WANT

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at a full-service telecommunications company involved in broadband high-speed internet services. We also offer voice and video services to our customers in particular markets.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WANT?

Our company used to be three separate companies that we pulled together under one corporate name. Our goal was to create a single national company, which started with using a new name and way to do business in our markets. We wanted to reposition ourselves as a new technology company under one brand umbrella.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

WANT provided us with branding services. They started by doing desk research to understand who we were and review our competition in our local markets. At the time, we were in five states, and the team researched who our customers were in the cities and towns where we had a presence. They also did internal research and interviewed our senior teammates and customer-facing folks.

From there, WANT used that information to create the core building blocks of what they thought our brand represented regarding our desire as a company and how our markets and customers thought of us. We wanted to ensure we represented ourselves as a technology company while still standing out from our competitors. WANT advised us to keep it simple, be inclusive in our market, and stand out without straying far from who we were. 

They suggested several naming strategies like two names merged, a simple name, and using words that already existed in our vernacular. We gravitated towards a name representing pieces of who we were and combined that with what we deliver to our customers. 

WANT delivered a new brand name, logo, imagery, and color scheme. They also created our new tagline to help us establish our presence as a new brand. The team delivered our brand standards guideline to guide the usage of our brand and how we represent ourselves in our trucks, t-shirts, hats, and building. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with Jonathan (Founder); John (Director) acted as our account manager; Robert (Partner) was our strategy officer, and Nina (Analyst) helped make sure we got everything we needed. 

How did you come to work with WANT?

We found them on Google by doing some desk research. Jonathan’s name popped up under branding with a TED Talk, and I looked at some options on Clutch, which I put together with some of my other research; that became my starting point. From that search, I pinpointed WANT and 2–3 other agencies.

We’re a small company, so we couldn’t expect multinational branding agencies would have the window to help us. From early conversations, WANT stood out for their process and availability. They seemed like the right fit for what we were looking to do and the speed at which they needed to do it. While other folks we talked also had a good process and availability, Jonathan understood our challenges immediately. 

WANT also had an organized approach and was able to rally around what we were trying to achieve. Their comprehensive process helped us expand and contract ideas from very early on. Therefore, I reached out to Jonathan to start a statement of work, and after a selection process, we signed a contract. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from November 2021–July 2022. After we established preliminary work, we picked up the project after the holidays in January 2022. We had a new name by the end of May 2022, a new logo by June 2022, and our brand standards guideline by mid-July 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

WANT did a great job. We officially launched our brand in August 2022 and collapsed our previous three websites into one national one. Since then, we’ve grown each month steadily in terms of viewership; we’ve at least doubled our traffic since we introduced our brand. We’re still in the nascent stages and entering new markets, so I plan to do a brand health study in 2023.

How did WANT perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered on time and were very responsive to our needs. When we were sifting through ideas, we had many considerations, tweaked some things, and brought many opinions back to WANT, and they responded quickly. We were hand-in-glove, and they were very helpful. 

The first time they presented their process, they gave us the option to complete everything in 90–100 days. However, the process wound up taking a bit longer due to the holidays, internal projects taking priority, and our need to adjust other timelines. Despite this delay, it all worked out; we got everything we needed. 

We communicated via email and phone calls — primarily email since I travel quite a bit. The team presented the material in PowerPoint presentations and PDF Documents. We didn’t use any project management software, though they may have used one. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

WANT’s experience, creativity, responsiveness, and attention to our needs were terrific. They had a very robust and comprehensive process, and we were very happy with the outcome. Additionally, the team was very dialed into our challenges, and thanks to their expertise, they always knew exactly what to do next. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they needed to improve. Whenever we needed changes, they enacted them, so they did a great job. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I suggest having an open dialogue with WANT’s team. We talked straight and plain to each other, which helped make our relationship stronger. Since we shared what was on our minds, they provided potential solutions, and we sifted through them and found common ground. Staying connected and communicating with them is the key to a successful engagement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the Senior Executive that overseas all commercial and technology for a global contract manufacturer of medical devices

our company is US based and we have 300+ employees

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WANT?

We needed help with branding. We had recently created our new medical device organization as the non-automotive side of another company, and we wanted to shed our old name, brand, and look and feel into this new venture. Still, we wanted this new brand to represent our new organization and allow us to build our platform moving forward.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

WANT helped us with everything necessary to create the branding surrounding our organization, including designing our logo and defining a name representing who we were and wanted to be. During this process, they also brought in a legal team that helped us run some trademark checks.

