of folks in mind we were going to speak with, Tanj came so highly recommended to me. As soon as I started working with them, I just knew that was who I wanted to work with. There wasn’t any kind of RFP; they just fit so quickly.

How much have you invested in them?

It was between $25,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them on the podcast project in September 2019, and it wrapped up by December 2019. After they completed everything we had to do some legal trademarking on our side, but they stayed in touch with us to make sure that everything was moving smoothly. It was about a four-month project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

For our first podcast, it was wildly successful. We saw in excess of 1,000,000 downloads. It was number one in Apple’s New and Noteworthy section on the Apple Store. It was consistently in the top 10 for over a month in Apple’s Film and Television category for podcasts. The podcast did really well and it is still being downloaded. It has done extraordinarily well.

I’ve done multiple projects with Tanj now and I really like their process. They generate a ton of ideas, which are broken into different categories and patterns.I f we want to generate certain emotions, there would be titles for that, or if we wanted to generate another set of calls to action and emotions and convey other things, they had suggestions for that. 

It isn’t just a set of names; it is really a well thought out plan to go through. From that list, we work with them and then narrow it down to a much tighter list. They then come back again with more ideas around that tighter list. We then narrow it down to the final one. In every project I have done with them, we have used the work that they have done.

They genuinely enjoy working with our brand and I think that is because they love classic movies and they like our brand and what we stand for. That shows in the work that they do.

How did Tanj perform from a project management standpoint?

Tanj was great. They are as professional as any great agency I have worked with is. Their follow up at doing what they say they’re going to do, meeting deadlines, and their presentations are crisp, rehearsed, and efficient. 

There were several times where we were a little bit stuck on our side where I owed them feedback, and they were always very patient. That’s the type of partner in an agency and brand relationship that really is helpful, because they understood all of the things we were doing. 

We understood we were not their only client, and they had a ton of things happening on their end too. It was just a really good and professional relationship in terms of working with each other on deliverables and timelines and making sure that everything kept moving.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Tanj really understood our brand. They really listened to what we were looking for, and they came back with unique and different solutions. They generated ideas that really resonated with what we briefed them on for the project and what we were looking for. 

We could have gone with multiple titles that Tanj suggested, but we never felt overwhelmed by the choices. The way they were presented gave us an opportunity to immediately say which ones were risky or too safe. There was a whole portfolio within the area we wanted to stay. It’s nice to work with an agency that listens and really authentically wants to do this work for our brand.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had a really enjoyable start to finish experience with Tanj. I can’t think of anything. Tanj was really a pleasure to work with and they are my first call for this type of project when it falls into their expertise; that is who I want to work with. I really don’t have any negative feedback whatsoever.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very clear about what you are looking for because that is where you are not only going to have the most success with the ideation and the output from them, but it is also going to create a lot of efficiencies and with time and resources. 

I would also add that we gave them a ton of background, so don’t be afraid to share every piece of research and internal notes with them, because they’re your partners in this.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

People Focus Consulting is a global organizational development company. In terms of services, we provide leadership and professional skills development training as well as executive coaching and business transformation services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

We didn’t have a strong brand and that created the problem of clients having a negative impression of the company. We weren’t taking advantage of the ability to develop business through the brand online and offline.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tanj rebuilt our brand, so that included content as well as the look and feel. They lead the discovery phase during which their team interviewed us and looked at all of our assets. They created recommendations from that phase. Their team built a brand messaging platform and messaging. During the last phase, they put together the deliverables: an English and Japanese website, and core marketing collateral such as our company overview and services catalogs. They redesigned the website and its graphic elements show up in our printed materials and building signage.

What is the team composition?

Scott (Founder & Managing Director) was our main contact. There were a couple of people on the copywriting team. We also directly worked with a web person.

How did you come to work with Tanj?

I knew Scott through a mutual contact. When we needed to update the brand, we reached out to a couple of companies. As I saw Scott’s work before, I insisted that we ask him for a proposal. Everyone on my team was impressed by his proposal and him.

How much have you invested with them?

