TUNGSTEN

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a holding company with four subsidiaries that all work within the dental insurance space.

What is your role at the company?

I am a senior strategy consultant responsible for strategic planning and business development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Tungsten Branding? 

A name needed to be created for a new IT [information technology] platform that we were beginning to build. The platform includes the claims processing system, customer interface, business analytics, and customer service modules.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

The scope of the project was to create a name, logo and tagline for the IT platform and bring about consensus for what we wanted an IT platform of the future to look like.

How did you come to work with Tungsten Branding?

We looked at three separate companies before choosing Tungsten. Phil's [Tungsten Branding founder and president Phil Davis] experience was visible on our first call, and it was no question to our team who we wanted to work with. 

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

It was between $20,000 and $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began the project in August 2014 with an on time completion date of November 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We have a name, logo and tagline for a system that we are continuing to build. Tungsten was able to provide us a timeless name that allows us greater flexibility for any possible changes made to the platform in the future. We will rehire Phil to help us create the names for different modules within the new system.

What distinguishes Tungsten Branding from other providers?

Tungsten set themselves apart from the rest on the first call. Phil understood and executed the attributes that we desired for the name in various and unique ways. Tungsten's due diligence process and ability to ask the right questions made them able to clearly articulate why they chose each name, tagline, and logo option they presented to us. With Phil's expertise, we were able to get a large group of stakeholders to come to a consensus with ease. He is a very fun person and makes the process interactive and very informative.

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve, or things you might do differently?

We have no constructive criticism. We have actually just signed another contract with Tungsten to rename one of our companies.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We develop, source, import, and sell sophisticated, artisanal non-alcoholic beverages. The beverages are delicious on their own but are nuanced enough to pair well with certain types of food.

What is your position?

I am the CEO and co-founder of the company along with my wife.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Tungsten Branding?

After incorporating, we tried for a couple of months to name the company on our own. We learned quickly that there's a difference between coming up with a name that sounds cool or interesting, versus a name that's effective in building your brand and bringing business to you. I did some research and looked for a naming agency to give us a hand in creating a name that would be effective for our business.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

The three main services provided by Tungsten were naming, tagline creation, and brand strategy.

Please describe Tungsten's naming process briefly.

I thought his process was unique and interesting. When you first approach Phil [Davis, CEO of Tungsten Branding], he interviews you, and he wants to see if you're ready to go through the naming process. From his perspective, in order to be ready to name your company, you need to have a very sharp focus on what your company is and what it does, so that he can create names that are specific to building on that identity.

Actually when I first approached him, he didn't feel that I was ready yet, that a tight focus had not yet been achieved, and he actually encouraged me to go back to work for a little bit to achieve that focus. I'm sure there's a lot of people that would have been just happy to take your money and get right to work, but he showed me a lot of professionalism and integrity when he asked me to go back and do a little bit more work before engaging his services.

We wanted a name that was novel, so we weren't looking for something that you could just pull out of the dictionary. We wanted to create a new name. But, even with that in mind, Phil takes you through a number of steps where he creates these concepts, and they're not necessarily, in the early rounds, intended to be the specific name that you'll use, but giving a concept of what your name could be. Some of them were very aggressive, very avant-garde even, and kind of edgy. Others were much more conservative.

Through the early process, he's trying to offer you that range of concepts, trying to determine if you're more comfortable with an edgy name or something more conservative. In the course of that process, we learned we were looking for something not conservative, but not something too far out there because we were dealing with consumer products. We also learned that we wanted a novel name, something that didn't exist before.

How did you come to work with Tungsten Branding?

We interviewed several firms, and they were all quite well known. Their prices ranged considerably, and their approaches were all very different. Every one of them had their strengths. How I found Phil was more indirect. I was going through the process of trying to name the company myself. Phil has written a number of articles that are available on the Internet about the naming process, and so I had read a few of his articles and even watched a video clip of him making a presentation to a group.

I was very impressed by his approach and his knowledge. He seemed to understand both the art and science of naming because it really is one part science and one part art. When I finally realized I wasn't going to be able to name our company myself, I circled back around to Tungsten because I was familiar with Phil's teachings and tutorials online. When we spoke, we really clicked, and he just seemed to get us and what we were trying to do.

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

In total, it was between $10,000 and $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted for about five months in 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The first name we chose ended up running into a copyright issue. Fortunately, we had done five or six final selections with Phil around different name concepts, so we had other names we could choose from. I think we're actually happier with the name we ended up with, as opposed to the one we chose at first.

