River + Wolf

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief marketing officer of three higher education tech companies that are merging together.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with River + Wolf?

We were looking for a partner who could help us come to market with a new brand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project was in three phases. The first phase was establishing what our attributes were for the new brand. River + Wolf dove deep into the language, words, and descriptors. The next phase involved looking at those attributes and identifying company names that best supported them.

We got down to 8–9 finalists. Margaret (Founder & Chief Creative) then put together presentations and helped us think about how to talk through the brand with my peers at the new company. She also helped me steward the process with my executive team.

She helped us get down to two final choices and assisted with the trademarking process to make sure that we weren’t bringing names that already existed. The third phase was defining the logo and its look and feel and getting to a tagline. 

What is the team composition?

Margaret was my main point of contact. 

How did you come to work with River + Wolf?

After using Clutch to find partners, five different people responded, and we selected River + Wolf.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from February–June 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t launched internally or externally yet, so we’ve only received feedback from our executives. We wanted to have an approachable but confident brand, and we wanted it to look neither like a startup nor a huge corporation. 

The feedback so far is that River + Wolf hit the nail on the head, and they developed a thoughtful brand that will revolutionize the higher education market. 

How did River + Wolf perform from a project management standpoint?

Margaret was extremely knowledgeable. She was the kind of person you can talk to for hours and hours about branding. There are some people on our team who don’t understand branding, so it was great to have her as a resource to reinforce some best practices.

She was great at keeping the project moving, and she was always available, even late at night. She knew we had to get the project done in a much shorter timeframe, so she always met our deadlines.

We had planned to meet her in person, but because of the pandemic, that couldn’t happen. So, we worked with River + Wolf primarily through video conference calls and email. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked with Fortune 50 companies in the past, and we talked to a vendor who was in the same category. What I found is that we got the top experience and expertise from River + Wolf at a reasonable cost, which you don’t always get with top agencies. We got just as good a product, if not better, because Margaret was so intimately tied to everything we did.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish we had met with them in person because brainstorming is typically better in person, but it wasn’t possible. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very open and specific with your expectations. Margaret is excellent at taking direction, but just like any relationship, the more open and honest you are, the better it’s going to go. Make River + Wolf a partner, not just a vendor, and have them work as an extension of your team. That’s how you’re going get what you want.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of a food and beverage company called CV Brewing LLC. The main product that we’re bringing to market this year is a fermented flavored malt beverage: spiked coconut water drink, which will be sold in New Jersey and Pennsylvania within six months. We have two employees, one of which is myself and the other co-founder. We met at the Wharton School in Philadelphia and started this company out of the entrepreneurial ecosystem there in September 2019.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with River + Wolf?

We were looking for a naming agency. We have the strategic belief that we’re a small player in the drink space, but we’re entering a new category; if we're successful at getting people comfortable with the concept of coconut water with alcohol in it, larger players, like Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors, Mike’s Hard, will want to enter the space. We see brand as a very specific value add or competitive advantage that we can have on those companies, so we’ve been sparing no expense on name and brand. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with River + Wolf on the creation of what we thought the brand personality could be and a name that would fit that. They were extremely involved in a month-long process. We filled out a 4–5-page questionnaire to provide our founders’ perspective and what the brand could be through our eyes. We evaluated 30–40 names of competitor brands, considering what we liked or didn’t like about their names. We gave River + Wolf some inspirational things, such as music and art that we liked, that we wanted the brand to reflect.

They put together a creative brief, and we approved it. Then, they did a week-long sprint on the names. I believe Margaret (Founder & Chief Creative) presented 67 names to us, and we winnowed that on our side to about a dozen; then, we worked with her on what we liked and didn’t like, and got that list down to five. From there, we surveyed consumers on the names and chose two. Finally, our founding team made a decision on which one we wanted to go forward with. Margaret was extremely involved in getting the list down to a dozen; after that, her involvement was more informal. 

What is the team composition?

We primarily worked with Margaret. There were a couple of people from her team on emails, and I know she had legal support in terms of preliminary trademark screening. 

How did you come to work with River + Wolf?