Altogether, the project cost about $70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in July 2014 and roughly ended in May 2015. Scott pitched a 3–4 months-long project. For reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with Tanj, the project took a lot longer than it was scheduled.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Our web traffic increased, particularly on the Japanese side, where we focused our SEO measures. Client inquiries through the website increased too. We also started to see new inquiries from clients in new locations. 

We heard from a number of our clients that they loved the new brand. It actually speaks to them, which is exactly what we wanted. Our team's happier with the new brand than the old one.

I’m most happy about the link between the messaging platform and our ability to win new business. We use the documents that Tanj built for us to tailor our pitches to different clients. When clients give feedback, we hear how much they liked certain aspects of the pitch.

How did Tanj perform from a project management standpoint?

In a word, it was easy. Scott made the process smooth and efficient by bringing people on board when needed and allowing us to work directly through him. Their team was responsive, professional, and flexible.  We also liked that Tanj was willing to iterate with us.

It’s not easy for any company to work across cultures. Tanj had to not only work within different cultures but also create deliverables in two languages. Even though they had the same intent, it’s challenging to package deliverables for two different audiences.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One impressive aspect of working with Tanj was the quality of their work. When we worked with Tanj, we knew what we did, how we did it, and what differentiated us. However, we couldn’t articulate those ideas. The discovery phase gave us clarity. Their team helped us articulate what we wanted to tell the market. When we tell that to clients, they now nod their heads saying it’s what they want.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. They were a great partner for us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is fairly generic, but spend time up front talking with the Tanj team to ensure it’s a good fit. Make sure their team has the capabilities that you need, especially working across cultural and language boundaries.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're an enterprise software company that provides technology to banks, brokerages, hedge funds and financial technology companies all around the world, specifically in capital markets. I'm the co-founder and CEO of the firm, started the business about eight and a half years ago.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

When my partner and I started the business eight and a half years ago, the name of the company was the same as the name of our sole product. And over the past three years, we've become a multi-product company.

So we really wanted to rebrand the company and kind of reintroduce our company to the world as a portfolio company and not just a single product company. We struggled with our identity as a company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They guided us through the naming process. They interviewed key stakeholders to learn more about the business. They focused on learning about the intangibles, like how our customers think of us and what we think about ourselves.

After those interviews, they educated leadership and our marketing team on how naming works and how to construct names. Then they provided us with different options so we could give them feedback and narrow down what we wanted from the name itself. We went through several rounds like that, and they helped with trademark research and the legalities surrounding the name.

What is the team composition?

Scott led the engagement, but we worked with two of his colleagues as well. They were really helpful throughout the process and they each played a different role.

How did you come to work with Tanj?

I’ve worked with Tanj twice before at a previous company, so I’m a returning customer. There was no question in my mind that they were the right folks.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from December 2019–February 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Once the name was established, we took some time to build out the new logo, create a design aesthetic, and redesign the website. So we just launched the new brand last month. Since we announced it, the reception has been fantastic. It did exactly what we were hoping for, which was to retell our story. So it’s been a successful project from our standpoint.

How did Tanj perform from a project management standpoint?

Generally, we had meetings over video conference, and all three of them would be online.

They’re super responsive and well-organized. Even how they run meetings and feedback sessions is very thoughtful. We certainly haven’t had any issues here, and it mirrors the experience I’ve had in the past.

They offered to come down in-person but we chose to do it over video and it worked fine.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The process of coming up with a new name and brand identity is really two parts. First, it’s coming up with different options. Then, it’s acting as an organizational therapist, bringing in a group of stakeholders, and coming to a group agreement on what the new name will be. They do a really good job making sure the whole team feels like they’re part of the process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be brutally honest and open with them. Involve them in the internal discussions and allow them to speak with a wide variety of stakeholders, including employees, customers, and partners. Be open and committed to the process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a principal for a global consulting firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

My department was developing a new platform. We needed a name for the platform that would play to our marketing and convey the message of our practice.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tanj led a naming process to name our client-facing platform. Their team started by collecting information about the tool, its functionalities, our marketing and target audiences, and other important factors. They also investigated how we differentiate ourselves from our competitors and what similar tools are named. 