The name, Delmosa, is a novel name. It kind of sounds familiar to people, but it's not a name they've encountered before. It's easy to pronounce. In almost no matter what language you speak, it rolls off the tongue. It sounds sophisticated and European, which is perfect for our target audience. It was right what we were looking for. We've found, in the course of our business so far, that people like the name, it is easy for them to spell and pronounce, and it sounds sophisticated and interesting to them. Many people ask us the origin of the name and that gives us a chance to explain how we came up with the name and its meaning to us.

What distinguishes Tungsten Branding from other providers?

The process of working with Phil was outstanding. He was always very responsive and always hit his timelines. He's got a great sense of humor, which is actually more important than you might think in a process like this. Working with Phil really took the pressure off us, and sharpened our overall vision for the company. I give Phil and Tungsten very high marks from both the standpoint of the services they offer and the fun of working with them.

Is there anything Tungsten Branding could have improved or done differently?

At first, we thought it was a weakness that Phil had very little experience in the food and beverage industry, which meant there was a learning curve as he caught up with industry concepts and jargon. Ultimately, however, I think that ended up being a positive for us because it meant he was able to come in with a fresh eye and position us in a unique way in the industry.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Trivanta is a commercial real estate advisory firm. We specialize in investment advisory and sales for retail and restaurant properties.

What is your position?

I'm one of the three principals in the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Tungsten Branding?

My two partners and were forming a new company out of a merger of our existing companies. A lot of people in our business just use the names of the partners, like law firms do. We wanted something that sounded a little more institutional, a little more like a brand and not just names. We went through a whole list of names on our own, and didn't find anything that really grabbed our imagination, which led us to call in the professionals.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

The scope of the work included a new name, a tagline, and assistance with the look and feel of our logo. In that sense, it was really a full branding project. Phil [Davis, founder of Tungsten Branding] did a great job giving us names, reasons, branding methodology and philosophies behind each choice, but we kept changing our minds and going in different directions. I would say we were challenging as a customer, if for no other reason than we were three new partners who were just starting to learn to work together. Finally, we narrowed it down to five names, and we picked one.

We went with that name for a couple months, and then after branding the company and going to some meetings and conferences, we came back and changed the name again. That initial name sounded great at first but, ultimately, it was focused too narrowly on one portion of our business. We found out very quickly that it was defining us too narrowly, and we were having to explain our way out of it in meetings. We ended up going with another of the names Phil came up with for us. Tungsten was phenomenal in how they went about this "renaming" process of their original work. They made it clear that the project wasn't over until we were completely satisfied.

How did you come to work with Tungsten Branding?

We did some research on branding and naming, and we found Phil on the Internet. We read some of his articles, called him, and talked to him about what we were trying to accomplish. We liked what he had to say, so we engaged him.

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

It was around $15,000.

What was the timeline of the project?

We wanted to do something quickly – within weeks. We started working with Phil in early December [2014], and we had the company named by mid to late January [2015], so 45 or 60 days total. It took longer than we wanted, but that was because we couldn't settle on a name quickly enough.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What have been the results of the project?

The results have been great. The company is growing quickly, and everyone is happy with Trivanta as a name. As I mentioned it's very different from the majority of our competitors. It sounds very private "equity-ish" and institutional, and helps us contend for deals against larger firms. We feel that it gives a customer a real sense of security.

What distinguishes Tungsten Branding from other providers?

I think Tungsten Branding's methodology for finding out who we were and what we wanted to accomplish was something unique. He had very detailed homework for us before he could even start. He sent us a long list of questions so he could understand the message we wanted to convey, who our customer was, and what we wanted our name to evoke. The due diligence they did at the beginning paid dividends throughout the entirety of the project. When he sent us the name options, he had a very good description on why he did that, and what each name was supposed to evoke, what it means, as well as a sample logo. It gave it a whole sense of feel and flair, so you could really visualize it more than just sending us a list of names.

Is there anything Tungsten Branding could have improved or done differently?

No. Phil was very good at keeping us on track for our deadlines. He never made us feel pushed, he never annoyed us, and never made us feel like we were being unreasonable. Even when we came back after a month and changed the name, he only charged a very small amount for acquiring the domain name. I would recommend him to just about anybody.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Sales Director Commercial Flooring of REGUPOL Germany GmbH & Co. KG

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

we produce Innovative solutions for sports, acoustics, load securing, commercial and construction all out of recycled Rubber.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Brand development, Naming convention

SOLUTION

How did you find TUNGSTEN?

