Tanj

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Oars, a marketing company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

We hired Tanj for their naming services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tanj helped us create a company name that delivered our message. We did multiple brand identity workshops. After we refined our messaging, they started working on our company name. 

What is the team composition?

I was mainly in touch with Scott (Founder & Managing Director) and Jill (Branding). Scott and Jill handled all project management tasks. 

How did you come to work with Tanj?

We found Tanj through Google and chose them because of their previous work. Moreover, their founders were knowledgeable during our Zoom calls. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $25,000 in this project. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement lasted from May–July 2024.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Tanj delivered exactly what we were looking for, and we were pleased to work with them. 

How did Tanj perform from a project management standpoint?

They communicated well with us and over-delivered. We used emails, phone calls, and Zoom meetings to communicate. 

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Jill was super helpful and knowledgeable, and her energy was amazing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were amazing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there weren’t any. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the senior director of marketing at a national upscale nonprofit program focused on helping overlooked talent land lucrative jobs in the tech industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

We were at an interesting point with our organization's brand. We had been around for a few years and were experiencing some early success. We knew a big part of what we needed to do was revamp our brand and reconnect with our customers. We needed to create a brand that was more customer-centric and customer-focused, which required a lot of research to know our customers better. We also needed support creating our brand messaging.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we provided Tanj with internal research we had done 1–2 years prior to our engagement. We also offered some intel and customer interviews, high-level brand guidelines, and previous work. We shared with Tanj what information and work about our company's foundational principles and our products to align with our brand. We knew these were questions we needed to answer for Tanj.

Tanj conducted robust market research where they interviewed our profile customers who weren't our actual customers. The team also interviewed users who started our recruitment process but didn't complete it to understand their reasons and spoke to our founders. Tanj conducted research to help us understand our audience and then developed our brand messaging and positioning to use in our marketing and target those audiences. 

What is the team composition?

Scott (Founder, Managing Director) was my main contact. We also worked with three other teammates, including the head of research and a writer. 

How did you come to work with Tanj?

I found Tanj through a recommendation by an investor of an agency I worked for. I didn't personally know the investor but had used his recommendations in the past. I looked at Tanj's website and reached out based on their work.
How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $120,000 on this project, which included the validation study, messaging, and positioning.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Tanj between August–December 2023.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Tanj's work was very impactful for our business. We saw an internal excitement for our brand, which is important for our employees' morale. Our previous messaging wasn't great, but now our internal team is excited, creating helpful energy for a startup. We're going through several changes as an organization, and the sophistication and level of deliverables Tanj provided were hugely helpful in increasing confidence internally. Additionally, Tanj's work was supported by research.

Moreover, we brought in other partners for this work, including a content agency and an influencer agency. Tanj provided us with all the necessary information regarding messaging decks, which made our organization quicker to ramp up and be more successful with other partners. 

We launched a new brand design with an agency recommended by Tanj in January 2024. Our site's bounce rate decreased, and we also saw a higher acquisition propensity among users who want to apply to our program. 

How did Tanj perform from a project management standpoint?

Tanj was gracious to make up for the time when we were moving slowly. The team was flexible and aware of the project's timeline, ensuring we stayed on track. Tanj stuck to timelines and was incredibly clear about the project's progress. 

Tanj communicated clearly, and I was always aware of the project status and requirements. We used Basecamp for project management. Tanj was one of the few agencies I've worked with that was very clear about their capabilities, the deliverables of the project, and the timeline. 

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

I want to highlight Scott's work. I was very impressed by how involved he was in the project and how he communicated with us. Tanj's work was about helping customers clarify what we were trying to say, but I also received clarity from the team. Clarity was part of Scott's personality, and he helped have a smooth process because he was clear from the beginning and throughout the project. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Tanj was kind but firm, which was a hard balance to strike. From a project management perspective, the team was flexible but didn't push work when we missed deadlines on our end. Tanj managed the project in a way that always felt very positive and productive. Tanj steered us in the right direction in an understanding way but also firmly without going outside of their process. Tanj's project management was productive and gratifying for both parties.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

Our project with Tanj required a lot of research and iterations of presentations. The process and organization of internal deliverables could improve because I found myself going back through my email, searching for each email to find specific files or work. It would be great if Tanj created a unique folder or platform for deliverables. 