Initially, we provided WANT with what we called a brand heart document that included some concepts we had developed over the years regarding where we wanted to be. Using this document, they understood who we were, what our mission was, and where we wanted to go. Additionally, we provided them with our legacy information so that they could see where we were coming from. Once we finished with the branding process, WANT also put us in touch with website developers that could help us create a website moving forward.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 4–5 people throughout the project, including Jonathan (Founder), John (Director), and Cheina (Analyst).

How did you come to work with WANT?

Someone from our ownership already knew about WANT, and they referred us to Jonathan and his team.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with WANT from July–October 2022. It took us around 60 days to get everything done.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

WANT delivered a branding that tied our company together by making it representative of us and aspirational to internal and external groups. This branding was well-received by everyone on our staff, and we received great compliments from our customers and suppliers.

We recently launched our new name, and we’re yet to launch a marketing campaign around our new brand, so it is early to see tangible results. Still, everyone was very impressed with the work done by WANT.

How did WANT perform from a project management standpoint?

WANT’s project management was perfect; they were extremely professional and precise. Getting this project done was a team effort. John did a fantastic job leading the project, and Jonathan was also very helpful and involved. We communicated via email, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

WANT’s ability to listen and understand the brand we were creating was impressive. We had done a lot of work throughout the years to develop the brand heart document, so we appreciated that they took the time to understand what we wanted and our value proposition. They took our input and helped us bring our vision to life in a professional manner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would have been great if WANT had taken more time to research others in our industry to see how they compared to us. Still, we weren’t displeased with anything they did because everything was great; we had no complaints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come to them with clear ideas because you have to put thought into your project to get the best results. Know who you are and who you want to be before starting a branding process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the manager of the brand and creative team at Panasonic Avionics Corporation. My main responsibility was to make sure that our brand was properly activated across all our digital and traditional marketing channels.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WANT?

We needed a name for a new product and we also needed help in developing a naming workflow process that we could use internally.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

To start off, we provided WANT with our brand guidelines and gave them as much information as we could about our product portfolio. After that, they held internal focus group discussions (FGDs) with our executive leadership and product teams, including our CEO, to get a better understanding of our organization’s needs. From there, the team proceeded with the naming process and worked through multiple options with us. We narrowed down the list and came to a final decision on the new product name. 

Additionally, they helped us set up a naming workflow process that we could follow in the future. This will help guide our internal teams in the decision making process when naming a new product.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 4–5 people from their side, including Jonathan (Founder & CEO) and three brand strategists.

How did you come to work with WANT?

We found them through the Clutch website — they had amazing reviews.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from April–June 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We received positive feedback from external stakeholders when we launched our product at a trade show — in fact, this was the product launch that received the most press coverage. Also, the internal feedback on our new product was overwhelmingly positive. 

How did WANT perform from a project management standpoint?

Overall, they managed the entire project really well. They stayed within our budget, met all deadlines, and always brought in the right people at the right time. For communication, we used Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their biggest strength is the team that they have. They are all experts in their field of work – creating names and brand strategies. Everyone on the team was very collaborative and acted as our partner through this project.

Are there any areas they could improve on?

I don't think so. The only challenge we had was the difference in time zone, which had nothing to do with their ability to complete the job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as open and transparent as possible, provide them with as much information as you can, and let them do their job.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of marketing at a company that provides financial and software services to K-12 schools and districts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WANT?

We were going through a rebrand, and we needed a new brand name as part of that. While we did a lot of internal branding work to discover the best available name, it was a challenge. We needed a partner specialized in naming, so we hired WANT.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Over a few months, WANT did some discovery calls with a number of stakeholders on our end. They asked particular questions to get at the heart of who we are. After that, they did a series of naming exercises, starting with a large pool of possible names. From there, we picked ones that we thought would work well and resonate with our audience. They helped us narrow it down step by step. The project ended with a legal review to make sure there wasn’t too much risk involved and that we could trademark our new name.

Once they finalized the name, they also created some brand guidelines and a creative brief for us. These documents included the color scheme, logo, PowerPoint and Google Slides templates, and iconography, among other materials. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with 5–6 teammates from WANT. Jonathan (Founder) was heavily involved, and we also had an account manager and a few researchers, some of whom had used some of our products.