We searched Clutch for a naming agency, set up calls, and met the heads of six naming agencies. We evaluated them based purely on the fit between our company and theirs. I felt like Margaret saw the vision of our company the most of those six; they were all pretty good and impressive, but Margaret really got what we were going for, and she was competitive on price. We did about two months of relationship-building over email and a bit over the phone just learning about them and what they do.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our first meeting with Margaret was in early October 2019. That was just a fact-finding call to learn about what they might cost. Then, our work together spanned February–March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I was extremely impressed by the work that they did, the speed at which they did it, and the ability with which they were able to come up with a creative way to meet our budget. In terms of value add, we liked about 20 of the 67 names enough to put it on a can; a 1/3 hit rate was really good. We ended up losing around 2/3 of the names when we did the trademark screening, but we still ended up with six names we would’ve been very happy to have gone to market with. 

I was super happy with the work Margaret did. She is a very supportive partner in our business. For instance, she is speaking at Wharton next week on branding, and she’s having us give a bit of a presentation on our process with her, which is a good advertisement for our business. She also helped us find our design partner. We were really struggling to find a design agency, and she set us up with a frequent collaborating partner of hers.

How did River + Wolf perform from a project management standpoint?

She responded to every email I sent very quickly. I’d say she pretty consistently exceeded the deadline that she put forth in the project scope; if anything, we were keeping her waiting. It was pretty easy. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their thoroughness stood out to me. Our brand is heavily inspired and infused with South Asian culture and vibe; also, at that point, we thought we might be sourcing our main ingredient from Brazil. Margaret considered including Brazilian names. Every time she wanted to go down a particular avenue and spend time and resources on finding names in a particular domain, she asked us first. She was extremely thorough about the way she did that, and I really appreciated that.

The other thing is their expertise. Margaret is really good at what she does. I’d read a lot that she was a best-in-class naming partner, and I found that to be very true. I doubt that many people are doing this in the world who are better than her.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really. 

Any advice for potential customers?

Providing River + Wolf with a limited or rushed scope or creative brief would probably result in a little bit of tension because Margaret is the type of person who leaves no stone unturned. We had considered every possible avenue and type of word construction, ampersands, long names, short names, made-up names, etc. Go into it expecting to work hard and really put a lot of thought into it; she’s a very detail-oriented partner.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of technology and strategy development of an engineering company. I’m responsible for new products that we’re building and general strategic direction around technology development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with River + Wolf?

We’ve just finished building a few new products and we needed River + Wolf to help us name the products.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

These new products align with some of our existing products, as we’re beginning to expand our portfolio from one product. To start, they gathered as much information from us as possible through a detailed questionnaire, phone calls, and discussions after the first draft. They then spent around three weeks creating names, shortlisting them, and vetting each for trademark and legal needs. 

From there, they proposed 10 names for each product. Together we decided which names we liked best for two of our products, along with an all-encompassing name for the system of all of our products working together. 

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Margaret (Founder & Chief Creative, River + Wolf), along with two others. 

How did you come to work with River + Wolf?

I started searching for companies online and used Clutch. I came up with a list of four companies, two of which were dedicated naming companies, one of which was a local marketing team, and one was a consulting company. After seeing reviews on Clutch, I had a phone call with River + Wolf and one other naming company to hear their process. After seeing their proposal, we selected River + Wolf. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $30,000–$40,000 on this project. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The whole project started and was completed in January 2020; it was quite a short project. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We went into the project without a good sense of what we wanted for these products, and we finished with three great names that we’re happy with. We’re now able to use those names as a part of our bigger story and show how everything fits together. The small part of our internal team that saw the work was pleased. 

How did River + Wolf perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well. They were pleasant to work with, giving us everything we needed quite quickly. During that first week with the questionnaire, we had some good back and forth discussions and the ball was in our court. As soon as we sent them something, they reviewed it right away and gave us further questions, so they were very responsive. Their team was quick and professional. 

When we shifted to their side of the project, I got an appropriate amount of updates from Margaret. She kept me in the loop, so I always knew about their progress—they were prompt, professional, and easy to communicate with.