Tanj then walked us through a structured process that put parameters around how we would select a name. They asked us our preferences on an abstract name as opposed to a name with an existing meaning. After we had a brainstorming session with our senior leadership, Tanj came back to us with a list of 15 names with branding and meaning attached to each. Our leadership team whittled it down to 3–5 we liked best, collected input from other stakeholders, and then landed on a name.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Scott (Founder & Managing Director, Tanj) and two more people.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $35,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from March until May 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

It’s been a completely seamless transition in rolling out the platform and renaming it. The name we settled on has been key to our branding and messaging. When we do demos, people connect with the story behind the name. We haven’t seen any negative reactions so far.

How did Tanj perform from a project management standpoint?

Tanj always delivered on time and within budget. Their communication was direct and succinct, and they were always easy to talk to. They also were willing to turn around last-minute requests quickly. For example, after Tanj presented us with the list of names, we asked them to write copy with each name to get stakeholder input. They supplied us with the copy fast, which we appreciated.

We communicated primarily over email, where we’d share slide decks and information to form the foundation of their research. Their team used PowerPoints to present name options to us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I've never worked with a naming consultancy so it's hard for me to compare. However, I enjoyed the structured approach that Tanj imposed on the naming process, which otherwise can be such a broad thing. Their team framed the steps in a way that our less marketing-savvy stakeholders could contribute to. 

Tanj also really listened to our needs and translated our ideas into what they built. We’re thrilled with their communication style and the ultimate delivery of the names.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing really comes to mind. 

Any advice for potential customers?

If you want Tanj to be effective you need to prepare your side with information. We didn’t know that we needed to provide things like marketing messages, copy, and other materials in advance. Once we did, it was easy to collect the materials, but I’d advise any team to do that in advance. In fact, I gave this advice to another team at my company that just started working with Tanj.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the lead designer for Notability, one of our two products at Ginger Labs. We have another product called Twobird.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

We needed them to help us create a name for Twobird.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We held an initial meeting to discuss the branding talks we’d already held in-house and to align our ideas on the brand. That gave them insight into what we wanted, and they then proposed a four-week delivery schedule.

They sent us name ideas every week and we emailed them feedback from our team members. If they needed more feedback, we’d discuss it on a call. Each week, they’d send us fewer names as we got closer to making a decision. In the end, some of our team members still weren’t sure about the name, so they extended their engagement window to ensure we had something we liked. They mocked up some names with graphic designs such as an app interface and advertisements.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Scott (Founder and Managing Director, Tanj) along with two other team members. Scott was the project manager, ensuring everybody’s ideas were aligned with our goals. He was our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Tanj?

I’d worked with a creative director at a different agency and I reached out to him for branding recommendations. He introduced us to another creative director, who in turn referred us to Scott.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from July – August 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We had no idea what people would think of our new name, but we make our stakeholders happy.

Tanj asked good questions to help determine what we wanted. There are no other names like ours in the app store, so it was easy to distinguish ourselves.

How did Tanj perform from a project management standpoint?

We didn't expect such a large main pool of names—there were between 50 and 100 in the first round. They delivered more than we asked for and we were surprised that they could come up with so many in such a short time. The way they presented their work was very thorough and they always provided us with reasons why they made the decisions they did, such as linguistic aspects.

They were good at handling our opinions. We communicated through email in addition to our weekly feedback calls. We’re very satisfied with their workflow.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They set a good tone of what to expect given that it was our first time working with a creative agency. They certainly set the bar high. Their presentation was professional and well thought out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We gave them a single feedback document that included input from each of our engineers. We should have worked that into a single voice. Our feedback was not concise enough, which made it hard for them to understand.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a former marketing strategy consultant at a software development firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

The client was a product-driven company with a SaaS platform as its main product. However, from a market-facing perspective, they had no product architecture or messaging strategy. Their messaging was often inwardly-focused and overly technical, which didn’t translate to the market.

I reached out to Tanj about creating a product brand portfolio with some messaging framework to build a sales narrative.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tanj first sent a proposal as to how they would go about our product segments. The plan spanned about 60–90 days maximum. Once the client approved, we kicked off the project.