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Tanj is an expensive team and represents an investment for customers. I recommend preparing the customers' executive team or the necessary team to ensure they understand the value they'll get from working with Tanj. I suggest having some previous work with the customers' executive team to let them know the value the company will get. 

Tanj can help explain work that will be a large-budget item. We're a nonprofit organization, and this project was a big jump for us because of our tight budget, but our entire team knows it was completely worth it. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an AI company. We use AI and apply it to productivity platforms.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

We needed a name for our company to put out into the world that reflected our brand vision. We had a very distinct vision for how we wanted our company to look and feel, so we wanted to hire a serious naming agency to achieve that. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tanj helped us with our naming. The process included stakeholder interviews, which was very simple because we didn’t have many stakeholders. Through this process, we outlined a pretty general strategy and then went a bit deeper into it until we had a really specific strategy.

For this project, we only focused on our naming. However, Tanj made it very clear that they were also available for copywriting and other language-related projects we could have. Still, other services weren’t necessary at this time.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Scott (Founder & Managing Director), Sophocles (Freelance Brand Namer & Strategist), and another person who was present in one of our meetings.

How did you come to work with Tanj?

We found them through research. Tanj was very well-reviewed, and we had heard a lot about them in the industry, so I contacted them and met with them. They were great, so I decided to hire them.

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 2023. It was a one-month project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Tanj was able to come up with a name that was consistent with our brand vision. In our minds, we had a clear idea of how we wanted our brand to sound and feel, so we tried our hardest to explain our limited vision to them. The team translated our input really well and came up with a name that matched our idea.

How did Tanj perform from a project management standpoint?

Tanj was highly responsive and delivered everything on time. To date, I can still email Scott to ask him for advice.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Tanj’s attention to detail was outstanding. They were extremely detailed in their work and research and left no stone unturned.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was nothing Tanj could have improved on. Although I wish their price had been lower, it was consistent with the industry.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and co-founder of Swoops. We’re building a fantasy sports product where our users own the players.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

When we started, we needed someone to help us come up with the name.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially had a kickoff meeting where we discussed the goals and what we wanted to do. Tanj gave us a survey to understand who we were. From there, we had three more meetings. The first one was a deeper dive into our business to collect more information. In the next meeting, they gave us a list of name suggestions, and the fourth meeting was to hone in on the final name.

Additionally, they interviewed my co-founder and me as the primary stakeholders. They had to understand the emotions and feelings we were trying to convey. Tanj structured the whole process around that. For example, some of our themes were strategy names and futurism, so they suggested names for those topics.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 5–6 teammates from their side. Scott (Founder & Managing Director) was on every call.

How did you come to work with Tanj?

We reached out to them because my co-founder worked on a previous project with their team. They were happy with Tanj’s work, so we decided to engage them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in February 2022, and our engagement lasted six weeks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Many of our users loved the name; it’s easy to understand and pronounce.

How did Tanj perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was excellent. They were on top of things, and the team was organized and good at explaining the process. They were also responsive and good at listening. We communicated over phone calls, Zoom, and emails.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were great at collecting our thoughts and understanding the themes behind our business to craft the name.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they were great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Think deeply about your business from a brand perspective and come in with those notes.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Treewalk, an accounting firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

We wanted to rename our firm.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

To start off the project, Tanj interviewed us in order to understand our company and competition better. After that, they presented a bunch of names and explained each of them thematically. We chose the ones we liked the most, and they used those as a basis to come up with new names that were more associated with the themes we wanted.
 
What is the team composition?

We worked with 2–3 people from their team, including Scott (Founder & Managing Director) and Jill (Director).