Everything was right on budget and within our timeframe. It was great to hand the work off to them for a few weeks and come back to discuss it. We had the option of doing one more round, but we opted not to do it since we were happy. Overall, it was a good experience. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were able to understand our needs and our market well enough to pursue the job. We find that a lot of marketing companies don’t understand our space since it’s quite technical in nature. Understanding our customer’s needs was important and gave us confidence that they’d deliver the work successfully. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything—I was really happy overall.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Use the questionnaire to explain your needs and market as exhaustively as you can. It helps them do their job better and get good results. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CMO of a cloud staffing and talent creation business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with River + Wolf?

We needed to rename our holding company to encompass two more divisions. One of those was our core staffing business and the other involved talent creation. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided the brand naming service. Our team needed a name that would start to rank quickly if people were searching for us. We handed over the entire project to the team, and they delivered in an incredibly short period of time.

Their team explained the difference between suggestive and descriptive names, for instance. They came to us with several naming options that we’re able to be trademarked in multiple locations across several industries to encompass everything we do as a company. 

What is the team composition?

There were 3–4 people working on our account.

How did you come to work with River + Wolf?

I found them on Clutch while looking for naming service providers with the best reviews. Afterward, I made a shortlist of US-based companies because many of our clients are in the United States. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $25,000–$30,000 on the project. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted a week in December 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were able to deliver something that I wouldn’t have thought possible given the timeframe. The name was well-received and encompassed everything that our business wants to be seen as. I’m personally happy with the outcome, and my team is as well. It’s still too early to tell how it’s working in the market, though.  

How did River + Wolf perform from a project management standpoint?

Margaret (Founder & Chief Creative, River + Wolf) moved mountains to make sure that things got done on time and to my satisfaction. I’d definitely engage with them again. They were available to us for feedback 24/7. Their team worked on an aggressive timeframe to make this work. The process was clearly explained, so our expectations were managed upfront. We communicated by phone and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were knowledgeable and expert in the naming industry. The names that they created resonated with me and matched our style. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. I was happy with the engagement. They delivered earlier than we expected. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Spend the time up front to listen to their processes and communicate your requirements. I liked their logical process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a fundraising product platform company that focuses on nonprofit organizations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with River + Wolf?

We wanted to name an app we were launching, and then eventually rename our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team at River + Wolf provided naming creation services with a rationale and an initial legal review. The engagement started with a creative brief that we created. They provided clear instructions for each phase. During two rounds, 50 names were brought forward. Throughout the rounds, we commented on what we liked and didn’t like and determined specific requirements.

What is the team composition?

Margaret (Founder & Chief Creative, River + Wolf) was our primary contact. From their side, we worked with two people in total.

How did you come to work with River + Wolf?

We researched the marketplace of naming agencies. After doing an RFP, their team was chosen. The team at River + Wolf was the best fit because of their strong response time and experience. Margaret was on top of it during that entire phase.

How much have you invested with them?

The naming services cost between $35,000–$45,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January–February 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Through the transparent process, we had great conversations that lead to an excellent outcome. They met our aggressive timelines.

Everybody thought that River + Wolf had a good grasp of our business. The team did a nice job of understanding what we were looking forward to, which limited any wasted time. The direction was clear throughout the efficient engagement. The team at River + Wolf brought a lot of value to the table.

How did River + Wolf perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management standpoint, they were good. We didn’t have any hiccups or delays. Email was the prime form of communication. We had video conference calls, as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

River + Wolf knows the naming business, including all of the legal ramifications that go into it. They guide their clients in a way that manages expectations. We have our own lawyers, but Margaret was clear about the entire legal review, providing real-life examples to gage expectations while bringing specific ideas forward. She also provided insights on how to circumvent the system in an effort to give us what we wanted, even though there might be some trade-off involved.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I think it went well.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as clear as possible upfront. Drive clarity for their team. You get out of it what you put into it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder of an online pet store focused on pet health and wellness. We have a pharmacy section which carries prescription drugs and over the counter supplements as well as a specialty treats section.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with River + Wolf?

