NameStormers

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

KB-Insights is a marketing and branding consulting firm. I take customer feedback from primary research and help clients implement customer-driven branding strategies.

I’m founder and president.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NameStormers?

I needed their skill set for a particular project that I was working on for a client. Specifically, I needed their product naming experience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We brought NameStormers on to name a product in a brand–new category that was in a brand–new target segment. The client wanted to come up with a brand that resonated in theme and look. NameStormers helped us develop that name and translate it into a logo and identity package for marketing materials. The solution we came up with was completely validated in the marketplace through research.

How did you come to work with NameStormers?

I found them online looking for businesses that specialize in name development for brand new services. I looked at three companies and had conversations with them but the conversation I remember the most was with Mike, the principal of NameStormers. He impressed me with the methodology that he used to develop names which includes several steps, including research. My company provides research, so it was a natural fit for us to work together on this project.

How much have you invested with NameStormers?

The project cost was between $20,000 and $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May of 2016, and we completed the project in September of 2016. We still have contact with them about the project when we have questions.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have any metrics yet because the newly-named product will be launched this quarter and through the rest of the year. My client and I were very pleased with the methodology deployed by NameStormers.

How did NameStormers perform from a project management standpoint?

NameStormers is very organized. They create a project book that evolves throughout the project. Every round of creative and legal reviews was accompanied by a spreadsheet that, by the end of the project, was compiled into one book. The client then had everything they needed if they ever wanted to look back on the process.

What did you find most impressive about NameStormers?

The product and process are great but what shines to me are the principals, Mike and Kay. They are such a pleasure to work with. They’re intelligent, thoughtful, very good listeners, and open to ideas. We had a group of 10 people who were involved in the decision-making process, so there were differing opinions, but they were levelheaded and calm through the process.

Are there any areas NameStormers could improve?

No, the whole project was smooth. I would work with NameStormers again.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a food and beverage company. I work in the consumer insights team, specifically working on short-term commercialization of new products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NameStormers?

We were experiencing a little bit of trouble given that our product in the market is straightforward and describes what the product is without a fanciful name. We needed NameStormers to come in and help us understand where we could take this new product and how we could best differentiate its name.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Before we got started, we briefed them on our problem. After that briefing, NameStormers delivered an in-depth analysis of where they were thinking of taking the name. After that, we did multiple rounds of naming. Their PDF deliverable was a list of 25+ names with a tagline under each of them, which served as a reason behind the name. The team took turns describing the meaning behind the name and why they thought it would work. NameStormers also conducted full copyright screening for each of the names they proposed, and they also showed the risk level of each. If one was riskier from a copyright perspective, they noted that. NameStormers also considered websites. If the name for the website was available, they noted that as well.

How did you come to work with NameStormers?

A colleague had worked for NameStormers in the past and recommended them because of their willingness to iterate until we were happy. Unlimited rounds were offered. We needed the name to be differentiated from our existing products in the market. Typically, we rely on other methods like consumer generation for naming. For this particular problem, we needed someone to know the background of our business situation and what we were looking for in order to come up with a name.

How much have you invested with NameStormers?

We have spent between $15,000-$20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in early November 2016 and ended in late December 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I can’t provide anything at this time, given that the project is still underway. We took over the project internally, and we’re still working through the final list of names that we want to end up testing quantitatively with consumers.

How did NameStormers perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was done very well. NameStormers was always prompt to respond and request receipts of materials. From a timeline perspective, they turned work around really fast, which we appreciated. Each round was completed fairly quickly.

What did you find most impressive about NameStormers?

Their in-depth screening of copyright was impressive. That type of screening is something you can’t get from brainstorming in-house or from consumer generation. It’s really helpful because it takes the names that we can’t use off of the table.

Their willingness to continue to iterate until the client is happy is a huge plus of working with NameStormers. You know you’re going to eventually get something that you’re satisfied with because they’re willing to go back to the drawing board, take feedback, and bring you back something that’s closer to what you were expecting and gets you further in the process.

Are there any areas NameStormers could improve?

NameStormers did a really good job in describing the "why" behind the name. However, in the kind of area that we are working with, we need the name to speak for itself. Needing the name to be explained was probably the only drawback, and it probably could have been addressed sooner.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a public relations agency focused on integrated marketing communications.