How did you come to work with WANT?

I found them through a Google search while going through reviews of different branding houses. WANT came up specifically for naming, which was where we had been struggling. Although they also worked on strategy and design, the naming portion was what stood out for us and why we decided to go with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $130,000 in total. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from December 2021–April 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We love the new name and branding and are excited to launch it. The name resonates well with a K-12 audience because it evokes emotions of brightness and childlike wonder. At the same time, the name is vague and broad enough that it can lend itself to various products, which was what we were after. We haven’t launched our new brand yet, so we don’t have quantitative metrics. 

During our first conversations, WANT advised us to choose the name with our brains, not our hearts, because once we created the brand, the love would come. That was a big hurdle for me because I wanted to fall in love with a name immediately, and that wasn’t the case. However, their advice made sense because customers don’t fall in love with brands immediately either; it’s the experience with the brand that they love. Additionally, we appreciated having folks on their end who knew what we do and had used our products — that insight was really helpful. 

How did WANT perform from a project management standpoint?

They handled all of the project management on their end. They used checklists with dates assigned to each item to see where we were and wanted to be. We typically communicated via email and Zoom. Our team is very spread out, and with the COVID-19 pandemic, it made sense to have our meetings via Zoom. They presented all of their materials through PowerPoint during those meetings. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We appreciated that WANT didn’t present a bunch of names they knew wouldn’t pass legal review. These days it isn’t easy to find a name that’s possible to trademark, and before the team ever shared anything with us, they reviewed their proposals.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Although their design quality is good, it’s not fantastic. That’s not their bread and butter because they’re really focused on naming. However, if they wanted to stretch their design muscle a little more, that’s one area they could focus on. For example, they gave us some iconography that felt a little dated. Luckily, we have folks in-house who are really good and design, so that wasn’t a big deal for us. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior director of global marketing at Panasonic Avionics Corporation, an in-flight entertainment and connectivity company providing in-flight systems and services for aviation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WANT?

We needed to develop a specific branded product name, as well as a naming taxonomy process and procedure for our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we provided WANT with a brief of what we needed, and they came back to us to revise the project's scope and discuss the process. From there, they gave us options for potential names to select from. We ultimately selected one of those names based on the product’s criteria.

As a subset of that naming project, WANT helped us develop, define, and codify a naming taxonomy for our future products. Basically, this taxonomy was a flow chart that would help us define if a new product needs its own branded name, a descriptive name, or simply needs to be an extension of an existing brand.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 3–4 people from WANT, including the owner, an account lead, and a creative lead. 

How did you come to work with WANT?

We found WANT through research. They’re well-known in the industry, so they were included in our RFP process.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $100,000–$250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2022, and they delivered the statement of work in June 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The name that WANT helped us define was related to a product launch, and all the KPI metrics we were tracking around that launch were successful. Their execution of this project was critical for our launch.

How did WANT perform from a project management standpoint?

WANT performed very well. We had a tight timeline, but they still managed the process professionally and quickly, doing a great job. I would definitely work with them again. We communicated through video calls using either Microsoft Teams or Zoom.

What did you find most impressive about them?

WANT’s responsiveness, reputation, and general professionalism and demeanor were their best attributes.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I was very happy with them and the results I obtained.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Definitely involve them in your RFP process; they’re very creative, and you will at least enjoy the interaction.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO and marketing manager of PDI software, a global provider of a variety of technology solutions for the convenience retail ecosystem.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WANT?

We had grown very quickly, both organically and through acquisition, so our corporate brand’s visual identity was outdated. Thus, we wanted to refresh it and update our look and feel to be more representative of our customers and the solutions we offer.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, WANT was tasked with reviewing the name of our company and proposing a new one. Then, they redid our logo and updated our visual identity, including the color palette, font, PowerPoint templates, and data sheet templates. They also provided us with sample visual assets for us to scale that visual identity across the rest of our company.

Throughout this project, WANT did a lot of research and visited one of our industry’s biggest trade shows. They also reviewed a lot of research that other firms had done. Additionally, they held a series of focus groups, small group interviews, and one-on-one interviews with our executives, product stakeholders, engineering stakeholders, and sales team.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Jonathan (Founder & CEO), Bob (Partner), and John (Director), who were our three main contact points. Still, there were a number of other people who joined the project at different parts of the process.