How did you come to work with Tanj?

We found them through Clutch.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together on this project from October–November 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We loved the name that Tanj came up with, and we’ve been using it since then. We also noticed improvements in brand awareness and engagement and received positive feedback about our new name.

How did Tanj perform from a project management standpoint?

They met all deadlines, stayed on budget, and communicated effectively. We contacted them through phone and video calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed with the simplicity and clarity of their process. Also, Scott was very helpful throughout.

Are there any areas they could improve on?

No, they executed the project exactly the way we expected, and we did not encounter any problems. Overall, they were great to work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the principal and founder of a brand strategy firm called Highland Insights.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

We hired them to come up with a new name for one of our clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In the beginning, we gave Tanj a bunch of materials about the background of our company and held meetings to discuss what we were trying to achieve. From there, they started with the naming process and eventually came up with a number of new names for us to choose from. They also helped us with trademarking.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two people from their side, including Scott (Founder & Managing Director).

How did you come to work with Tanj?

It was through a recommendation.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $15,000–$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together on this project from November 2021–February 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Tanj successfully helped us come up with a solid new brand name for our client. Overall, we were very satisfied with their work.

How did Tanj perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered everything on time and within budget. For communication, we used email and Zoom. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed with their naming process — their team took into account different perspectives in coming up with the right brand name.

Are there any areas they could improve on?

I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend working with Tanj. They were great to work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Together, a full-service digital agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

We wanted to invent the brand of a fintech project we were collaborating on, including its visual identity, strategy, and naming.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tanj provided branding services for us. Their team helped us create our project's image, voice, and UX from scratch. They were also responsible for naming the brand and working with my team to develop the strategy and other collateral, including web and product experience.

Tanj's' team led a comprehensive process and had interesting ways to define a name through a rigorous and psychological take to ensure how potential clients would perceive our brand. In addition, their team went through all the legal processes to ensure that our brand name could be used and protected.

What is the team composition?

For this project, we worked with Scott (CEO) and two other members of their team.

How did you come to work with Tanj?

We conducted interviews with several naming agencies, but Tanj was the most impressive and appropriate for our fintech-oriented project. Additionally, we've' been working with Tanj on other tasks and were happy with their involvement.

How much money have you invested in this partnership?

We spent $10,000–$50,000 with them on this task.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February–May 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Tanj’s branding work was essential for having more than one successful fundraising round for our project.

How did Tanj perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was perfect; they were diligent and always had clear milestones. In terms of communication, they always kept us informed and updated through Slack and Google Suite.

What did you find most impressive about them?

All their work was great, but their ability to walk us through the whole process was outstanding. This task was complicated to understand, but Tanj’s team led us masterfully throughout the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on — we were delighted with how they conducted everything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Stay engaged with the process and be clear and thoughtful with the feedback you give them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of global marketing at Carbitex; we’re a B2B company focused on advanced material technologies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

The names of our carbon fiber and other composites products had confusing names, so we wanted an easier way for our customers to identify and remember them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Tanj helped us rename three of our core products with something that would be easy to remember and speak specifically to the function of our technology, which is flexibility.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three members of their team, including Scott (Founder).

How did you come to work with Tanj?

Someone referred them to us.

How much money have you invested in this partnership?

We spent $27,000 with them on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January–March 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I was impressed with their ability to connect our technologies to names that were very clear and described what the product did — they were memorable and spoke to flexibility as we wanted. Moreover, their rebranding work was very well received by our brand partners, some of whom are footwear companies, which is the market we’re focusing on.

How did Tanj perform from a project management standpoint?

They were able to meet deadlines and stay on budget. Regarding tools, we used emails, Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very strong and strategic thinkers with a creative approach. We also liked the system they applied, which is a naming convention that will allow us to name the new products and technologies ourselves. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could provide project updates more frequently. Communication was good, but they could touch base more often.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open to their processes and the suggestions they provide. They offer solutions you haven't necessarily thought about, and their contribution is valuable.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Suits & Sandals, a branding and communications consulting agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Tanj?