I am the director of insights working on primary and secondary research.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NameStormers?

We brought NameStormers in as a partner to work with a client and help launch new products.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The client is in the tools industry. They were creating a new line of products that would move out of the tools space and into more of a consumer space for outdoor sports and recreation. NameStormers was able to strategize with us. We figured out how the product not only fit into the existing space the client was in but also how they could continue to grow their brand as they looked at new audiences.

How did you come to work with NameStormers?

We found them through a referral from another client. We engaged Mike and he laid everything out for us. They became an extended part of our team.

How much have you invested with NameStormers?

We spent between $20,000 and $35,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in February 2016 and the project was completed in November 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have any metrics. NameStormers has been a trusted partner of ours. They have been very forward and strategic in their thinking. The client trusted their process and previous success.

How did NameStormers perform from a project management standpoint?

They were really great at trying to stay on schedule. Unfortunately, there were some business situations that required us to flex with the schedule. They were flexible and adapted to our needs. At the same time, they were straightforward about how long a task was going to take.

What did you find most impressive about NameStormers?

They have a wealth of experience in their field. We appreciate the fact that they’ve worked with some top name brands and were able to pull that experience through to help inform our planning. They were able to leverage the experience they have in the space and gave some tough feedback at times, which we and the client appreciated. They were able to challenge our thinking in order to get where we needed to be.

Are there any areas NameStormers could improve?

The reporting was a bit clunky but it’s very data-driven. They were great to work with and I would choose them again.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We’re an accredited third-party research firm focusing on housing issues. We provide a wide array of services that are all aimed at helping clients move new products and technologies into the housing industry. We do third-party product testing, research, certification, and engineering research. We’re focused almost exclusively on residential construction.

What is your role at the company?

I’m the president and CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with NameStormers?

We’re a for-profit company that’s a subsidiary of a nonprofit company. We have been focused on growing our private sector services, and we found that there was incredible confusion in the marketplace between shared elements of our name with that of our parent corporation. When we would interact with prospective clients, they would confuse us with our parent corporation, which provides a fundamentally different set of services in the marketplace than we do. They’re a membership and advocacy organization and we’re a research house.

The second aspect was that our old name did not really indicate or convey anything about the role we played in the marketplace. Not only did we not get brand equity for it, it wasn’t a good name for indicating what we did. What we’re about is promoting innovation, which is one of the reasons why you now see innovation as the overriding principle in our new name. So, the goal was to communicate our value proposition in the marketplace better, and to avoid the confusion customers had between who we were relative to our parent corporation.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of NameStormers’ work.

We had developed some names internally that we thought were good. NameStormers took those and then augmented that list. They first wanted to understand what we did in the marketplace, what our concerns were, and what products and services we offered. Once they had a grounding in that, they developed a whole range of name options for us to look at. We had three or four potential names to start, and they probably developed another forty or fifty names, without regard to ownership rights or trademarks at first. We then sorted through those to see if some of those were available, and some of them weren’t. We reduced that list from 50 to about 15 or so for consideration. We went through an internal process with our leadership team and their researchers to whittle the choice of names down further to five or six. We did an analysis of the pros and cons of those.

We then asked NameStormers to help us quantify the relevance of those names with three key client groups: Homebuilders, consumers of housing-related products, and housing product manufacturers. We wanted to understand and quantify the degree to which each of those key constituencies for us liked or didn’t like the name, and why they felt that way. We tested those names relative to our current name and each other among the three client groups. When the research was done, the data was just overwhelmingly clear that the name we have now, Home Innovation Research Labs, was the name that resonated best with all three client groups.

What was your process for selecting NameStormers with which to work?

I asked the head of my market research for help finding somebody to do this. He identified five or six companies, and we interviewed three of them. They were just overwhelmingly the best choice, and our management team was unanimous in selecting them. I liked several things about them. Number one, the primary thing they do is provide expertise in brand names, and that was impressive to me. They were very specialized.