How did you come to work with WANT?

They were referred to me by a former colleague of Jonathan’s. Still, I interviewed around 15 different other agencies and ultimately chose WANT.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent close to $500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from October 2021–April 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have any hard metrics. WANT has already delivered our new identity, but we haven’t launched it yet. Still, our internal teams are very impressed with their work. Our goal was getting the new teams that joined our company after the acquisition on board with our new brand, and thanks to WANT’s work, we achieved that goal.

How did WANT perform from a project management standpoint?

WANT offered excellent project management. We’re a fairly large and sophisticated organization. Still, they did an absolutely superb job of navigating that internally, showing up very professionally and prepared for every meeting, reminding the different people involved what they needed from them, and driving the whole team to the desired results. We communicated via email, Zoom, and Google Meet.

What did you find most impressive about them?

WANT’s executive experience differentiated them from other providers. Since the vetting process, their executives were directly involved in my project, and they continued to work with me in every meeting. Additionally, they seemed to be selective in the number of clients they take on at any given time so that they could provide that experience.

Thanks to their approach, we were able to make good, informed decisions quickly. WANT had the right area of expertise we needed. Whereas a lot of other firms try to cover many areas of expertise, which makes them offer a medium-level service in each area, WANT has a deep level of expertise in branding.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They were very collaborative and easy to work with.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

WANT is very good at leading the project and diving deep into the core of the problem. If you are a type of client who needs multiple options to choose from and multiple iterations, they’re probably not the right fit for you. A strong decision-making sense is better for working with WANT to avoid dragging the project out.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief marketing and innovation officer for Invited, which was previously named ClubCorp. We’re the largest owner and operator of private membership clubs in the world. We have north of a billion dollars in annual revenue.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WANT Branding?

We decided to do a complete and total corporate rebranding effort. The company had been in business for 65 years as ClubCorp, and we felt that name no longer reflected the ethos of the company, our mission around hospitality, and our values around being welcoming and inclusive.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After our initial discovery to learn the industry, competitive landscape, customer base, and opportunities ahead, we did a thorough naming exploration. We settled on a few finalists and went through a complete identity discovery process to arrive at a look, feel, tone, positioning, name, expression, and tagline to support the company going forward internally and externally. We needed to get this right for employee communications, branding and rebranding, and external constituents, especially the more than 400,000 members nationwide.

After settling on a finalist set of names, we did a pretty exhaustive exploration of logo design, color palette, secondary colors, positioning work, iconography, and how it could be expressed across analog and digital channels. WANT Branding helped us ensure that we thought of all the situations and potential users to build something flexible, whether it was an icon on a mobile phone for an app or large-scale signage in front of a building.

We did a thorough immersion with current employees at all levels and areas of the company. We talked with members, got out into the field, and looked competitively at other hospitality brands and their characteristics. Also, we looked at current trends in naming and branding for consumer-driven brands. Everything set into the process to arrive at Invited.

All in all, we looked at different naming constructs and approaches and listed out the pros and cons. It was an exhaustive process — even if we thought a particular territory was less fruitful, we explored it. WANT Branding was able to ramp resources quickly, so we did this project in under 10 weeks.

What is the team composition?

Jonathan (Founder & CEO) was our main point of contact, but we had a team of five people on the daily work. They brought in other experts and resources to make the compressed timetable work for us.

How did you come to work with WANT Branding?

I worked with WANT Branding in my previous position. I knew the quality of their work, so there was an experience and reputation there to leverage. We asked them to come in and think about how to refresh and re-energize the brand completely.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent between $200,000–$300,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We kicked off the work in January, and it was completed by late March 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s too early to assess the impact quantitatively. However, the feedback from employees has been very positive, and the reaction from the media has also been strong. Obviously, some members would’ve preferred not to see change, so there has been an education period to get people to understand the backstory and why we made the change. Now, we’re taking the identity and leveraging it across hundreds of touchpoints. They did a great job handing it off to our internal creative team. All the work is inside of Workfront and being actively developed.

Moreover, the name has been well received. As we look at the before and after in our communication, we can see a level of sophistication and refinement that’s more consistent with our company values. It fits us much better than before and gives us room to grow in leveraging the platform for sub-brands and business extensions. Now, we’re set up to use this platform more effectively than we could do with ClubCorp previously.