We needed to come up with a name for our business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

River + Wolf provided naming services for us. First, their team asked us to go over the details of our business and what elements we wanted our name to touch on. We went over several questions and they created a scope of work document. 

Next, their team took us through two rounds of ideas for names. River + Wolf would give us presentations for each round, going over the name and what they evoked. They also took into account trademarks and made suggestions.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two members of the River + Wolf team, Margaret (Founder & Chief Creative, River + Wolf) and Elizabeth (Client Support & Research, River + Wolf).

How did you come to work with River + Wolf?

While doing research online, I came across River + Wolf on Clutch. I had a shortlist of two names and after interviewing both, we chose to work with River + Wolf.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested between $10,000–$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with River + Wolf ran from December 2019–January 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are so happy with the name River + Wolf helped us find. After speaking with Margaret, we felt very comfortable putting our company in her hands. She understood that we were starting a new venture and was very personable, going as far as taking the time to learn about our family. We felt very connected at that level, and I knew she would be willing to go the extra mile for us. 

How did River + Wolf perform from a project management standpoint?

When River + Wolf first outlined the timeline for us, I expected us to wrap up in late January, but they finished early. The whole team was regularly in touch and communication was excellent. River + Wolf produced results faster than we had documented, they were really quick.

What did you find most impressive about them?

River + Wolf combines professionalism with a personal touch to create a unique and rewarding engagement.  There are very few companies that can do this.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No,  everything went great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clearly define your expectations and requirements so they can understand your business. Be as precise as possible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the product operations director for a game development company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with River + Wolf?

We were looking for a name for an upcoming product. Since we were stuck internally, we decided to hire professionals.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave River + Wolf a full review of our upcoming product, supplying them with details and visuals. We also filled out a few questionnaires. Our team discussed the tone and background of the product, and we even let them know what we wanted to avoid.

After that, the team at River + Wolf gave our team an extended list of potential names. We chose a few that we liked, and then they came back with a final list and a presentation for each name. Because of our side, the process took a bit longer, and we ended up having 2–3 iterations.

What is the team composition?

I was in direct contact with Margaret (Founder & Chief Creative, River + Wolf). Three or five people were working with us.

How did you come to work with River + Wolf?

I searched for the top naming agencies in the US. After looking through reviews and past clients, we picked River + Wolf.

How much have you invested with them?

The services cost $36,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with River + Wolf in May or June 2019, and the entire process took between 1–2 months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve received positive feedback regarding the name.

How did River + Wolf perform from a project management standpoint?

A majority of the time, they excel at project management. We communicate through email or Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciated their approach and professionalism. It was easy to work with River + Wolf’s creative team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing they need to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give as much information and details as possible.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Vice President of marketing at MMI S.p.A. We offer a robotic system to overcome the challenges of microsurgery and enable surgeons to confidently perform hard to reach, micro-anastomosis.

Tremor-reducing motion scaling (7-20x) and wristed robotic microinstruments intend to improve microsurgery and expand supermicrosurgical procedures. The robotic platform is mobile and compatible with existing surgical microscopes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire River + Wolf?

MMI was looking for support while naming our new robotic platform.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to select a name that was available in numerous markets, appealing across countries and liked by the founders/employees.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found River + Wolf through word of mouth.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

MMI is bringing a new robotic platform to the market. We were looking to name the platform and register the name in several regions/countries. It was important that the name was appealing, available, could not be misconstrued in other languages, and was somehow meaningful to the solution.

What was the team composition?

As the VP of marketing, I consulted the 8 members of the MMI executive team and served as the interface between MMI and River + Wolf.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

I am unable to share the name at this time, but I can assure you that the team was very pleased with the effort and happy with the outcome. We're looking forward to launching our system in Europe with a name we can all be proud of.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was very easy. Margaret was a joy to work with and was very supportive and understanding during the process. We had an important stakeholder join at the end of the effort and the R&W team was instrumental in bringing him up to speed and getting him on board with the work we had done.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Naming is such a difficult exercise. They were able to quickly understand what we were looking for, delivering within a very short time frame. We had an ideal experience. The R&W team completed our project in a very timely manner.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No. We had an exceptional experience.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a company in the process of creating a line of adaptive children’s clothes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with River + Wolf?