A client hired us to rebrand their company, and one of the challenges was to come up with a new name for the company, which isn’t one of the services we offer. We partnered with Tanj to provide naming services for the client.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we worked collaboratively with Tanj in a discovery process whereby we interviewed the client to learn about their business and competitors. We also performed a variety of other research tasks. From there, they presented their naming recommendations and went through a few rounds of iterations to come up with 3–5 different options. 

The team vetted the names for availability in terms of the website address and copyright challenges. They also did preliminary trademarking searches to weed out any issues. After the client chose the name, we moved forward with the rest of the brand identity project. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with Scott (Founder & Managing Director) and another two teammates from Tanj. 

How did you come to work with Tanj?

Our company is in a number of directories of similar businesses. I found Scott through a networking group, and we connected and found that we had some complementary services, so it was a good match. 

How much have you invested with them?

Their service cost around $30,000, which was part of the total budget our client hired us for, so they paid Tanj directly. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from January–March 2021. We’ve kept in close communication since the project ended and have worked on other projects together. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The client was satisfied with Tanj’s work. They were great at explaining why they chose a specific name and what it meant. Now, if a client needs brand naming services, we always recommend working with Tanj, and they do the same for us with visual design services. Working with them has allowed us to take jobs that we otherwise couldn’t, so it’s great to have them as a resource. 

How did Tanj perform from a project management standpoint?

They had a very well-defined process that worked well for the client since it wasn’t tied to a certain amount of revisions. This process was quick and detailed, and they were very good at walking the client through it. Since the client ultimately had to decide on a name, things could take a bit longer due to this decision-making process. However, Tanj delivered at a good pace. 

We communicated via email and Slack. For presentations with the client, we used video conferencing on either Zoom or Google Meet. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Tanj’s process was very similar to hours in terms of the stages: research, initial directions, feedback, and further iteration and revision. Therefore, it was really easy to start our research processes at the same time. 

I also appreciated the personalities in the team; they were very easy to work with, and our client really liked them. Moreover, the quality of their work was great. It was great to recommend another business, have them deliver impressive work, and have the client thank us for our recommendation. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t believe there’s anything they could have done differently; everything went really smoothly. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Some companies don’t understand the level of work and the importance of the work that goes into brand naming. It's not as easy as just coming up with a name; most would be surprised how much time and energy goes into the naming process to weed out options that aren’t a good fit for availability, or for legal and cultural reasons.

As a result, some companies may not have properly budgeted their branding project to include naming and end up surprised by the cost. In truth, Tanj is pretty on-par from a cost perspective, in comparison to other naming studios. Overall, companies would do well to educate themselves on the brand naming process and why the cost is justified.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a producer at a video games development company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Tanj?

We were looking for a world-class agency to name our game. We wanted to hire a company we could involve in the process and get feedback from.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project's main goal was naming. Tanj came up with different ideas and recommendations. Then, we provided feedback and made adjustments. We went through that loop three times.

How did you come to work with Tanj?

I was in charge of researching and finding the best companies for this product. After this process, I recommended Tanj as the best choice. Our main criterion was finding an agency with general gaming industry knowledge. Also, we wanted someone who had worked before naming a game and had external experience with gaming. Tanj had worked with other important gaming platforms, which was crucial for us.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent about $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2019, and the game was released in April 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We measured the success in terms of how effectively they responded to our feedback and recommendations. Ultimately, the goal was to land the game's name, and we did. 

How did Tanj perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very responsive and showed great availability all the way through. It felt like a personal relationship in terms of communication. We mainly communicated through emails and video calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They completely understood what we were looking for and met our expectations. Also, they understood our timeline and were very responsive. All in all, they felt like an extension of our team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I couldn't think of anything. More people should use them; they’re a great team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just be honest, open, and straightforward about what you’re trying to get out of the project. Include them as much as possible in the challenges and conversations.