Also, considering we were a 65-year-old company, there was a lot of nuance and things to think through, so it was a big assignment to knock out in a short time. WANT Branding brought in a large team for the project, which was bigger than some of the work we’d done before. Early on, there was an outstanding level of collaboration; we could play off each other, work through the process, and be very open to critique and feedback. We must have looked at over 100 potential naming conventions and approaches, and they adapted the speed and thoughtfulness of the work from there. Overall, it was an organic, natural, and fluid process. They were wonderful to partner with.

How did WANT Branding perform from a project management standpoint?

They had a great process and were incredibly thorough on deadlines. They always thought 1–2 meetings ahead, which was really helpful. Again, their ability to jump on the phone and be hyperresponsive to questions and thoughts, as well as their level of engagement were first class.

We typically communicated through email because everyone worked in different cities and time zones. We used basic PowerPoint and Excel to keep track of where things were. We also used Workfront for all of our creative project management. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their thought leadership and willingness to partner and collaborate were outstanding. Whether in operations, finance, or marketing, we had someone that came to the table with great thinking and the willingness to hear a different perspective to reshape their thoughts. Overall, it was a very collaborative and smooth process. The way they went about their work was very client-oriented. Simultaneously, they weren’t afraid to express their opinion and push in different directions. However, they did it elegantly and in the spirit of partnership.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they were well-organized with this assignment. They brought the right resources and moved with a lot of agility. Again, they had an excellent level of thought leadership and partnership throughout the entire process. They hit all the marks.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open-minded and let their team’s talent and creativity work for you. They can take feedback, shape, and reform as you go through the process. Take advantage of their creativity, breadth, and experience; let them run the project a bit in the early stages. You might be surprised by the direction or concepts they bring forward because they’re so vast in their thinking about these assignments. They just bring an incredibly robust perspective.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CMO of a media and technology company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WANT Branding?

We were looking to rebrand our corporate entity. This project included having a new name and repositioning our new branding.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

WANT helped us with our entire rebranding, which included choosing a new name, designing a new logo, setting a color palette, creating our brand guidelines, and more. We didn’t know where to start with the name, but they took our business goals, incorporated them into their creative process, and came up with a name that made sense for our business. The project also included rebranding our entire website and changing our internal communications to match our new brand.

What is the team composition?

We worked with about 6–7 people from WANT, three of whom were leading the project.

How did you come to work with WANT Branding?

We were referred to WANT by some people in our industry. We also launched an RFP process and met with many other agencies, but we felt that WANT’s size and experience were more appropriate for what we wanted. We wanted more specialized attention from a team that could be very invested in the rebranding process, and they offered us that. Additionally, we were impressed with the talent of their team, so we chose them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around March 2021, and we wrapped up the project in September 2021. Still, WANT helped us with some additional tasks after that.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of the most successful outcomes of this project was that we were able to go public with our new name and launch it on the New York Stock Exchange, which definitely helped us with our financial metrics and gave us a new profile with investors.

Our new corporate name describes very well what we do. We have different verticals within our company, including sports, lifestyle, and finance. Still, the way we refer to each vertical alludes to our corporate brand, integrating our business as a whole. Everyone likes our new name — it was a very successful project overall.

How did WANT Branding perform from a project management standpoint?

WANT was very efficient and worked very hard to stick to the timeframes. Although we sometimes pushed those deadlines due to some internal challenges, they kept us on track to get the project done. Throughout the project, we discussed additional scope and hours, but we ultimately met in the middle, and they gave us the additional hours. We communicated via email and had virtual meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

WANT’s talent is their differentiating factor. They have a great team of experts who were invested in our project, and we felt seen and heard by them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would have been great if WANT was more flexible about the timeline changes caused by our internal challenges. They knew about them and still worked very hard to stick to the deadline.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Keep a meeting schedule and get your team aligned so that they’re ready to go all-in on the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior account supervisor of enterprise branding at Edelman, a global marketing and communications agency. We help organizations to reposition and relook at their brand strategy to find new ways to tell their story. We also help them go through major transformations, including renaming and creating new visual identities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WANT Branding?

WANT helps us with the naming portion of our services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Whenever we engage with WANT, we provide them with a brief detailing what the name needs to accomplish and what our client hopes to be known for. Then, they use their expertise to translate our requirements into the naming criteria the client should consider. They also provide recommendations based on the client’s industry.