We hired River + Wolf to help us establish a brand name.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

River + Wolf followed a very methodical process. They spent time understanding the goal of our business and product by giving us a questionnaire and then discussing our responses with them. They dove in, really trying to analyze our responses, before developing a creative brief to work from.

We then discussed the creative brief, asked questions, and refined the outline. The process helped us hone in on specific brand attributes we wanted to highlight. They then came up with a list of numerous names and completed an initial search of the US trademark and patent office to determine the level of risk of each of those names.

Finally, they created a formal presentation to introduce the names, their meaning, and describe the level of risk associated with them.

What is the River + Wolf team composition?

We worked directly with Margaret (Founder & Chief Creative, River + Wolf) and a team of a few other individuals. However, we felt like we had the resources of the entire organization at our fingertips, with everyone pitching in.

How did you come to work with River + Wolf?

I was Googling brand naming agencies and found a Clutch Top Performer badge on a company site. I searched Clutch and found a vast amount of resources, including River + Wolf. I liked that they specialize in naming and could clearly articulate what they do. It was a great fit, and I plan to use Clutch in the future.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent between $15,000­–$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from August– November 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I loved every single name they presented to us. They clearly understood our brand and delivered quality creative that focused on our brand message. It was difficult to choose only one name because we had so many solid options, but I’m excited about the one we chose. From the beginning to the end of our project, I am pleased with how the project went.

How did River + Wolf perform from a project management standpoint?

Margaret is a delight to work with—she’s communicative and passionate about what she does. She knows the business very well and understands the significance of a brand name. She was incredibly responsive and would turn around a thoughtful response almost immediately. She also gave us plenty of time to complete our side of the project and didn’t rush anything. The process went really well and we were able to stay on track.

What did you find most impressive about them?

 It’s difficult to choose just one thing that makes them stand out because it was such a positive experience. The knowledge they brought to the project was on another level. They have extensive business experience and have implemented a process that clearly works for them and their clients.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There isn’t anything I think they need to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about what you’re trying to achieve, but stay open to their suggestions.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Ghostery is a digital privacy company based in New York City. I am the President and the Head of Product & Marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire River + Wolf?

Ghostery hired River + Wolf to help us name a new product that we are launching in 2019.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal for the project was to choose a name and nomenclature that built on our brand and positioned our new product to enter a new market.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We selected this vendor because we were really impressed with our initial phone call with Margaret about the River + Wolf methodology. She was extremely knowledgeable and was clearly an expert in her field. It was also clear that her team was small enough to keep our costs down; bigger firms with bigger teams had quoted us much higher estimates for the same work.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The process began with a discovery phone call where we discussed the historical context of the company, the new product and its value proposition, as well as existing elements of the brand. This was followed by an in-depth questionnaire where we answered very specific questions to provide more detail about the product, as well as questions pertaining to what sort of names, nomenclatures, and concepts we liked and didn't like.

River + Wolf took this information and compiled a preliminary set of names, which they presented to our team for review. From here, it was an incremental process of providing feedback to River + Wolf on the names and concepts we did and did not like to narrow the list down. This shortlist of names underwent additional legal and contextual screening to further winnow the list down to a final set of names, from which we selected our ultimate choice.

What was the team composition?

We worked directly with Margaret Wolfson, the Founder & Creative Director of River + Wolf, though she had a team of naming specialists as well as a legal consultant working on our project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We successfully named our new product, Ghostery Midnight, which we have announced will launch in fall of 2019.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow between our teams was effective. We would communicate quite frequently via email and phone call, with scheduled presentations and working sessions throughout our engagement.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I found the responsiveness and thoroughness of River + Wolf very impressive. They also went above and beyond in responding to our (sometimes changing) attitudes towards names, which required that they explore quite a few concepts on our behalf.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I think it took River + Wolf a little while to really understand our product offering and triangulate our naming preferences with the brand and the product functionality. We got there in the end, but I think it took us all a little longer than we thought to get there.