Zinzin

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or impact of the engagement?

I don't have any numbers or anything, but in terms of the reception of my new name from the previous name, my brand is much stronger. It's a stronger brand than any others in the float world. We've raised the bar in terms of our brand experience and it's helped a lot with our brand positioning. When I'm dealing with other industries, the name recognition has been very good for me.

How did Zinzin perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a very good job. They laid all the steps out in front of us. Before a phone call, they were very good at making sure everything was in line. All the data was sent to me. After a phone call, they were very good at sending me notes of how the meeting went and any sort of follow-up. They would also call me a couple of days later to see if I had any questions.

What did you find most impressive about Zinzin?

Their professionalism was really good. Their willingness to take on a new type of business venture and look at it as an interesting challenge was very impressive to me because not many people want to risk their reputation on something so new. I really appreciated that they stepped out on a limb and took it seriously. They gave me five or six names that were fantastic. I've been very impressed with the response that I got from the name. Overall I'm very pleased with the experience that I had with them.

Are there areas Zinzin could improve?

My suggestion would be for people to really consider the value that they're going to get from working with an agency like Zinzin versus the price.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Our new name – Anthology – has been helpful in terms of landing some enterprise customers who thought our original name was a little too controversial or too edgy. I think the best anecdote I can give is that a very prominent venture capitalist said, "I didn't think your original name sounded like a company that I could see going public, but the new one seems like a real company that matches the big vision you have." The transition to Anthology has been very smooth, and Zinzin's role was much more than just coming up with a name. They've played a huge role in constructing the strategy and the brand identity for Anthology. 

What distinguishes Zinzin from other providers?

I would say it's their people. Jay [Jurisich, founder and co-creative director at Zinzin] and Martin [McMurry, creative director at Zinzin] in particular – those two have great chemistry. I remember really looking forward to my calls with them because it was just a fun, creative exercise. I felt like they enjoyed what they did and, because of that, we were able to come up with some great ideas, and we ended up with a wonderful choice. Zinzin's biggest asset is those two. They know what they're talking about, and have a lot of creative juices flowing through them. It was a privilege to work with them.

Is there anything Zinzin could have improved or done differently?

No. They're very structured and transparent. They came up with many great options. We did have to go and do domain acquisition and logo development on our own. Maybe someday they can offer a full service, but for the naming itself, it was great. Everyone here is fired up about our new name. Things couldn't have gone better.

Is there anything unique or special about Zinzin that really makes them stand out compared to other business partners?

They are world class at the naming game. Jay has worked at and helped build some of the largest naming agencies in the world. With Zinzin, you get access to world-class talent typically only found at larger firms, but have the intimacy and flexibility of working with a smaller firm. In many ways, it was the best of both worlds. 

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

I would not change any of the process with Zinzin. I only wish we were more sophisticated buyers of branding services and got Zinzin's help earlier.

Are you happy with the results of the work?

It has been great in two ways. The first way is that it makes us look at it differently when we're developing a brand new product or a program that hasn't existed before. It really makes us focus our attention on what it is and how we want to convey it to our audience. Second, I think the names have been great. They have really captured the spirit of what each program plans to do in a very evocative and interesting way. It has allowed us to focus our marketing materials better to create stronger branding, both visually and with the language we use. People really like the names because they are unique. It draws positive attention to us.

Can you talk about their performance and the relationship working with them?

It's a great process for not only coming up with a name, but making you focus on your brand and think about what your brand promises because that's so critical in developing the right name. It's a terrific relationship. We're on our eighth project with them. It's a very good process. It's very effective. It's fun and very collaborative. They're super smart. On each round, they get a better understanding of what we do in our business.

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

What stands out to me is the consistency in their work, their professionalism and how they deliver their work. They're really nice to work with. They're fun. We're always laughing. I think it's a nice collaboration.

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

Honestly, no. I haven't had any problems with working with them.