After that, WANT leads a detailed exploration of the name generation process, providing hundreds of name options. Then, they begin the vetting process, narrowing down the options they provided based on which names are stronger and can better tell the story.

After the vetting process, WANT presents the names to our client, listens to their feedback, apply that feedback, and comes back with a round two of name options. Ultimately, they help the client work through their final decision on the name.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked very closely with Jonathan (Founder), John (Director), and Lars (Brand Analyst). Still, they bring more creative people to the project behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with WANT Branding?

Edelman had already built a relationship with WANT before I joined the company, so I wasn’t part of their hiring process. However, we continue to work with them and prefer them over other naming agencies because they’re very easy to work with.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $25,000–$50,000 on our last project.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our last project started in December 2021, and we wrapped it up in March 2021. However, our engagement is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

WANT does a great job of bringing meaning and a lot of story behind a name. Thanks to this, we’ve always been able to find names that are very exciting to our clients and their leadership. Additionally, those names always pass legal clearances and are ready for ownership and usability. Furthermore, we’re very impressed with WANT’s service, which has helped us grow and support our relationship with those clients.

How did WANT Branding perform from a project management standpoint?

WANT has always exceeded our expectations, and they’re willing to adapt alongside us to ensure the client gets what they need to launch their new name on their schedule. They’re very helpful, and they’ve always delivered quickly without letting quality falter. Additionally, their team is very organized and streamlined, and they always help make our presentations successful.

What did you find most impressive about them?

WANT’s storytelling, meaningful work, and creativity are impressive. Naming is a tough trade nowadays, given the large number of trademarks being filed every day. Still, they’re very creative and knowledgeable, and they provide great stories behind each name while staying within the brief requirements we provide them. 

WANT is also great at pivoting per our client’s needs and demands, and they always find the right way to ensure customer satisfaction. They excel at providing thorough explanations behind their reasoning, and they’re not afraid of thinking outside of the box to find new metaphors to tell stories. Thanks to their combination of flexibility, great idea generation, and thoughtfulness, they’ve never let us down.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I’ve always been very happy with them; it has always been an excellent experience.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t hesitate to work with them; they’re a great partner to work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Sounds of Saving, a music mental health nonprofit organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WANT Branding?

We needed to name a music festival that we’ll do in 2023 to raise mental health awareness.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, our main focus was coming up with a name for the festival. Then, it expanded into our general branding. We’ve had several discussions with WANT Branding’s team to establish our focus and identity. They’ve come back to us with different ideas on how to present our brand through an intellectual property perspective and in an appealing way for our target audience. They’ve given us a lot of guidance and suggestions.

We initially provided our social media and website so they could get a sense of what we had. Since then, they’ve gone into a different direction.

What is the team composition?

We work more actively with Jonathan (Founder) and 1–2 other people from his team. However, I imagine there are other people involved who aren’t on the calls.

How did you come to work with WANT Branding?

It was through a referral from someone who had done some work on our website; they came highly recommended. Subsequently, we researched and saw all the great press they had and the TED talks that Jonathan had given about what makes a good brand. It was really impressive, and their experience across different industries was also outstanding.

How much have you invested with them?

They’re providing their services pro-bono.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2021, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since the work is ongoing, it’s hard to quantify the impact. We’re still discussing and working on things with them. The results will come in 6–12 months, so it isn’t applicable to where we are now.

However, they’ve been helpful, attentive, and sensitive to our mission and what we want to accomplisth as an organization. WANT Branding works with many companies with lots of funds and resources, so they’re great at getting us to the next level even though we’re a young nonprofit organization. They want to help with their expertise.

How did WANT Branding perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is great. They’re engaged, and the team follows up actively. During meetings, they collectively brainstorm, research, and generate new ideas. We communicate through email, phone, and Google Meet.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a real desire to dig in and understand where we’re coming from and what we’re trying to accomplish. Also, their experience across industries and household names is incredible. WANT Branding knows the lay of the land and different brand strategies — there’s an art and science to that, and it makes the process fun.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any negative feedback. It’s been a positive experience.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go into it with a clear idea of who you are as a company and give them references of what you like and don’t like to steer them toward your sensibilities. They’re really responsive, which helps a lot.