Number two is that they had done a lot of work within the housing industry. Some of the work they had done was for companies that are well-known within our industry, and that gave me a great deal of confidence that they understood the intricacies of our industry. They also had some very notable big brands they had done work for, which was very impressive to me. So, they had clearly demonstrated expertise and a lot of experience, which I didn’t think was necessary but was helpful.

Finally, they were very cost effective. They were affordable, very efficient, very straightforward, and businesslike. So, they were just easy to deal with and quite cost effective.

Can you provide a sense of the size of the project with a general cost or work-hour figure?

We spent around $25,000.

About how long did the work take, and when was it completed?

I think we did this in a three-month period. We officially changed our name in late 2011.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the work?

The best way I can measure it is the improved quality of traffic on our website. We also did a major overhaul to our website, to focus on private sector services. We get around 10,000 unique visitor sessions a month. What we were finding before is that we were getting a lot of traffic, but a lot of it was just generally interested people who were finding their way to our website, but were never going to be customers.

The people that come to our website now contact us, and come to us with a much clearer picture of who we are and where we fit in. So, they helped qualify potential business leads for us in a much better way, instead of spending time with people who are never going engage us for anything. So, that’s been really important, and probably my best metric now.

How would you describe their performance?

Outstanding. We were thoroughly pleased. We felt that they were affordable, and good, and professional, and they delivered on time and within budget.

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

They have the most impressive body of work in brand naming. They’ve worked with companies of all sizes, including some real powerhouses.

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

No, I don’t think so. I would hire them again.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CO-FOUNDER of EDGEFORD HEALTHCARE INC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Healthcare staffing company sustaining temporary workforce for large hospital groups.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Create a new business name

SOLUTION

How did you find NameStormers?

Online Search

Why did you select NameStormers over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from NameStormers were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Brand our company with a new name that captivates the direction we're heading towards.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Number of Name Ideas Generated
Metric: Total number of potential names generated.
Why it Matters: A high number of initial ideas can demonstrate creativity and ensure you have a broad selection to choose from before narrowing down.

Stakeholder Satisfaction
Metric: Survey results or feedback from key stakeholders (e.g., team members, executives, customers).
Why it Matters: Ensures that the chosen name resonates with internal and external stakeholders, reflecting company values and vision.

Brand Recognition Testing
Metric: Results from brand recall surveys or recognition studies (before and after the name change).
Why it Matters: A successful name should be easy to remember, distinct, and create strong associations with your industry or values.

Availability of Domain and Trademarks
Metric: Number of available domains, social handles, and trademarks secured.
Why it Matters: A good company name should be available legally, and securing the appropriate web presence and trademarks is critical for protecting the brand.

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

Namestormers consistently delivered on time and met our needs for a naming project which demonstrated exceptional reliability and a client-focused approach. They ensured seamless coordination, from understanding our vision and brand identity to executing creative strategies that align with the target market.

By adhering to timelines and delivering thoughtful, well-researched naming options, they reflected professionalism and a commitment to our satisfaction as a client, making the process both efficient and successful. This level of service built trust and positions them as a dependable partner for branding initiatives. They have earned my trust and recommendation.

What was your primary form of communication with NameStormers?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

What we found most impressive is their ability to combine creativity with precision and reliability. Many agencies excel in one area—either delivering innovative ideas or being highly organized—but a company that consistently provides both high-quality, tailored solutions while meeting deadlines demonstrates a rare balance of artistic vision and operational excellence.

Their ability to deeply understand our brand, anticipate our needs, and translate that into a name that resonates with our target audiences, all while adhering to strict timelines, showcased a unique blend of strategic insight and executional discipline. This not only sets them apart but also establishes them as a trusted and versatile partner for complex branding projects.

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

No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-Founder of SurvivorRx

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Cancer survivor specific supplements

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• find a name for our product

SOLUTION

How did you find NameStormers?

Online Search

Why did you select NameStormers over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from NameStormers were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

• Gained an intimate understanding of our company culture, offerings, goals , and client.
• Reviewed our current name branding options.
• Delivered a multitude of name choices.
• Presented the reasoning behind each name choice and how it fit into our company. 
• Chose names to be used for a survey.  Drafted appropriate survey questions.
• Conducted the survey.
• Analyzed the results.
• Presented the results to us and followed up with advice.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We found a name that could be used for a line of products, as well as for future products

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

All items were delivered on time.  All of our needs were addressed. Their team went above and beyond to meet our needs.