Tanj organized the client’s go-to-market audience portfolio by audience typology. Their team rationalized the product organization and service experience based on the buyer types. My client lacked an organized hierarchy of to whom they were selling their product and the value proposition for each segment. 

Scott (Founder & Managing Director, Tanj) and his team helped us create an organizing principle behind the product offering based on the market need. They identified five audiences and named those categories. We then mapped levers for each product and service and created narratives for each audience. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with primarily Scott and 1–2 other people. Scott worked with me and the client’s CEO.

How did you come to work with Tanj?

I had worked with Tanj in past positions and seen their effectiveness firsthand. They had substantial experience working with tech companies—both startups and large enterprises—and had an appealing portfolio. When I identified the need for a rationalization of my client’s product portfolio, I reached out to Scott because he’s one of the best people in the industry for this kind of project.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $25,000–$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from March until June 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The rationalization project was only one part of rearchitecting the client’s market presence, so it hasn’t launched visibly just yet. However, my client was quite happy with the work that Tanj provided.

How did Tanj perform from a project management standpoint?

The work plan that Tanj created in the beginning was comprehensive and precise. We followed its elements from start to finish, and the workflow went very smoothly. Tanj’s processes and methods were tight and well-managed. They consistently led thoughtful meetings and conference calls. Tanj was also always on top of deadlines and often delivered in advance, leaving time to make corrections and edits as we requested them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Tanj is small enough to dig into a client’s project and intimately understand their business challenge. They can tailor their service to each client and never take on more projects than they can handle. That way, Scott can be intimately involved in each project. Their team is also incredibly thoughtful, providing a lot of insight backed up with facts and information in each meeting. Their service levels are outstanding and add a lot of value to every project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to the top of my head. Everybody has areas in which they can do better, but I can’t think of anything specific that Tanj can improve.

Any advice for potential customers?

Tanj specializes in language and words and their power in crafting a market-facing product. If you’re looking to repackage a product or company with verbal branding, go to Scott, not a general branding agency.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of European marketing operations for a proptech company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

We were looking to name and rename a couple of products.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We engaged Tanj to name a new product that we’ve brought onto the market.

When we initially spoke, we created a briefing that gave an overview of our brand vision, our strategy, our tone of voice, what the product does, and what makes it unique. We then held a discussion with our key stakeholders, including our CEO. We also worked on understanding our audience and why they would care about our brand.

They asked us for key information about our key features and any information we might have in terms of product collateral and new features we’re adding.

We held an exercise about who our main competitors were and also identified some of the individuals in this space that were aspirational for us in terms of naming.

On the naming side, they tried to get a sense of the tone and style within our company. They took us through a process of what types of names we were open to, what type of message we wanted to communicate in the name, how we wanted to present our company through the name, and how we wanted the name to align with other existing product names within our company.

We did another strategy call and within the call, they provided some initial names and then we had an iteration and discussion. They went ahead and did the full-on name development in a pitch format.

For part of the naming process, they were supposed to check first-level availability of those names for trademarking. They were also going to check the language to see if there were any anomalies or any quirky things that we should be aware of when moving from one region to another.

We’re looking at engaging them for a brand refresh soon. They’re now working on another product naming for us.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two people. Scott (Founder & Managing Director, Tanj) was our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Tanj?

We reached out to individuals through references from some of our investors. I sourced 3–4 others through Clutch and through people in the industry. We reached out to about six firms in total with briefings and held scoping calls. Tanj was one of the top three and we chose them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $25,000-$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2019 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The process was relatively seamless. They had a very structured approach, which we needed, and they met our expectations.

When we reached out to our attorney, there were still a lot of trademark issues with all of the names. It was a matter of risk that we were willing to take to go with the names we chose. The first name, which we really wanted to go with, was identified as vetted, but we couldn’t because there was too much risk. The second name, which we chose, also had some risk, but we decided to go ahead with it.

Acceptance was difficult at first, but now everyone likes the name and it resonates both internally and externally. We’re quite happy with it.