Online Search

Why did you select TUNGSTEN over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from TUNGSTEN were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Brand Name Development

● Researching, concepting, and development of potential naming candidates

Prioritize naming candidates that clear the 2-step filter process
● Creation of example taglines for supporting context of each naming candidate
● Creation of a rationale statement for each naming candidate, explaining how the name could be utilized and strategically positioned in the client's industry
● Reporting on the domain name availability of each naming candidate; e.g. available, secured, expiring soon, for sale, etc.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

finding a global name for our new product that all involved parties agree to

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

TUNGSTEN delivered great results on time in a very constructive, motivated, and personal way. Truly a 5-star company with great people.

What was your primary form of communication with TUNGSTEN?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

the professionalism

the creativity

the personal connection with both Gentlemen from Tungsten

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

no, all was really great and professionally handled.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President of Ameritas College

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a college expanding from serving the Tri-State area to serve students across the country and around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Rename the college to reflect our bigger mission.

SOLUTION

How did you find TUNGSTEN?

Referral

Why did you select TUNGSTEN over others?

• High ratings
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from TUNGSTEN were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Assist the college in developing a new name and related branding language.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Arriving at a name that met our needs.

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

Yes, they were very responsive and patient!

What was your primary form of communication with TUNGSTEN?

Virtual Meeting

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

They really understood our mission and immediately developed a rapport. 

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

No. I was very satisfied!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Investment Professional of a financial services company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Lower middle market private equity firm

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Firm name

SOLUTION

How did you find TUNGSTEN?

Referral

Why did you select TUNGSTEN over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from TUNGSTEN were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Tungsten was responsible for providing potential name options aligned with our criteria and also passed initial trademark / domain screens

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Phil and Blake were able to provide us with 25+ name options and we chose one that they originated

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

Extremely responsive and timely

What was your primary form of communication with TUNGSTEN?

Virtual Meeting

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

We were impressed with their ability to quickly understand our criteria and business, attention to detail, responsiveness

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

NA

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Finance Manager of The Bread of Life, Inc.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a free community kitchen serving daily hot meals to those who live in Transylvania County, NC...no questions asked.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Creat a new logo
• Create a tag line
• capture the spirit of our non-profit i both the logo & tag line

SOLUTION

How did you find TUNGSTEN?

• They are located in our city and we knew them.

Why did you select TUNGSTEN over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• We were ready for this refresh and they were eager to work with us.

How many teammates from TUNGSTEN were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We needed a logo refresh. Tungsten walked us through every step to a beautiful logo and coloration that captured the spirit of our non-profit. At each step we were given multiple choices of logo design with rationales and color palettes. They demonstrated how the logos would look for various applications. Once we chose the logo and color palette they created an array of taglines grouped by "inspirational", "mission oriented", "declarative", etc.
They described the importance of branding and how using a tagline correctly is a powerful tool for an organization. They brilliantly took us from "who are we?" to "this is who we are".

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They delivered a beautiful logo and tagline that we loved that has had a lot of positive feedback.

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

• They were a dream to work with.
• They delivered choices on time and worked with our schedule.
• They listened and responded with revisions quickly.
• They were very responsive to questions and kept the project moving in a timely manner.

We couldn't have asked for a more professional and friendly working relationship.

What was your primary form of communication with TUNGSTEN?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

• Their creativity
• ease of working with them
• their listening skills
• their responsiveness
• their clarity in explaining the importance of branding
• the perfect deliverables
• even though we are a small organization, they treated us like we were the most important client they had.

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

Not one thing. They are a first-rate company in every way.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Project Manager of Kaleido Creative Studio

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

NICHE-BASED MARKETING FOR FINANCIAL ADVISORS

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Naming
• Logo
• Branding

SOLUTION

How did you find TUNGSTEN?

Clutch Site

Why did you select TUNGSTEN over others?

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

What was the size of TUNGSTEN’s team?

6-10 Employees

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

Tungsten helped us come up with a name, logo, and branding for our new program.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Name Selected
• Logo Selected
• Branding Completed

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

They delivered all projects on time and exceeded our expectations. They were very organized and presented everything very professionally over a virtual meeting. We really liked their process.

What was your primary form of communication with TUNGSTEN?

Virtual Meeting

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

Their ability to come up with unique names. We were amazed and all the options they provided and liked many of them.

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

No. We really liked their process, and it worked well.