What was your primary form of communication with NameStormers?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their ability to study our company in detail so that the resulting name advice was very reliable and trustworthy. 

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

have auto spellcheck on this survey ;) 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner of a onstruction company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a general contracting construction company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• We wanted them to help us come up with a name for our company that fit the voice of our team.

SOLUTION

How did you find NameStormers?

• Online Search
• Clutch Site

Why did you select NameStormers over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from NameStormers were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The scope of work included coming up with a name for our new construction company that we were branching off from an existing company.  Our goal was to create a name that sounded professional and strong that would represent our brand promise well. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Namestormers was amazing to work with.  We were beyond amazed with the results that we were given from their team.  They were timely, professional, and fulfilled every promise they made.  Our goal was to come up with a company name that represented the type of company we wanted to be seen as.   The results were beyond what we could have expected.  

We interviewed three companies in total and we found their team to be the most personable and professional of them all.  We could tell right off the initial phone call that we were working with true professionals. We can confidently say that we would not have been able to come up with any name that was anywhere close to what they came up with. 

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

The timeline Namestormers gave us was perfect for our schedule.  They delivered all items on time and with the highest quality I could ask for.  They were very professional throughout all our correspondence and left us with the feeling that they really understood what our goals were for the project and the desired outcome. 

What was your primary form of communication with NameStormers?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The thing I found most impressive about their company was the amount of true experience they had in the industry and the way they approached the project with a personal touch.  We connected instantly with their team and really appreciated the way they took detailed notes and presented a project brief to us to make sure they had understood all the details that we gave them perfectly.  

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

I cannot say anything I would have wanted done differently.  The end result they gave us was far beyond our expectations. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Global Marketing Manager- Travel Essentials of Lagardère Travel Retail

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

One of the two priority divisions of the Lagardère group, Lagardère Travel Retail is a global leader in the Travel Retail industry, harnessing its pioneering culture to make travel more enjoyable with bespoke offers and experiences.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Find alternative names for a key brand of our portfolio

SOLUTION

How did you find NameStormers?

Online Search

Why did you select NameStormers over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned
• Precise skills in naming

How many teammates from NameStormers were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Project objective: find alternative brand names that can be used whenever our brand cannot be trademarked locally.

• Full immersion into the brand and our industry
• Creative research, competition screening, preliminary trademark screening
• Several rounds of naming proposals, with the rational behind each name as well as preliminary trademark screening
• Fine-tuning of additional proposals based on our feedbacks

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Relevant and precise naming alternatives, in line with our brief, our discussions and the brand's DNA

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

Items were always delivered on time and team was very proactive

What was your primary form of communication with NameStormers?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They had great and pleasant interpersonal communication, reactivity and proactivity, precise and consistent deliverables

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

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Sr. Technical Program Lead of a restaurants company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We sell chicken sandwiches

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Create a name for an internal software product that is catchy and meaningful

SOLUTION

How did you find NameStormers?

Referral

Why did you select NameStormers over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Referred to me

How many teammates from NameStormers were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

1. conduct client interview for naming requirements
2. competitive research
3. develop multiple name sets
4. validate top names for internal users
5. perform initial checks for possible vulgar meanings in English and Spanish

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Sets of names for reviews

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

NameStormers drove the interaction, delivered on time, and provided a name we ultimately chose to use for the product.

What was your primary form of communication with NameStormers?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Science used to creating names that fit the brand and energy we wanted.

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

We could've done the presentations over email (I think) and potentially went through more sents of names. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Digital Strategist

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Digital Banking Software

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Create a new name for an existing service

SOLUTION

How did you find NameStormers?

worked with them previously

Why did you select NameStormers over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from NameStormers were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Namestormers worked with us to create a new name for an existing product that would drive deeper engagement and usage

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Generated multiple names that scored highly in research

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

Projects were delivered on time or early.  Everyone was responsive to emails, typically within the same business day.

What was your primary form of communication with NameStormers?

Virtual Meeting

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

We were impressed with their depth of knowledge and experience in product naming.

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

None that I would suggest based on this project