How did Tanj perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is very good. I have no complaints. They provided the combination of structure, flexibility, creativity, and experience needed to deliver on our projects. We communicate via Zoom or email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Scott is very personable. He knows his stuff and he knows how to reach individuals. We have some strong characters within our leadership team. He was able to help set expectations and guide them appropriately upfront. They have a structured approach that allows for flexibility, which is the key reason we continue to engage with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing that needs to be improved.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s good to have a structured brief when you first start engaging with them. If you don’t, be advised that they will ask you most of the key issues that need to be in that structured briefing. If you don’t come to them with information about the tone of voice and the brand narrative and understanding of your USPs and your target market, those are key things that they will ask you about.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of communication at Beyond Celiac, a national foundation for Celiac awareness. We’re the largest patient advocacy organization in the country for Celiac disease, driving research for treatments and a cure beyond the gluten-free diet.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

We decided to change our name because we knew for a long time that it was problematic. It had too many words that were too tough to remember. Our social media handles weren’t aligned with our name.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They talked with us about what our desires were, what we want our name to convey, and who our audiences were. They did a lot of fact-finding upfront and went off and worked their magic.

They came up with a long list of names that we vetted with our internal committee first. We gave them feedback and they honed the list based on that conversation. They then walked our internal team through it and answered any questions before we decided we needed to get more buy-in from stakeholders.

I created a SurveyMonkey survey and organized a phone call. I had my board member on the call and I walked the board people through the Tanj slide deck of name choices to get their feedback. It took some effort to get the board to buy in because some members thought it sounded a little too much like a campaign rather than a name. We used the name for all our social media channels, which was part of the consideration in picking the name.

We worked with them two additional times. We created a patient registry that needed its own name. We met and discussed what the goals of the registry were, who the target audience is, and what feelings we wanted to convey. They came back with a number of options. Through an iterative process back and forth, we came up with the name for the patient registry.

In the most recent round of working with Tanj, we wanted to change our tagline. They gave us a slate of choices with the feelings behind them. They gave the option and explained what it means and what feeling they hope people will take away. We picked one and it was resonant with the leadership of the organization when we were finally at a point, we could roll it out.

What is the team composition?

My point of contact has been Scott (Founder & Managing Director, Tanj), who was on all the calls.

How did you come to work with Tanj?

We had a board member who had worked with Tanj in the past. Working with a firm that had a known track record gave our board more confidence in the options we were going to put forward for the final choice. Part of the driving factor was that the organization had known for a long time it needed to change its name, but couldn’t decide because it wasn’t confident in any of the choices that had come up.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $10,000–$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March 2015–September 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

At first, people found the name to be unsettling, but once they thought about it for a minute, they loved it. Our name shows we drive research for treatments beyond the gluten-free diet and ultimately a cure. We’re going beyond Celiac. I’m thrilled with the name. They know what they’re doing.

How did Tanj perform from a project management standpoint?

They always brought great care and brought the A-team to our work. They were always on time with their deliverables. If anything came up, they were always good about communicating where they were in the process and if they needed more time.

I always felt we were important to them and that they were always on the job. I felt very valued as a client. We communicated via phone calls and emails. The meetings were all conference calls and they’d send a slide deck over beforehand and I’d share it with the team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They took the time to really get to know us and know the point. They came out with a much clearer understanding of Celiac Disease and the challenges that people face. They really listened to us when we said it’s a serious disease and we’re not defined by our treatment.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing I’d have them improve. Perhaps they could bring creative women to round out their team to bring a different vibe to the work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make it a priority. You’re paying real money for a real service. Take it seriously and give it the time it deserves.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former brand manager for the National Football League (NFL), a professional sports organization that promotes American football.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

We were looking to name a new app that would serve as a single source of information and ticketing across all our annual events. We engaged Tanj for their naming services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We first sent Tanj the brief for our project. Their team then developed a list of questions for the department that oversees products supporting fan engagement and me. After the kick-off meeting, they sent over a first pass, which included an incredibly comprehensive strategy deck. 

Tanj researched the landscape of similar products and offerings to inform their thinking. They then provided three categories under which they assigned their suggested names. The groups were intuitive and made it incredibly easy to evaluate each name and provide direction on the second task.

I left the company before the second round of review started. I handed off my role to our creative director, who would be responsible for keeping the project going. Our side eventually settled on one of our recommendations from the first round.

What is the team composition?

Scott (Founder & Managing Director, Tanj) was our main point of contact throughout the process. We worked with three language specialists and linguists at a given time. I didn’t interact with these people as much; I trusted Scott to resource our project appropriately.

How did you come to work with Tanj?

I did a quick online search for agencies and only found a handful that specialized in naming. Tanj was well-reviewed. Once we had established a discrete project that we needed an agency for, I reached out to Scott and asked if he’d be interested in working with us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in February 2019 and wrapped up in May the same year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We were thrilled with the choices Tanj gave us. My supervisor and I were happy with the selections from the first round, but he went through the second round for more exploration. The final name was signed off by him and our executive team, who had approved the app’s development.

How did Tanj perform from a project management standpoint?

Tanj hit every deadline and stayed transparent about timelines. Their availability was also impressive; we could always huddle up and get on calls very quickly. Given the small scope of the project and the limited rounds of review, we didn’t need any software for our communication. We spoke over email and the phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Tanj went above and beyond in the amount of research they put in our naming. Their commitment to understanding our product’s landscape and helping guide our strategy was phenomenal. Their team laid out an incredibly intuitive process to come with the name for us. It was an extremely polished form of creative strategy development that I haven't experienced with other partners.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have no constructive feedback for anything Tanj should work on. They’re a small company, but they don’t act like one. Even though we were far from their only project and among the smaller scopes of work, they remained extremely available to us. Tanj did a fantastic job on this project.

Any advice for potential customers?

Be prepared to think expansively about linguistics. I found out to be an interesting and thoughtful process, and I learned a lot from Tanj’s team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and creative director of Poligrafik, a design agency. We mainly specialize in branding.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

I wanted to partner with someone for naming and strategy for my clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sometimes clients require me to do things that I don’t have the skills for, like naming and strategy, so I talk to Tanj first to see if they can help. All the times they’ve helped, it’s been a good experience. We collaborate at least once or twice a year.

Their scope of work can be for product naming, naming a specific offering they have, as well as strategy work. They have different approaches depending on the situation. The final goal of strategy can be brand guidelines, but it’s mainly to position the company to create visual assistance for a brand.

They normally start with an interview with the client to try to understand what the client is looking for. Then they do 3–5 reiterations for naming, starting with a larger list of names before going through the checks if those names are available or not. Three or four times, they have done it directly with my clients without my intervention. I trust their skillset.

Sometimes they work with me to come up with strategies and we present them to the client. They’ve also dealt directly with the client when it was better to do it that way. For example, when a larger client required a conference call, they had different people from around the world participating in the call. It became tricky with time, so Tanj dealt with the client without me being part of creating the strategy with them.

What is the team composition?

I talk directly to Scott (Founder & Managing Director, Tanj). He decides which people to bring on from his team and introduces them to me if necessary. Otherwise, I let him choose the people for a specific project.

How did you come to work with Tanj?

I knew Scott prior to finding Tanj, but we had lost contact. Someone else put me back in touch and I start working Tanj shortly thereafter.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $80,000–$120,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2012 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

I’ve had clients come back requiring more services from Tanj, which means they’ve done a good job. I never heard any complaints from my clients, and some of them have stayed in contact with Tanj directly for smaller projects after the initial introduction. They have a really good reputation. I’ve always had a good experience working with them.

How did Tanj perform from a project management standpoint?

They always deliver on time and are always very professional. I feel very comfortable with them talking directly to my clients. We use Hangouts, Skype, email, and phone calls. They’re very respectful and never try to overstep boundaries with my clients, which I had with other companies. They’re very on top of time management and the overall management of the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The amount of work they put into a project is impressive. I remember when we collaborated on a naming project, I was amazed that they came up with so many names. They don’t stop until they get it done.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I just want them to stay the way they are. They always make me look good with my clients.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Let them understand your business or what you’re doing. Let them dig into it and do their job without trying to tell them how to do it. Listen to what they have to say, especially when it comes to strategy and naming.